Events with catered food tend to feature lukewarm mostaccioli and bland chicken.
This was not so at Lechonada on Thursday night at the Puerto Rican pig roast, which featured traditional staples such as baked pork, flan and arroz con gandules, a rice dish.
"We have culture to share with everyone," said Natalia Mercado, Puerto Rican Student Association vice president. "It's such a diverse campus and diverse Latino population."
The event was just one of many during Puerto Rican Culture Week this week, sponsored by the Puerto Rican Student Association.
Several hundred campus and area community members attended the dinner, milling around Demonstration Hall, clapping their hands and moving with the Latin music as they chatted with friends.
"You don't see a lot of Puerto Ricans in Michigan," said music education senior Emily Sorroche, who has been attending events all week.
"I thought I was one of the only ones here."
Sorroche said the best part of the week was people getting together to eat food with one another.
After dinner, traditional music ensemble Nuestro Tambo from Chicago performed Bomba y Plena music.
"I love singing and dancing," dancer Joanna Molina said.
"We use it to teach people about our culture."
The student association has sponsored several other events for Puerto Rican Culture Week, including Latin dance lessons and a comedy performance by MSU graduate Encarnita Figueroa Santiago.
This year, the group aimed to cover culture and heritage through dance performances earlier this week, said Puerto Rican Student Association President David Torres. At Lechonada, he said they had been successful, with all of the events being fully attended.
"We've had a wonderful turnout," Torres said, adding that the group's been successful in educating people.
"They've been looking at the billboards, and everybody's been interested in information on the fliers," he said.
Tomorrow, Hot Latin Night will close the week.
The free dance runs from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. in Demonstration Hall. It features local DJ Adrian "Ace" Lopez. Tickets are required. Call (313) 461-9635 or (517) 355-9215 for more information.
