A long queue lined Collis Patio Saturday afternoon eager to get their fill of finger lickin’ barbeque food. The Korean Student Association and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, INC. jointly commemorate the LA Riots every year with a barbecue cleverly titled “Seoul Food” to emphasize the union of African American soul food and Korean BBQ.

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Photo by Sharon Cho

The event fostered community and harmony in memory of a tenacious time of tension between the Korean and African American communities of Los Angeles. Started by Tony Luckett ’01 in the early 2000s as a way to fuse together the two cultures and promote diversity through scrumptious food and campus unity, the event has continuously drawn big crowds.

Ashley Manning ’17 felt “drawn not just to the irresistible smell of the food but also to the amazing presence of both culture and community bonding.” There’s nothing like spring, barbecuing and a sunny day to remind students of how strong and supportive the Dartmouth community is.

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Photo by Sharon Cho

An assortment of food, including rice, hot dogs, burgers, spare ribs, chicken and short ribs, was free to all of campus as members of KSA and APA worked behind the grills cooking up a storm. There was over 225 lbs. of short rib alone! The meat was marinated the day before, with the Korean short ribs steeped in a special family recipe passed down to Joon Ho ’15. Nothing beats the home cooked flavor of a family secret.

There was even vegetarian options: veggie burgers and Portobello mushrooms. The ribs were delectable and succulent while the barbeque sauce (a must on everything) left my hands dripping in flavor. The chicken was particularly mouthwatering and overshadowed the burgers, which were a little meager and uninteresting in comparison to the other delectable meat options.

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Photo by Sharon Cho

Soul Scribes, Ujima and other student performers kept the crowd entertained as they waited in line. For the next sizzling spring term plan to get there before the crowd to enjoy some palatable grillin’.