Thanksgiving is approaching, which means collard greens, turkey dressing and mashed potatoes are on the menu. While foods such as these are part and parcel of a traditional Southern thanksgiving, many international students here at the university are not as familiar with the fare in Mississippi. Because this cuisine is new to them, they have a unique perspective to share.
Enrolling in a college in a different country means getting accustomed to numerous social and cultural differences. One of those differences is what is on the dinner plate.
Sophomore Yersaiyn Yerkin, a mechanical engineering major who was born in Kazakhstan, talked about the culture behind his country’s food and how cuisine in his home country differs from the food in the United States.
“Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union in the past, so Russian culture influenced some foods in the country. (Kazakhstan’s) traditional foods have more simple ingredients. We use a lot of carrots, potatoes and onions, and we generally consume a lot of meat,” Yerkin said. “We don’t usually add a lot of flavors or ‘salsa’ to our national foods. I came to the United States last fall, and the foods were different from my country because we didn’t have as many flavors.”
While Thanksgiving is arguably the largest food tradition in the South, other countries have extensive food traditions, too. Sophomore Johnathan Dabel, an economics and public policy major, spent 11 years in Haiti. He reflected on soup joumou, a soup native to Haiti that is typically made of potatoes, carrots and pasta.
“During the first three days or the first week of a new year, that’s all Haitians eat, nonstop,” Dabel said. “The story goes back to when Haitians were free and became the first independent Black country. We decided to celebrate by creating this soup right here.”
Junior Muhammad Atta, a general business major, was born in Pakistan and lived there for 17 years before coming to the United States in 2019. He talked about biryani, a rice dish popular in Pakistan.
“Everyone who has visited Pakistan has always tried that,” Atta said. “It has chilies, coriander, cilantro, you name it. There are more than 50 spices in it.”
Despite the differences in cuisines for many international students, Southern food leaves a delicious taste in their mouths. Fried chicken, mac and cheese and cornbread are favorites among the international students interviewed, and some foods even shared similarities with their native country’s fare.
“Kazakhstan was influenced by Russian food culture, and Russian people really like porridge, which is similar to the oatmeal here,” Yerkin said. “We like to make similar types of ‘oatmeal.’ but we usually add milk and salt.”
Atta also revealed that several restaurants in his native country serve the same types of food one can find in the American South.
“We got a KFC, P. F. Chang’s, McDonald’s and other restaurants,” Atta said. “In Pakistan, we have sweet potato wedges, and it’s street food there. They sell it in winter specifically, and we add a lemon and some chili flakes on it.”
The students still hold an attachment to their native countries’ foods, and they continue to eat these foods while living in the United States, although they have accepted and enjoy the large variety of food available here in the South. From the perspective of these students, they will always hold an appreciation of their own native food, but it won’t stop them from enjoying a spoonful of banana pudding in Mississippi.
