By: Renae Visico
On Tuesday, April 21, the Brooklyn College (BC) Middle Eastern North African (MENA) Club, in collaboration with the Mexican Heritage Student Association (MEHSA), Puerto Rican Alliance (PRA), and Ecuadorian Student Association (ESA), held its first “Café Del Mundo” event in the Student Center.
“Café Del Mundo” is MENA’s first event as a BC club, serving as its introduction to the campus.
“The decision to start MENA at Brooklyn College came from noticing the lack of a space representing Middle Eastern and North African students,” MENA President Asal Alfaraji told The Vanguard. “The idea to start with a multicultural café came from the fact that coffee is universal, especially across both [MENA and Latin American] regions. It felt like the perfect way to bring people together and introduce the sense of community MENA aims to build at Brooklyn College.”
Seeing diversity and representation through this event was many students’ main reason for attending.
“I came because I like going to MEHSA’s events, as I am Mexican, too,” said James Hernandez, a business administration student. “And I saw that there were a lot of countries, so it seemed like a really interesting event to come to.”
“I personally like drinking coffee. It’s usually what I drink every morning,” added finance student Nancy Flores. “Since I saw [the café] was going to be from different clubs, I was curious to see what kinds of different coffees different clubs would have.”
“Café Del Mundo” opened with an informative presentation by all four student clubs describing the history of coffee and the inspiration behind the food and drinks they chose to present.
“Over time, coffee became a part of daily life. It’s part of social gatherings in many Arab countries,” said Alfaraji. “It’s served to guests as a sign of respect and generosity, which is what we hope you guys get from all of us today.”
MEHSA brought café de olla, a coffee known for its bitter taste complemented by sweet hints of cinnamon. They also brought traditional Mexican pan dulce with brownies made by MEHSA’s social media manager, Elizabeth Vargas.
“If you go to any Mexican store, you will find pan dulce there,” Vargas told The Vanguard. “It’s so easy to categorize all of us as only Latinos or only Hispanics. But once you decide to focus on what makes these [Hispanic and Latino] countries different, like coffee or bread, you’re able to appreciate each culture from each country even more.”
ESA brought traditional morocho, a thick and creamy corn pudding sprinkled with cinnamon and raisins. They also brought strawberry and vanilla wafer cookies as light snacks.
ESA’s Vice President Roselyn Zumba shares her personal connection to morochos.
“Morocho was actually made before coffee was introduced to our country,” Zumba said. “My grandma sells morocho back in Ecuador every single Sunday, so I would go with her every single summer. So I wanted to make morocho and share it with the entire community.”
Zumba described in the presentation how morocho signifies nostalgia, which is what freshman Justin Calle was reminded of while eating it.
“My family is Ecuadorian, so this isn’t my first time trying it. I found it very delicious,” said Calle. “I loved it very much. It’s so sweet, and I do recommend it.”
PRA brought traditional café con leche, which translates to “coffee with milk” in Spanish. It is first brewed in a moka pot, a stovetop coffee maker, then added with steamed milk.
“We wanted a reason to bond over shared cultural food,” shared PRA secretary Giovalli Botello. “It’s always a good thing to get people together on campus to eat and have fun together.”
MENA brought gahwa, which is traditional Arabic coffee spiced with cardamom and saffron. They also brought teas from various countries, including Yemen and Egypt.
“Drinking gahwa is not just about the coffee; it’s a cultural experience,” said MENA Vice President Rokaya Ebidou. “It’s bonding, and I think that goes across both MENA and Latin America. It’s a way to form a connection with one another.”
Students particularly enjoyed tasting a variety of cultural drinks at “Cafe Del Mundo.”
One BC student, Hana Begum, even mixed up the different drinks she got from each student club.
“I tried several types, and I mixed them all, so I have a lot of favorite flavors, and I can’t pick one,” shared Begum. “I tried drinks from a Yemeni table and the Ecuadorian table. The Mexican and Egyptian [drinks] were also really good.”
The impact of “Cafe Del Mundo” on BC students went beyond coffee and sweet treats. The event encouraged students to get out of their comfort zones by learning about other cultures and gaining more confidence in themselves.
“I tend to doubt myself and be a little too hard on myself,” said Calle. “But I feel like I was able to relax and talk to people, meet new people, and go get myself out there today.”
As a newly formed club on campus, MENA aims to further foster the sense of community formed through the “Cafe Del Mundo” and expand its impact beyond the BC campus.
“Looking ahead, I’m most excited about growing MENA into a lasting community. That includes expanding our programming, building collaborations across CUNY, and creating opportunities for cultural, social, and professional connection,” Alfaraji shared with The Vanguard.
“Café Del Mundo was only the beginning, and there is much more to come.”
Students interested in MENA, PRA, ESA, or MEHSA can visit their respective Instagrams: @menaculturebc; @bc_pra; @bc.esa; @bc.mehsa25