Merengue and Bachata flooded the Lower Level BCC with the sharp downbeat of the güira and the melodic rhythm of the guitar. The ringing notes carried the smell of Spanish arroz, pollo and arepa.
Last Thursday, SALSA (Spanish-American and Latino Student Association), held its annual Taste of Sazon. The event’s purpose was to promote Hispanic and Latino culture and offer Fairfield students the opportunity to embrace the heritage, customs and cultural dishes.
Junior Jessica Mendes attended the event and said the purpose of events and clubs like SALSA are “to recognize the beauty of another tradition and share it with the unaware.”
That is exactly why Sarah Roghanian ’14 attended the event. “I wanted to taste the flavor,” said Roghanian, as well as experience the different culture. Roghanian thinks the spreading of cultural awareness helps to create more tolerant and well-rounded people.
But not all people are culturally aware. Some students “stay with what they know,” said Mendes, and these students “remind us that not everyone is as comfortable exploring outside their comfort zone.”
Because her parents were immigrants, one from France and one from Iran, Roghanian was open to exploring Taste of Sazon. Roghanian said she is willing to accept people because she saw her parents accept each other and their cultural differences.
When a university has so many diverse backgrounds, not having these cultural events would be unacceptable, explained Mendes. Taste of Sazon illustrates that Fairfield “recognizes, celebrates and commemorates the diversity that exists,” she said.
While this is true, the event had to overcome some obstacles it didn’t have to face until this year. Junior Susan Rodriguez, director of SALSA, had to come up against stricter university policies than in previous years.
SALSA wanted to expose the “real” Latino culture with Taste Of Sazon by cooking authentic food, said Rodriguez, but this year the “sazon” was not homemade and instead mass produced.
Sodexo and Einstein’s has a strict contract with Fairfield that states all food must come from them, Rodriguez explained. Therefore, Sodexo supplied all the Spanish food. There were also health concerns such as food preparation that supported Sodexo’s takeover of Taste of Sazon.
The sazon just wasn’t the same. Mendes described the food as “alright,” and Roghanian emphasized that the quality was not the same.
“It didn’t feel like mom cooked it,” said Rodriguez, although Sodexo catering did supply the group with twice the amount of food they could afford.
Even with the extra supply, the food was gone in less than 30 minutes. The event attracted a wide range of students, faculty and staff. Everyone enjoyed it and some went back for seconds, said Roghanian.
This turnout is the reason SALSA puts on Taste of Sazon every year. Food is something we can all relate to, and everyone likes free food, said Rodriguez. “Food tells a story about the culture,” added Roghanian.
There are specific dishes for specific regions, cultures and even social classes, but according to Rodriguez, the best word to describe Spanish food is strong. Taste of Sazon is not just to show off the Spanish/Latino culture, but to say, “You are welcome in it.”
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