250 enjoy good food, good company at Soul Food Dinner

Event celebrates Black History Month with smorgasbord of comfort food, conversation and trivia

Move over meatloaf and Tater Tot hot dish. When it comes to the comfort food of all comfort foods, you’ve got nothing on baked mac-n-cheese and Southern-fried okra.

The oven-toasted, stick-to-your-spoon noodles and tiny niblets of breaded-veggie goodness were just two of the delicacies that kept the guests coming and going — for seconds, that is — at Tuesday night’s Soul Food Dinner inside UND’s Memorial Union.

About 250 students gathered for the good food and good company in celebration of Black History Month. The event was co-hosted by UND Student Diversity & Inclusion and UND Student-Athletes for Inclusion & Diversity.

“It’s felt like a long while since we’ve been able to really be together and share conversations like this,” said Sarah Owens, a member of the Black History Month planning committee. “We wanted to focus on the positive. It feels so great to be able to just hang out and celebrate the joy of Black History Month. I think it’s really exciting.”

Committee member and UND senior Jaedon Hinds seconded that sentiment. He said he had good memories of a similar event his freshman year.

“It’s really nice to see people come together from all over campus — different departments and different student groups — to talk and share their personal experiences,” Hinds said. “It’s good to see people who are willing to listen and learn from others.”

As a peer educator with Student Diversity & Inclusion, Hinds also helped spark the conversation by spreading his “Table Talks” messages throughout the space. The slips of paper included question prompts such as “Do you believe that racial harmony exists in the United States? Why or why not?” and “What are ways you can participate in your own communities to promote diversity and inclusion?”

Whether they engaged in those conversations or in others, it didn’t seem as though too many people were at a loss for words. The laughter was loud and the talk lively throughout the evening.

A grand spread

And, certainly, no one made it through the night without talking about the food. Besides the okra and baked mac-n-cheese, the soul food smorgasbord included cornbread with butterballs and drizzled honey, collard greens, green beans with ham, candied yams, red beans and rice, fried chicken and beef short ribs. Plus, there was citrus-infused water to drink and sweet potato pie for dessert.

Much of the menu was a “first” for committee member Terra Lindquist. She searched Pinterest with fellow planner Myra Henderson to come up with the recipes to pitch to UND Catering Services.

“I knew nothing about soul food. I grew up eating lefse and Tater Tot hot dish — all that Midwest and Scandinavian-inspired food,” Lindquist said with a laugh. “I don’t even know what it is, but there’s something about it that just hits your soul. It’s soul food. It tastes so good, and you just want to savor it.”

Committee member Isaac Balmer described it another way.

“Soul food isn’t just everyday food. It’s not something you just whip up fast. It’s food made with intention,” he  said. “If you’re going to make some really good fried chicken or sweet potato pie, you’re going to have to put the time into it. You can’t rush it.”

Though its definition may have varied from guest to guest, the soul food garnered five-star reviews across the board. Here’s just some of what the guests had to say …

Joshua Carter: “I’m actually from the South, so it’s like a touch of home. I’m from Memphis, Tenn., and this is actually pretty good.”

Treacy Kielende: “The short ribs … this dish is very good.”

Herlinda Aguirre: “I’ve never had fried okra before. I’d recommend it.”

McKenzie Burian: “We’re all very glad we came. This is very different than what a college student normally would make for themselves. I think a lot of people liked the candied yams, and the mac-n-cheese is really good. There was a lot of height to my plate. I had to get creative.”

Eve Goldstein: “The short ribs melted in your mouth. My props to the chef, 10 out of 10.” The whole table erupted in laughter when she added: “There’s like five people sitting here and 20 (empty) plates.”

Colton Milliron: “All of the food was great.”

Paige Synnott: “The food is really good. I went to the Indigenous People’s Day last semester, and they also had food. I enjoy trying new food because we don’t make this in Grand Forks.”

Brian Manyeki: “My favorite is actually the fried chicken because it brings back memories of home. When I thought I’d come to North Dakota, I never thought I’d be eating food like this. This is crazy. I feel really blessed to have this soul food.”

Kaha Mohamud: “I just came for the food. This mac-n-cheese is very good.”

Alex LaPree: “This mac-n-cheese is next-level. It’s a game changer.”

The evening was capped with a boisterous game of trivia with prizes ranging from “I Am” beanie hats and T-shirts to Dr. Dre on vinyl.