GLAG 2022

            Heading into the first event of Global Learners in Agriculture, I didn’t know what to expect. Prior to the GLAG kick off, I opened my conference-in-a-box, excited about all of the cool goodies.

            Hands down, my favorite part of the box was the variety of food that was included–hot chili fruit gummies from Pakistan, salty licorice candies from the Netherlands, paprika corn nuts from Turkey, strawberry chocolate from Germany, among others. Not only did I get to try snacks that I had never heard of, I was able to taste test with my roommates as well. 

            My roommates are majoring in Chemistry and Elementary Education and don’t spend any time within the College of Agricultural Sciences. However, they were just as excited to try these foods from around the world. After each item, they would say “Ooh that one is good” or “Oh not my favorite” but either way, it was always followed by “Where’s this one from again?”

            My one roommate originally was not a fan of the hot chili fruit gummies, but I came home from class the next day to her on the couch googling where to buy more (only to find that they’re hard to come by). She said “they grew on me,” and then went into describing the complex flavor combinations that she enjoys about them.

Some of the non-consumable contents from the GLAG 2022 box

            It was neat to watch people who are not involved in agriculture at any level become interested in the origins of the food. I hope that this will be a starting point in more food-related conversations in our apartment. 

            In the past, my roommates and I have made communal dinners, each contributing to the ingredients and cooking to enjoy the meal together. The GLAG box has inspired me to pitch the idea of creating a global meal for our next communal dinner. Perhaps Korean inspired, featuring the homemade Kimchi my one roommate recently raved about from the Korean market. 

            As excited as I am to explore food from a different lens within GLAG through all of the events and book clubs, I am even more excited to bring home the information that I learn in attempts to make our apartment more food curious and globally literate.