Pick up a plate and enjoy the tastes from some of the world’s different cuisines at the Wildcat Den through Thursday, Mar. 22, in celebration of World Languages Week at NMU.

The Wildcat Den kicked off the festivities on Tuesday with an array of Spanish foods from tarta de santiago— a Spanish almond cake— to chicken and rice with chorizo. Teaming up with NMU Languages, Literatures and International Studies (LLIS), the Wildcat Den will continue its multicultural menu with German foods today and French foods tomorrow.

This week’s events are brought together by Publications Director Rebecca Tavernini and Nelly Kupper, who teaches French. As part of World Languages Week, this week’s menu at the Wildcat Den is a way to bring attention to different cultures and eating “foreign food” is one way to explore new things, Kupper said.

“[By] exposing students to other cultures, they’re able to navigate through diversity,” said Kupper. “It helps them to be aware and gauge through differences…and to be sensitive to differences in general.”

For students like Destiny Partin, freshman and environmental studies and sustainability major, Tuesday’s menu of Spanish foods provided a way to experience another culture.

“I love learning about languages and cultures. I’m excited to try the food the next three days,” Partin said, adding, “I like trying adventurous things.”

Though Partin admitted that she’s looking forward to seeing what’s on the dessert menu during the continuation of this week’s menu at the Wildcat Den, it’s important to indulge in different flavors, Partin said.

“It’s good to remember that things are done differently than what we do. And food can represent different things about a culture,” she added.

The World Languages Week also features presentations of studying abroad, speeches on global immigration, and immigration and community workshops. Find the complete schedule at events.nmu.edu.