Our bustling cafeteria, Tamu Tamu, at lunchtime, is chaotic as students rush to get their variety of tasty meals.
Tamu Tamu continues to make delicious dishes for the 600 students and faculty here at ICSA. Generally, these meals are inspired from places all over the world including: India, Kenya, South Africa, Korea, France, and of course, our home country of Cote d’Ivoire.
Every year, there’s one week called Africa Week, when the canteen makes food from all over the continent. Overall, the menu is very diverse; however, Ivorian food does come around the most often, which is every Monday and Wednesday.
Specifically, The canteen uses a one month rotation consisting of a different dish daily. They choose what to make each day by checking the last date it was served. This is to ensure that the menu doesn’t become repetitive. Some less popular dishes can be served as little as once every 3 months.
Ms. Wottor, the Tamu Tamu manager, mentioned that “the two factors that impact most the choice of dish is, how much profit the cafeteria can make and how healthy the food is.”
With this in mind, many dishes have to be scrapped due to the specific budget given. Some meals such as oxtail were eventually dropped, after realizing it would be too expensive.
On a larger scale, this varied menu represents ICSA’s diverse student body. With over 80 nationalities on campus, it’s important that we recognize each one in some way.
1) The Perfect Party Food
Pizza is the clear winner, having more than 2 times the amount of votes as the second place, with over 100 voters in our school community.
What’s the appeal of this American classic? Pizza is the ultimate party snack, and can be shared and eaten, almost anywhere and everywhere.
With the accessibility of this meal, there is no surprise that pizza is ordered an average of 350 slices every second. Surprisingly, Norway is the country with the highest pizza consumption with the average citizen eating around 11.4 kilograms of pizza per year.
“Pizza on a Friday turns sadness to happiness. I love the way they serve it hot, straight out of the oven.”
Augustin E, Grade 10
2) Keeping It Traditional
In second place, comes poulet braise and alloco. With smoky grilled chicken and the side of fried plantain, it’s hard to go wrong with this dish.
This dish dates back to the mid 1900s and is consumed throughout West Africa. Alloco is made from plantain, a staple food here in Cote d’Ivoire. The chicken is cooked on an open grill, to give it the smoky flavor. Before the grilling, it’s usually marinated with spices and herbs.
Plantain is majorly cultivated here in Cote d’Ivoire. With approximately 1.6 million metric tons of plantain harvested annually, it is the third biggest food crop after yam and cassava. These cooking techniques combine to represent the region’s deep heritage.
3) An American Favorite
Another traditional favorite of burger and fries gets the 3rd place rating. This is an easy dish, and appears at many fast food joints. It’s convenient and easy to eat.
Our school’s dish is a hamburger patty, consisting of: beef, tomato, onion, cheese and buns.
With all this appeal, there’s a clear reason why burgers are eaten around 250 billion times in the US alone.
4) A Taste of Italy
The panini is a common favorite in the school cafeteria, and is the only lunch option that is available every day.
A simple grilled sandwich, originating from Italy , can be made with any type of filling. It is cheap and easy to make, and perfect for a school environment. With it consistently making an appearance here for almost a decade now, it’s no surprise why.
Paninis originally became famous in the mid 1900s when restaurants started selling them throughout the day for working class people. It was presented as a quick snack, a simple grab and go. In our school, rather than serving the working class, Tamu Tamu is serving hard working students.
5) A Blend of Flavors
The Korean beef and rice from Asia makes an appearance about once a month. This is the only dish on this list from this region of the world. With the mix of sweet and spicy, and the neutral taste of the rice, this well balanced dish is the final favorite on our list.
What makes this traditional dish so special is the batter used in it. It’s thin, light, and crispy, almost making the perfect wing. At Tamu Tamu, they make it with strips of beef drenched in the authentic sauce with the side of vegetables and rice. The vegetables are sauteed and served, providing a variety of vitamins.
It’s safe to say there’s a good variety of cuisines in Tamu Tamu from all over the world. Keep your eyes open for the next time these fan favorites return to the menu. Which dishes would you like to see in the future? Our own Instagram will feature a poll soon for you to give your ideas.
To read about our student’s favorite snacks, check out this article written by a former Insight crew- Snack Attack: Unveiling the Top Snacks That Rule the School
