I attended an interesting event this month at Marshall’s Adult Community Center, an event that showed the connections between food and fellowship.

We learned how to make spring rolls and then tasted them. Our guide in the process was Bee Chomprasob from the Public Health Department of Southwest Health and Human Services.

She shared details about the history of spring rolls in Southeast Asia. They originated in China circa 1000 A.D. Today they’re a popular street food in Vietnam. The most popular main foods in spring rolls are shrimp and pork.

The vegetable buffet at the Adult Community Center included lettuce along with carrot slices, basil, cilantro, peppers, cucumbers, and many other choices.

We were also introduced to the rice cakes that provide a shell for the spring roll. They have to be soaked in water for about 15 seconds, dried and then rolled with the chosen ingredients.

The rolling process isn’t easy at first. I made the mistake of putting my vegetables in the center as you would for a tortilla. With my second attempt, Bee showed me how to put the vegetables on an edge, then tuck and roll the rice cake. It turned out much better.

Some of the women had good luck on the first try. One of them compared it to rolling Norwegian krumkake, which is shaped into a rounded, delicate cookie.

Bee is originally from Thailand and lived in California when she first came to the United States. She’s lived in Minnesota for 10 years. Her first job as a teenager involved working in her parents’ restaurant.

She enjoys going to the grocery store and buying Asian food products. As recently as 10 years ago, they were only found in Asian markets. Now grocery stores throughout the United States have them.

This month’s event was a good opportunity to try food from another culture. We still have traditional meat and potatoes people who aren’t inclined to try more unusual food selections, but nowadays most people like to at least occasionally have something different.

Every year residents of the Marshall area have a chance to try ethnic food at town celebrations. We have Belgian cookies in Ghent made with either a traditional cookie iron or an appliance similar to a waffle baker.

In Tyler we have the baseball shaped aebleskiver made with a special baking pan. Ivanhoe offers an entire meal of Polish food, anchored by the traditional Polish sausage and sauerkraut.

Norwegian food items have been featured at celebrations in Hendricks and Granite Falls. I remember going to annual soul food festivals at Southwest Minnesota State University, where students from parts of the South shared a wide variety of their dishes with Northerners.

Food has a way of bringing people together. Everyone has to eat, so it makes sense to sometimes make food the main feature in a social event.

We have the tradition of potlucks in the Midwest. I don’t have any experience cooking for a crowd, so if I attend a potluck I usually bring a donation or a bag of chips if that’s acceptable.

The potlucks are always fun. There’s a wide range of food, and there’s always plenty for everyone. It’s a tradition that isn’t going away even in our busy 21st century.

Eating with a large group is a social opportunity as well as a tasting adventure. It’s a good time to put away phones and just enjoy the food and the conversation.

Meals tend to last for longer amounts of time when they’re shared. I’ve noticed when I eat alone I just eat. I try to eat slowly, but it’s still only about a 15 minute process.

It’s good for families to enjoy a sit down meal at least once a week. One of the things I like best about the Friday night television show Blue Bloods (currently in its final season) is that every episode includes a Sunday dinner. It’s a time for talking as a family and finding out what’s going on in everyone’s life.

Meals are real life. They’re a way to reach out to the people around us rather than just getting immersed into our virtual worlds. It’s worth making the effort.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and contributor to the Marshall Independent