Last Saturday, students crowded around a table with dedicated spots for each of the seven languages offered at Carleton.  Eager hands reached toward plates stacked high with crepes until nothing was left but the toppings in the center: Nutella, peanut butter, sour cream, maple syrup, cheddar cheese, honey, apple sauce and numerous jams.

This was the scene of 107 College St. S on Saturday, Oct. 25, when Carleton students gathered for Crepes Around the World, a joint event organized by the Language Associates (LAs).

Calixte Bintein, the French LA, initiated and coordinated Crepes Around the World. Initially, she planned to host just a French Crepe event, but Sandra Rousseau, the chair of the French and Francophone Department, recommended reaching out to other language and culture groups to see if they wanted to help host and offer similar dishes. 

“[Rousseau recommended we] widen the spectrum and not only do French crepes but also crepes from other cultures, because often you have what looks like crepes in other cultures, maybe pancakes, maybe savory, salty, sweet things, that are literally how we make crepes – in a pan, and you just fry batter,” Bintein said.

Takuma Yamaguchi, the Japanese LA, was enthusiastic about participating in the event. He fried eggs for Japan’s version of crepes, called Okonomiyaki, making sure as many people as possible could get a bite of the delicious dish. This was perhaps the most extensive crepe offered at the table, with layers of ingredients. “It has a salty taste, and you have a very savory sauce on it. You have eggs, noodles, cabbage and a little bit of batter, and it’s really great to combine together,” Yamaguchi explained.

The variety of cuisines at Crepes Around the World was meant to bring people together and offer a taste of different cultures within and outside of Carleton. “I think food brings people together most of the time, and I know that here, food events are very popular for the students, so it’s an opportunity to bring them together and chat over food,” Bintein explained.

For Mariola Henkel ’29, a German student, this was successful. “It was very fun. I was able to talk with a bunch of people, and then my German language associate was also there, so I was talking with her,” she said, “And then the crepes were very good.”

Sharing culture by planning and hosting events like these is a key part of being an LA. The other significant role of LAs is in supporting language students academically.  Henkel described how her LA does this. “Most days, she’s in class with my professor, and she helps to lead the class,” she explained. “She answers questions, and if we need any help with our assignments, she’s always there to help us. 
And then there are some days where she will lead the class by herself, in the way that my professor usually would.”

LAs are hired to offer academic language support and cultural enrichment. There are seven LAs at Carleton – one each for French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, German, and Russian. Yamaguchi, the LA from Japan, finds hosting events like Crepes Around the World particularly rewarding because they give him a special opportunity to offer others a taste of his culture. “I love organizing these kinds of events and I love watching people eat my cuisine,” he said.

In the future, the LAs look forward to holding a similar event. “We have one event planned for Saturday, November 1, and it’s gonna be cookie decorating…[with] people eating and decorating cookies, so that’s fun,” Bintein said. 

Even for students not taking a language, this can be a great way to bond with other students, as Jedi Calvin ’28 did when he went to Crepes Around the World to talk about his passion for film. “I’m just here to talk to a lot of people and also promote my TV show and actors,” Calvin said.

Though the plates were quickly emptied, stomachs and hearts were full, as Henkel explained when she recommended that students attend more events like Crepes Around the World. “​​Number one, [there’s] free food. Who will turn that down? But more importantly, it’s a great way to learn about other cultures, since food is such a big part of culture and language,” she said.