By Katherine Pasker

For two U students, coming to the United States meant culture shock both in the head and the stomach.

Coming from a foreign country to the U meant tastes, among other things, would change drastically and not only affect how students eat, but how they feel as well.

Suranjana Nabar-Bhaduri, a graduate student in the economics department, has been in the United States for three months and is becoming accustomed to the differences between her native cuisine and American fare. “American food is more bland compared to Indian food,” she said.

She does enjoy trying new things, however, and her particular favorites are pizza and Burger King. She said that a big difference between American and Indian food is the use of cheese, because the only cheese Indian food incorporates is a substance similar to cottage cheese.

Nabar-Bhaduri tries to balance her new American diet with traditional Indian meals, but she said, “Generally, when I go to Indian restaurants in the U.S., I am disappointed because it’s not very authentic–dishes that are supposed to be spicy aren’t so by my standards.”

“The first time I had Western food was the first time I left Africa,” said Abraham Gai, a senior in social work.

On the plane from Nairobi to Amsterdam, he said he was given a bowl of salad, which he eyed with concern because, in Africa, all vegetables are cooked. He said his portion of a salad was culturally equivalent to eating grass in his country.

Gai, who came to the United States from Sudan five years ago, initially had a tough time getting used to American food. In Africa, he said, our diet mainly consists of meat and milk.

The locals raise cattle and, because of different grazing patterns, “the meat is sweeter in Africa,” he said.

Even when Gai tries to cook Sudanese dishes for himself, nothing tastes the same because of the differences in meat preparation. In the states he enjoys Mexican food and Asian food, but he said “Pizza is my favorite.”

Their lifestyles accommodated to the differences that American food offered, and favorites were found among the staples of American diets (or lack of). While there are native dishes that they miss from home, they enjoy trying new things.

Mike Terry

Suranjana Nabar-Bhaduri