Instead of the food that usually clutters the back table of the Humanities Center, a buffet of Thai delicacies held attention, noodles replacing pizza, stir fry replacing empanadas. A few tables away sat Parker’s foreign exchange student for the year, Mini, chatting with friends as they enjoyed an array of Thai food at the AFS Welcoming Lunch on November 3, 2017.

“In many cultures, food is used as the icebreaker,” AFS Committee Liaison and upper School French Teacher Lorin Pritikin said. “The lunch was a symbol of welcome for Mini and for the AFS Heads.”

For Mini, lunches hosted by AFS are an important opportunity.  “I have this lunch,”  she said, “so I can talk and share information about Thailand to other students.”

Among the students were sophomores Isabella Gomez-Barrientos and Isaac Warshaw, friends of Mini’s. “I wanted to talk to Mini,” Warshaw said. “The lunch is another way for her to share her culture with people, so that’s why I went.”

Gomez-Barrientos agrees. “I didn’t get to know the exchange student last year, but I learned more about him from the different presentations,” she said, “so I wanted to do the same this year.”

Junior Audrey May, who acts as “the bridge between the students and her host family,” believes that the lunch was important for students and faculty to learn more about different cultures and people around the world. “It’s good for the community for people to get to know Mini and Mini to know people,” she said. “Especially for the teachers, because there are a lot of teachers here, and she can get to know them.” 

And, as it turns out, many teachers wanted to get to know Mini too, including Upper School Spanish teacher Yadiner Sabir.

“It gives an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to come at a time they are free,” Sabir said.  “You can be a student and share a table with faculty or staff. “I like it because it’s also an opportunity to talk to other colleagues I would not otherwise see.”

According to Pritikin, food can help connect people from different cultures. “Food is the best way to demonstrate warmth, appreciation, and respect to someone of another culture,” she said. “We often say to ‘break the bread’ with someone, but Thai people don’t eat bread, they eat noodles.”

“I go every year since I have been here to support the AFS students and Ms. Pritikin,” Sabir said. “I know that being at a new place, access to your culture is hard, and it’s always nice to feel supported.”