On the 31st of October, internationally known as Halloween eve, NIT hosted its autumn food festival by organizing its own “snack street” – a long row of food vendors offering a variety of delicious treats. Since the food festival began in 2004, this annual outdoor event has never failed to attract crowds of hungry students and faculty members.

Within easy walking distance from the NIT dormitories, you could satisfy your cravings for authentic traditional food and snacks from almost every region of China. Most of the campus stores also participated in the festival, which featured more than 50 distinctive dishes. There were salads, baked bananas, and some chicken and fish dishes that were prepared in new and interesting ways. This event plays an important role in promoting an interesting food culture at NIT and in publicizing the activities of our schools hardworking canteen services. NIT student Cheng Qidong remarked that he thought the event enriched his experience of campus life. Sheng Tianyi commented enthusiastically, “We were surprised to see so many kinds of delicious food that we hadnt seen before in the school canteens! However, I still think the canteens should continue working to improve the overall quality and variety of their daily menus”.

The 2013 NIT Food Festival was a large-scale, interactive learning experience that offered students a closer look at Chinas rich and varied food culture. This fall, several talented local and nationally-known chefs plan to hold regular cooking workshops and demonstrations. If youre lucky, you might just be able to return home over the coming winter holiday with a secret tip or two that will spice up your familys own culinary adventures. The Halloween eve food festival was a smashing success with students and faculty, and there are plans to offer an even more extensive smorgasbord of tantalizing treats at next years event!