By Sara Martin
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Tamales from Mexico, pancakes from the Middle East, and desserts from Scandinavia were all part of the Eagle’s Trace holiday smorgasbord.

The 200 residents and priority list members who attended the celebration didn’t have to travel far to experience food, artifacts, and entertainment from far-flung places like Greece and Israel. Instead, they strolled around the clubhouse, where tables laden with treats representing different corners of the globe were spread out.

Edible show and tell
In the spirit of the holiday season, residents were especially eager to help organize the event. In addition to food, many contributed homemade decorations.

“Everybody wanted to bring a piece of their culture and showcase it for the other residents,” says Events Coordinator Blaga Bayer. “It’s a very diverse group; every culture you can think of is represented here.”

While holding court at the Greek table, Bessie Rigas says, “Everyone is very friendly and eager to learn more about my culture—especially the food.”

The native of Greece, who now lives at Eagle’s Trace, beamed as people returned for second helpings of her homemade baklava.

“They aren’t all Greek, but they like [my baking],” Rigas says.

Over at the Israel table, Sandy and Ruth Herman make sure people try the smoked salmon, latkes (potato pancakes), applesauce, and Challah (traditional Jewish bread) that the Catering Department at Eagle’s Trace prepared.

Three days before, the Hermans participated in a Hanukah celebration with 40 other residents in the private dining room on campus. Ruth Herman was thrilled that Chef de Cuisine Wayne Webb surprised them with chopped liver.

“I taught the recipe to him,” she says. “And it was so good, you couldn’t tell the difference between his and mine.”