When I baked mince pies during the festive season for my D.C.-based colleagues, I included a note to make clear that they did not actually contain meat.
Travelling around the world, our staff members often like to bring treats to our teams based in different countries. During a recent leadership retreat, we enjoyed Cornish tea and biscuits from England, Tim Tams from Australia, and the best tequila from Mexico.
Our CASE staff, volunteers, and members around the globe share common ground—namely, our passion for work that advances education. Upon that foundation, we layer our life experiences and rich diversity: our racial or ethnic heritage; our gender expression; our national or multinational culture; the places we have worked and the positions we have held. As we strive to become more globally aware, be curious, and build a connected and diverse professional community, sharing food can be a delicious means of building greater understanding and belonging.
That was certainly my experience last autumn when I was warmly hosted by CASE volunteers at the University of Nebraska, where I attended my first college (American) football game, clad in red for the home team. I was treated to my first runza, a delicacy unique to Nebraska, that is filled with ground beef and cabbage. Its origins are Russian and it was introduced in the Great Plains of the United States by Volga Germans who emigrated when the political climate turned against them (so says Wikipedia). My “Cornhusker” friends gave me a wonderful set of new cultural experiences.
Food is central to what we do in some aspects of advancement. How could we fine-tune the art of our craft—the relationship building—without it? Think of all the times you carefully selected a restaurant that was just the perfect spot to share a meal with a potential donor. Or you creatively planned events to engage alumni through wine tastings, Burns Night suppers, or reunion dinners. We all know that the surest way to entice students to volunteer at or attend an event is to offer free food and drink. And on a more serious note, many of you are engaged in efforts to help alleviate food insecurity at your institutions and in your communities through service and philanthropy. You’ll find such stories throughout this issue of Currents.
Food is sustenance, culture, nostalgia, creativity, and entertainment. There’s a bit of a “foodie” in each of us as we carefully select wine and cheese pairings, take great pride in growing our own vegetables, enroll in cooking classes, pass down a treasured family recipe, or settle in for an episode of “The Great British Bake Off.” And food adds richness and flavour to the true work of the profession—bringing people together and forging connections that advance education to transform lives and society.
I have many memories associated with food. The gefilte fish (not my favourite) that almost always bedecked my maternal Bubbe’s table. Or the sad experience of moving from the U.S. to the U.K. when I was nine and discovering that I had left 31 flavours of ice cream behind me and arrived in a country that had only three! Or the delight, when I visit the U.K., of decent fish and chips and mushy peas. Or almost any meal in Melbourne, Australia, where the diversity of cuisines and the quality of the food is second to none. Or Cantonese food in Hong Kong, or a great Mexican or Thai meal, or a slice of Sachertorte with whipped cream! I could go on and on, and I am getting distinctly peckish as I write!
What food tradition speaks to your heritage? What special recipe or dish conjures up a fond memory? I hope you’ll take a moment to share it with a colleague or friend.
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May - June 2023
Cooking Up Connections: How food hits the spot when it comes to engaging donors, alumni, and campus communities. Plus how to make the case for unrestricted gifts, use maturity models to spark transformation, untangle gifts with strings, and more.
