80 Bites Showcases Cultural Diversity

Rapper Doppel-U came all the way from Germany to perform during the talent portion of the event.

Sydney Gastman, staff writer

The language and cultural clubs put on the annual event, “80 Bites Around the World”, to celebrate the various heritages of the students at Central on Nov. 2.

“80 Bites is a great experience because the students are exposed to cultures that aren’t familiar to them, and if they’re studying one language, they can experience the joy that other languages bring to other people,” junior Serena Hanson said. “Cultures and art can be expressed in many ways, and 80 Bites is a great way to display it.”

Students of all different backgrounds came out for the event, and there were around 150 people there. Attendees were presented with an assortment of different ethnic food including Chinese fried rice, Japanese noodles, French crepes, German apple cakes, Hispanic flan, and many more.

“The fried rice was definitely the best. It was so good,” junior Alandae Credit said.

After dinner, the various clubs put on a series of performances to showcase their diverse cultures. The performances ranged from an interactive Latin dance to African-American poetry to performances from local artists.

The performers worked day in and day out to prepare for the big night. Senior Juliette Jung was a dancer in the Korean K-Pop act and worked hard to perfect her dance.

“We’ve been practicing since the four-day weekend. It’s a great opportunity for us to share our culture and foster more appreciation for it,” Juliette said.

(Left to right) Seniors Collier Byrd, Jack Curtis and Jack Gardner, along with juniors Molly English and Julia Greer, hold up signs they made to support rapper Doppel-U during the talent portion of the event.
(Left to right) Seniors Collier Byrd, Jack Curtis and Jack Gardner, along with juniors Molly English and Julia Greer, hold up signs they made to support rapper Doppel-U during the talent portion of the event.

The night concluded with a performance by the German rapper Doppel-U.

“He’s gotten a lot more popular the past couple years, and we booked him awhile ago. We’ve been making posters in my German class every single day, so people can hold them up in the crowd,” German Club secretary junior Lee Reeder said.

As he performed, the crowd held up their posters and waved their flashlights on their phones to the beat.

“My favorite part of 80 Bites was to watch and see how well the foreign language clubs took part in the event and how entertaining it was to be there. Also, Doppel-U is the best German rapper!” senior Collier Byrd said.

Throughout the night, the crowd laughed, cheered, and sang along. Overall, the event was enjoyed and appreciated by many.