Southern Maine Community College has students of many different backgrounds and ethnicities. Some of them find it challenging to cope with American cuisine. The school dining program should provide a diversity of food to accommodate everyone.

Many international students prefer to purchase lunch in the Portland area because of the lack of variety that the Dining hall offers. These students in particular are concerned about the food offered, and seek more variety and healthier  options. 

The school dining program will benefit and changes to the menu would  attract more off-campus students to join the dining hall. Moreover, serving healthy dishes positively impacts the well-being of students, both physically and mentally.

Rebeca Muntu, an international student from Angola, explained that,  “Ever since I started consuming the meals served in the cafeteria, I felt very unfamiliar and unsatisfied with the food and I wished they could serve more organic vegetables or even some snacks from my country.” 

Gloria Simao, an international student from Namibia, observed that “The food served in the cafeteria is not bad. However, I am vegetarian and there are not many varieties of veggies on the menu.” 

International students expressed their beliefs that the cafeteria should serve a wider variety of cuisines for a diverse group of people from various cultural backgrounds.

One international student had an idea to begin making these changes. Jessica suggested conducting a survey asking about students’ countries of origin.  Menus could be adjusted according to the results of the survey. For instance, if many students are from the same background, the Dining Hall could create a unique menu for them. 

Cultivating healthy and diverse eating habits would not only attract more students to the Dining Hall plan, but would benefit the health and academic performance of all students.