30 teams from 29 nations awaited lovers of international flavors with more than a hundred kinds of food specialties at International Food Day, the gastronomy festival of the University of Debrecen, which this year was bigger, more exciting and tastier than ever before.
International Food Day, the largest and most popular event of the International Student Union (ISU), the organization that brings together foreign students of the University of Debrecen, hosted more than 5,000 interested people during the day at a new location, in the northern event area of the Nagyerdei Stadium, in a larger area than before.
Rector Zoltán Szilvássy emphasized in his speech at the opening of the event that the University of Debrecen, as the higher education institution that educates the most foreign students in our country, provides high-level training and a marketable diploma to about 7,300 foreign students from more than 120 countries, while providing a safe and livable environment.
In today’s world, when everywhere you hear about violence and arrogance towards each other, we should be proud of the University of Debrecen, as more than 120 nations live side by side and work together, mutually respecting each other’s culture and customs. The nearly two-decade tradition of International Food Day is proof that, with proper attention, peaceful coexistence is possible even in such an international environment
– Rector Zoltán Szilvássy emphasized. He noted: that cooking and eating together is one of the best opportunities to get to know each other’s culture and gastronomy.
Attila Jenei, the co-founder of the event and the director of the UD Coordinating Center for International Education, recalled that the first Food Day was held in 2005 in front of the university building that houses the medical education, and since then it has developed tremendously and become an international festival that moves large crowds, where the shared meal as a result, the borders disappear. He added that the goal is for even more countries to participate in the event in the future, and for Hungarian students to get to know foreign cultures more deeply, thereby strengthening peaceful coexistence.
Zoltán Bács, the chancellor of the university, told hirek.unideb.hu: it is a great joy for them that while the atmosphere of politics and international conflicts invaded universities in many places around the world, in Hungary, Debrecen is still at peace, respecting each other, nations celebrate together with the sound of gastronomy and culture, including students who received worrying news from home. In the university’s oDEon theater, for example, the international student company will present the musical Aladdin in a few days.
At the opening of the event, László Mátyus, dean of the Faculty of General Medicine of the University of Debrecen, emphasized the importance of the friendships made in the diverse international community of DE.
To our great delight, Food Day is becoming more and more popular not only among UD students but also among the residents of Debrecen. From the sale of admission tickets, and tasting tickets, as well as preliminary feedback, we could see that we were looking forward to an extraordinary day. Keeping the previous spirit of the event, Food Day also serves a charitable purpose this year
– added Dávid Melis, the vice-president responsible for foreign students of the Student Government of the University of Debrecen.
The organizer International Student Union supports the activities of the Leukemia Children’s Foundation with part of the proceeds of the event.
(unideb.hu)
