 Shoshana Brackett/SDN Sylvia Byrd, left, an associate professor in the Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion at Mississippi State, chops onions while demonstrating a simple meal of spaghetti squash, sautéed onions, spaghetti sauce and a few other ingredients to visiting Fulbright Scholars who come from 27 countries. By SHOSHANA BRACKETT
Starkville Daily News
Almost anyone visiting a new country will find the sights, sounds and tastes an experience for the senses and the mind.
This month, 38 visiting Fulbright Scholars representing 27 different countries are in the middle of such an experience as they prepare to live across the United States to continue their educational studies. The students are among some of the world’s top minds coming to study in the United States through the Fulbright program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Before beginning their academic work, the students came to Mississippi State University to hone their English language skills and learn about U.S. culture and living stateside. The students come from countries in South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East including Mongolia, Swaziland, Yemen, Gaza, the West Bank, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Chile, Dominican Republic and Spain.
When they leave Starkville Aug. 9, the students will disperse to universities including Harvard, Columbia, Purdue and Clemson. Most of the students are pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees.
In the third and final year of a 3-year grant, the Fulbright Scholars Program at MSU includes instruction and presentations on U.S. culture, politics, legal systems and more.
In their second week of a three-week stay, the students have enjoyed Southern hospitality in the form of many new food experiences that were enjoyable if not good for their waistlines.
Many of the students have already bemoaned an expanding waistline while noting that American food portions are quite a bit larger than they are used to.
To help offset the excess of food available, one program Tuesday offered students a chance to learn how to eat and cook healthfully while living in America. Sylvia Byrd, associate professor in the MSU Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion, led the program aimed at offering easy, inexpensive and healthy options for busy students.
Tuesday, Byrd made a fresh spaghetti squash dish with canned spaghetti sauce. “This is a great way you can have increased fruit and vegetable consumption,” Byrd said. “I think that’s one of the things we really miss out on in the United States.”
Byrd also suggested students might choose to grow an herb garden. “That may be one of the great things you can do to have flavors from home,” she said.
A few international students said that though they enjoy the new foods and appreciate the hospitality, they are ready to be settled and able to cook some of their native meals.
“I think I learned a lot because it’s totally different than in my country,” said Chouly Ou of Cambodia, who will pursue a doctoral degree in wildlife and fisheries management at Texas A&M. “I think it might be difficult to survive here without cooking.”
In her country, Ou said food staples include fish, vegetables, soup and rice.
Ou and Yukiko Shimmi, of Japan, said they already are missing the traditional rice served with every meal in their countries.
To feel more at home, the two said they each plan to buy a rice steamer as soon as they can.
Shimmi will pursue a master’s in educational psychology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The two women said they applied for the Fulbright program in order to have the opportunity to study in the United States. An education here, they said, will open up career opportunities once they return home.
Even the method of cooking and tools used can be different from country to country. For example, Tuesday, the students tasted a fruit smoothie — most of them for the first time — made using a blender, a food preparation item that may not typically be used in every country.
Students may also have to deal with switching from the metric system to the American measuring system when cooking.
As they become involved at their schools, especially those in the Southeastern Conference, Byrd previewed the edible possibilities offered by tailgating.
In addition to their study of food, the students have learned about Mississippi writers and culture from Nancy and Guy Hargrove, MSU emeriti professors, and will learn more about the upcoming presidential election during a lecture next week from Marty Wiseman, director of the Stennis Institute of Government.
Though they all already speak English, the students participated in English as a second language classes in the mornings to further bolster their language skills. Afternoon activities exposed students to U.S. culture and the educational system.
Throughout their many activities, the students have remained upbeat, ready to try new things and thankful for the warm welcome at MSU, said Pam Sullivan, Fulbright Scholars Program director.
“It’s great,” she said. “This is a wonderful group. We’re having a great time. They really are an incredible group.”
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