Breaking Bread, Building Bonds: How Food Brings the I-House Community Together

The I-House community is rooted in its common commitment to intercultural exchange and understanding, but arguably, at the true heart of I-House is our shared passion for food. From sharing everyday meals at the Dining Commons to trying cultural snacks and delicacies featured in every Wednesday’s DiversiTEA and Coffee Hour, living at I-House is like taking a food tour around the world. Food is at the core of what it means to be a part of the I-House community and as it becomes embedded in our everyday routines, its significance to the community is perhaps easy to overlook. As we approach Thanksgiving, it seems timely to reflect on and appreciate the ways that food brings the I-House family together, not only during this special time but all year round. 

Then and Now: Sunday Supper in the Chevron Auditorium

To say that food is at the center of life at I-House is not an understatement as sharing meals was a part of what eventually led to the inception of the first International House. 

When I-House founder, Harry Edmonds, greeted a passing Chinese student while at Columbia University, the student was startled and told Edmonds, “I’ve been in New York three weeks, and you are the first person who has spoken to me.” To help bridge the distance and isolation international students felt in their new home in New York City, Edmonds and his wife, Florence, welcomed students from around the world into their home by hosting teas and Sunday Suppers. This eventually led to the Cosmopolitan College Club being established in 1911 as a precursor to the first International House in New York City which later opened its doors in 1924. Here in Berkeley, as the location with the most foreign students on the West Coast at the time, the second International House was opened in 1930. 

I-House has a long legacy of using food to bring people from around the world together in shared cultural appreciation, and these traditions continue to be carried on today.  Today, Sunday Suppers are one of the oldest signature traditions of I-House and are practiced at every International House around the world. Sunday Suppers serve as an opportunity for residents to share in the mission of I-House over a meal as they enjoy resident performances and distinguished guest speakers. 

Following tradition, each Sunday Supper is then concluded with the Candlelight Ceremony. As each resident takes turns lighting a candle and as the auditorium is illuminated with light, the Candlelight Ceremony is a beautiful representation of the friendships and shared understanding that are built at I-House. As I-House Executive Director Shaun Carver stated at the most recent Sunday Supper, the Candlelight Ceremony is “a symbol of joining the ever-growing global I-House community in finding confidence in the hope and aspirations of all people everywhere for a world devoid of fear, hunger, cruelty, injustice, war, and prejudice.” The Candlelight Ceremony is an incredible moment of unity that many residents and alumni cite as one of their favorite memories from Sunday Supper and their time at I-House.

Another, perhaps more easily overlooked tradition at I-House where cultures are exchanged over food is at our everyday meals in the Dining Commons. No matter how busy the academic year gets, the energy in the Dining Commons remains a constant as a central pillar of the I-House community. I met most of the people I know at I-House over a meal and I continue to meet new people from new countries at the Dining Commons, even months into living here.

I-House is one of the few places that I have encountered where it is normalized to go up to a group of people you haven’t met before and ask for a seat at their table. In the Dining Commons, strangers quickly turn into familiar faces that you’ll continue to greet for the rest of your time at I-House. As old and new friends constantly come and go, even within one meal, the faces at your table can change and hours often fly by. The only complaint that I hear from residents is that they always overstay their intended mealtimes. Some residents joke that they have to start eating later so that they are forced to leave when the Dining Commons closes.

Then and Now: Residents gather in the Dining Commons to socialize over their meals

The people that foster the vibrant energy of the Dining Commons is I-House’s incredible dining team led by Executive Chef Abigail “Abbie” Serbins. Since 2021, Chef Abbie has been tirelessly working to prepare three meals a day almost every day for I-House’s more than 600 residents. She faces the unique challenge of catering to the diverse tastes of residents who hail from 82 different countries and rotates the menu through cuisines from across the continents. To help with this challenge, Chef Abbie takes the opportunity to learn local dishes first-hand and invites residents to teach her their favorite recipes from their home countries. From spicy Somali spaghetti to turons (deep-fried caramelized banana spring rolls) from the Philippines where Chef Abbie is originally from, eating at the Dining Commons is not only an opportunity to try new foods as diverse as I-House itself, but is also a taste of home. 

Residents also often take sharing their cultures through food into their own hands. Every time I walk into the Sproul Kitchen, I-House’s shared kitchen space just for residents, a new mouth-watering spice or aroma wafts through the air as residents gather to share food and recipes from their home countries. 

In October, Japanese and Korean residents gathered in the Sproul Kitchen to organize a Japanese and Korean Food Exchange Event. With dishes ranging from Japanese okonomiyaki (savory pancake) and udon to Korean ramen, dak-galbi (spicy stir-fried chicken), and samgyeopsal (grilled pork belly), Sproul Kitchen was overflowing with flavors as residents showed off their culinary skills. This is just one of the examples of how food not only serves as a medium for cross-cultural exchange and appreciation at I-House, but also how these exchanges arise organically from the initiatives of residents.

Both residents’ and the I-House dining team’s efforts also often come together, especially during our weekly DiversiTEA and Coffee Hours, another key I-House tradition for sharing cultural foods and delicacies. Hosted every Wednesday night by residents from the featured country, DiversiTEA and Coffee Hours are lively opportunities for the I-House community to become immersed in the traditional snacks, games, and dances of a different culture each week.

Then and Now: Coffee Hours in the Great Hall

On October 16th, Romanian I-House residents and the Romanians at Berkeley student organization hosted the Romanian DiversiTEA and Coffee Hour. In honor of the featured theme country, Chef Abbie and the dining team prepared traditional Romanian dishes for lunch that day, providing residents with a taste for the festivities that were to come.

Meanwhile, I-House resident Jaquelyn and other members of Romanians at Berkeley were busy preparing cultural decorations and traditional Romanian wear to decorate the Great Hall. Jaquelyn expressed that the DiversiTEA “gave us a chance to share our heritage in the most authentic way possible.” In particular, they spent hours in the Sproul Kitchen baking traditional pastries including sărățele (salty crackers), cornulețe (crescent-shaped cookies), plăcintă cu brânză sărată (savory cheese pie), plăcintă cu brânză dulce (sweet cheese pie), pandișpan cu mere (apple upside-down sponge cake), and salam de biscuits (biscuit and chocolate “salami”). A long-time I-House resident told me that they always fondly remember the Romanian DiversiTEA and Coffee Hour for the delicious handmade treats that it features, and it certainly did not disappoint this semester.

Jaquelyn says, “Our goal was to immerse residents in Romania’s rich culture, highlighting traditions and food that are not widely known about. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity and look forward to sharing more of our Romanian culture so that the international, as well as UC Berkeley community as a whole, truly know what Romania as a country and culture is all about.”

Some of the other DiversiTEA and Coffee Hours this semester have featured Polish precelki (pretzels), pierniki (gingerbread), and pierogi (cheese dumplings) as well as Mexican nachos, salsa, churros, and cucumber salad. Coffee Hours are truly a hallmark of I-House’s love for food and intercultural exchange and is an event that every resident looks forward to each week.

As Thanksgiving approaches, the year-round camaraderie and spirit of the I-House community will certainly continue into the holiday season. However, not every resident has a place to go for the holidays. I-House has recently revived the Thanksgiving Dinner Host program and is happy to have found space this year for many residents at the tables of local alumni and community members. As many international students will also remain here at I-House, I don’t expect the Sproul Kitchen will be empty as residents will definitely gather to hold Friendsgivings celebrations. Perhaps, we might even prepare recipes from our very own I-House Cookbook!

Featuring contributions from I-House residents, the dining team, and alumni, the cookbooks bring together the true love and appreciation the I-House community has for international food and cultures. In the latest chapter, you’ll discover a delightful variety of comfort foods, even a recipe for reinventing Thanksgiving leftovers!

Since the inception of the first International House, food has been at the true heart of the I-House spirit to promote intercultural exchange and understanding. Whether through long-standing traditions such as Sunday Supper or through spontaneous resident initiatives, it is always an exciting experience to have the chance to taste the entire world at I-House.

To I-House alumni: I would love to hear about your culinary adventures from your time at I-House! Did you break bread together in new and unexpected ways? We are also looking for new recipe submissions for the next chapter of the I-House Cookbook. Please contribute your favorite recipes to our incredible cultural culinary project here. I look forward to hearing from you and trying your recipes!