More than a Meal: Food Brings Students Together
Parties, get-togethers or dates often have one constant: food. Webster University shares the same sentiment.
It’s common to find table- fuls of students at the Universi- ty Center (UC) sharing a lunch together, while an outdoor din- ing area at Marletto’s serves as a gathering spot for friends to enjoy meals.
Kim Kleinman, an adjunct professor and former direc- tor of undergraduate advising, dives deep into the topic of the importance of food and culture in his “Placelessness” class.
Kleinman challenges his students to look into how peo- ple uprooted from their homes create a sense of place, citing food as one of the key ingredi- ents in making this happen.
“Eating is one of the basic biological functions and one that we do in front of other people,” Kleinman said. “It’s an act of generosity. It’s an act of sharing. It’s an act of fellow- ship and welcoming.”
Moritz Christmann, a for- eign exchange student from Trier, Germany, feels the same about the correlation between food and togetherness.
“Food has a very special meaning to me – it’s not just there to eat, it creates joy and brings people together,” Christmann said. “That’s why I truly enjoy cooking, especially with friends. Cooking together is more than just preparing a meal: It’s a shared experi- ence. You talk, laugh, try new things and, at the end, you sit down together and enjoy what you’ve created. There’s some- thing very rewarding about that whole process.”
For musical theatre major Michael Stark, friendships are also strengthened in the kitch- en. The sophomore has been using his new living space in the Webster Village Apart- ments (WVAs) to its fullest by inviting friends over for simple yet homey food.
“I love to just hang out with those [theatre] friends,” Stark said. “I will often have people over and have pizzas. I’ve al- ways loved to just have an ov- en-baked pizza with soda and chill with friends.”
Stark believes the food is less important than the people you share it with, and that dining together can help start conversations between introverted people.
Christmann lived in the WVAs during the fall 2023 se- mester and met friends whom he still keeps in contact with. One of them, Octave Brun, joined Moritz for home-cooked specialties, creating memories he wouldn’t forget.
“Shared activities like cooking create a different kind of bond,” Christmann said. “When you prepare a meal together, you collaborate, di- vide tasks, help each other and celebrate the result as a team. Those small moments in the kitchen – the conversations, the music in the background, the spontaneous ideas – often turn into the memories you look back on years later.”
At the end of his fresh- man year, Brun created The Melting Pots club, previously known as the Taste of Culture club before its hiatus several years ago.
The Melting Pots invites Webster students to experience cooking different cultural cuisines every month. The group, with Brun as president, also teams up with other organization such as SinoLink, Web- ster’s Chinese culture club.
“I really enjoyed cooking because I love to eat, and cooking is just a step you need to eat,” Brun said.
“I love how you can assemble people and connect with them while cooking.”
