As a group of University students threw around a football, grilled burgers and made score predictions at a tailgate on the Parade Ground on Saturday, many would never suspect some of them had only been living in the United States for a few months.
The students, brought together by the second-ever tailgate hosted by the International Cultural Center, represented numerous places around the world, including India, South Africa, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Germany, Romania and Iran.
Kenny Zhao, a mechanical engineering junior from China, said tailgating is a purely American experience because American football is something only played in this country.
International students get to experience a quintessential part of American culture while tailgating, Zhao said.
President of the International Student Association Ruoxi Chen, a graduate student in plant pathology, moved to Baton Rouge four years ago from China and said the tailgate encourages friendship among people of all cultures.
Chen said the ICC tailgate is a fun event and he wants it to continue bringing domestic and international students together.
“People are so in love with this sport,” Chen said. “It’s a culture by itself.”
Thabiso Musapelo, a chemistry Ph.D. candidate from South Africa, said they expected 140 to 150 people to stop by.
“Estimating how many people will come is the biggest challenge,” Musapelo said.
Cesar Silva, who is earning his master’s degree in music, moved from Brazil to Baton Rouge three months ago.
Silva said he is more familiar with the soccer traditions from back home, and that even the Alabama game last weekend was more civil than a typical soccer game in his hometown.
In Brazil, the crowds are so rowdy that the street is divided into lanes for the home team and their opponent to keep them from fighting, Silva said.
“It’s peaceful here,” Silva said. “It’s a nice culture. People really enjoy themselves cooking, eating and playing games. I like all of it together.”
Recent graduate Martin Loew moved to the United States from Germany a few years ago and said although he was familiar with “barbecues in the garden,” tailgating was a whole new experience.
Loew stayed close to the grill during the tailgate and cooked chicken, burgers and sausage for the group.
“I got a Cajun creole cookbook to learn how to cook,” he said.
Although the group has traditional tailgate snacks like jambalaya and burgers, the ICC tailgate has foods from other cultures, too — such as a German cheese tray for dessert.
Local Chinese and Indian restaurants often donate food to the tailgate, Chen said.
