By Jesse Reilly 
Staff Writer

Although it looked like a normal cookie, St. Catherine of Siena third-grader Gretchen Reese found out that looks can be deceiving at the school’s International Luncheon at the Horsham Catholic school Tuesday.

“It looks like a cookie but it tastes more like a pancake,” she said. “I like it.”

Reese’s plate also featured German schnitzel and some Mexican chips and salsa.

“I like trying new foods,” she said. “You get to know about other people that way.”

And that was exactly the point of the noon-time feast, organizer Jennifer Kugler said.

“It’s part of our ‘No Place for Hate’ initiative,” the seventh- and eighth-grade social studies teacher said, adding that the goal of the school-wide program is to promote diversity through experience and appreciation.

“We want the students to know that our diversity is what makes America so great,” she said.

In past years the school has created prayer banners about acceptance, drafted and instituted a no bullying policy, held book clubs that featured works about bullying and donated to the Pennies for Peace organization that works to build schools in Pakistan.

“We really have a great turnout,” Kugler said of the packed cafeteria. “This is something the kids can get excited about, it’s new and different.”

Although students could easily pick out the well-known items such as Irish potatoes, Italian strombolis and Mexican chips and salsa, there were a significant number of more unique dishes.

Ethiopian popcorn, Hungarian meatballs, Puerto Rican red beans and rice, pancit, a Filipino dish of chicken, rice and noodles, fried plantains from the Caribbean, and fried dough from Norway were among the delicacies available.

To really get students into the international theme, flags from different countries outlined the room and there were several tables of books, videos, pictures and items from countries including Vietnam, Ireland, Armenia and Ethiopia.

With a plateful of Irish potatoes, Native American corn bread, a Mexican empanada, sushi and cake, fourth-grader Sydney Kosiak said she thought the day was very exciting. Continued...

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