William Kline, Guest Writer from Writing for Media Practicum
Note: This article was written by a student of Dr. Emily Stones, in the class, Writing for Media Practicum. The Highlander is proud to serve as a platform for guest contributions and encourages collaboration between our community and our publication.
On Wednesday, September 16th, students gathered outside the student center for free arepas as the first out of six free-to-attend events for the Comidas De Alma (soul food) workshops. From 12:30pm to 2:00pm, students of the Memory, History, and Food class, led by Dr. Heider Tun Tun and Dr. Camilo Perez Quintero, served and prepared the arepas.
Students prepared the arepas beforehand on that Monday, two days before the event on the quad. The students created many different variations of arepas using five different recipes; including arepa blanca/paisa (white arepa), arepa de choclo (sweet corn arepa), arepa de huevo (egg arepa), arepa de queso (cheese arepa), and arepa rellena o arepa venezolana (stuffed arepa).
Though Regis University is known for giving out complimentary food to the community, this event was designed to emphasize the significance of culinary storytelling. The Memory, History, and Food class teaches students that food is more than just nutrition; food also reflects the history, culture, and identity of people and places.
Students are partaking in this workshop so “we as people of corn can find commonality,” Dr. Camilo Perez Quintero stated. Students aren’t just following a recipe – they are also engaging with the relevance, memory, culture, and identity that these foods present. By doing this, they understand corn beyond its nutritional value, and that it was a foundational and pivotal crop to the people of the Americas.
Students work to understand the “relevance of corn to the people of the Americas” and that “we are all people of corn, though we eat it differently,” Dr. Camilo Perez Quintero shared. For a class that educates students on what food is beyond its nutrition, an experience such as the arepas workshop is essential for students to enhance their understanding in culinary history.
Upcoming Comidas De Alma (soul food) workshops, will be on October 7, 15, and 16, and November 4. Specific details can be found at https://www.c anvaqr.co m/RGR6 s3 s XKH?utm. As stated above, these events are free to attend and are open to the whole community!