ROME - Last week, the LUISS (Libera Università degli studi Sociali)  held their third International Dinner Contest, bringing together over 80 students from around 40 different countries.  

 The university canteen was transformed into a Master-chef type stage, with each competitor given the challenge of preparing a typical dish whilst explaining the dish’s cultural heritage and significance within their own country. These students then had to face the fierce task of winning over their fellow Italian student peers, who judged each entry based on the taste and creativity of the dish.

 The eventual winners were the Spanish-Canadian team who presented their Spanish tortillas with a Canadian twist, second place went to the Indian vegetable pulav, and the Dutch tompoes (a type of pastry) came in third. This said, the results are of little significance with the all-encompassing message of this event not being competition but rather the importance of the celebration of the many cultures housed here in Rome. 

 The Director of LUISS, Giovanni Lo Storto, commented that these types of initiatives create “life experiences”, adding, "the university believes in the sharing of different cultures, and we do so, not only by sending our students around the world… but by creating initiatives such as the Language Café which favours an exchange and reciprocal awareness of cultures found in the very city we live in”.