In a celebration of diversity, the Fashion Design department hosted "International Day" November 19.
Students, faculty and staff enjoyed a variety of traditional foods from several cultures, including foods from Puerto Rico such as arroz con gandules and pernil. Fashion Design Chair Nasheli Ortiz-González is from Caguas, Puerto Rico.
"The students didn't want to call it a Thanksgiving lunch because they say it's a colonial tradition," Ortiz-González said. "Since we are a very diverse department, we decided to bring food from our cities or family traditions."
The group also feasted on mixed sandwiches, yams, sweet potato casserole and cabbage rolls.
Pernil is a slow-roasted marinated pork leg or pork shoulder. In Latin American countries the dish is commonly shared during Christmas, typically accompanied by arroz con gandules. The pork shoulder is used as a whole piece, with skin and bone.
Arroz con gandules is a combination of rice, pigeon peas and pork, cooked in the same pot with Puerto Rican-style sofrito. This is one of the signature rice dishes of Puerto Rican cuisine.
