One of Norwin High School’s newest clubs is the International Foods Club (IFC). IFC is a club that involves exploring the diversity of cultures through the world of food. Founded earlier this year, the club hopes to change its members’ views on food and how it can impact their daily lives.
“Our club seeks to expand students’ knowledge and appreciation for the cultural significance of food, cultivating an environment that encourages open-mindedness, tolerance, and curiosity,” said junior club president, Hanna Klinginsmith. “By exploring the unique flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques from around the world, we aim to transcend cultural boundaries and create a space where students can forge connections, exchange ideas, and gain a deeper understanding of the global community.”
The club is set to have two meetings a month, with the first meeting being completely dedicated to learning about a culture and food that will be made at the second meeting. In the first meeting, a small snack is provided and is open to anyone in the club, while the second meeting is capped off to a select group of the club for safety and liability reasons.
”Our first meeting was an open ‘Try It’ meeting, explaining the outline for the club (our ideas, the structure, how membership works),” said junior Katie Smith, vice president of the club. “Then, because it was Valentine’s Day, we made chocolate covered strawberries and looked at how other countries celebrate Valentine’s Day!”
The Valentine’s Day chocolate strawberries were a hit! Since the beginning of spring, the club is well underway to expanding its members to a variety of new foods throughout its upcoming meetings. The club, its officers, and its members are looking forward to what the future holds.
“Where I want to see [this club] go, I would love for it to expand to a place where we have guest speakers and are taking field trips to local food celebrations around the Pittsburgh region,” said Mrs. Hawley, history teacher and overseer of IFC. “I would also love to work more with the FCS teachers if the Foods classes ever come back!”
