Making Friends Over Food

Text by Gabriella Sadowski Photos by Elizabeth Billman

Culinary legend Anthony Bourdain famously said, “You learn a lot from someone when you share a meal together.” These words have never been more true than last year when I was a freshman faced with limited social opportunities to meet new people. Falling into a food rut could have been really easy. After spending hours in the dorm and worn down with zoom fatigue, walking through the tunnel to the cafeteria was an easy way for my roommate and me to get our daily food fix. Days upon days of critiquing dining hall food, between the two of us, food became a frequent topic of conversation. We talked about our favorite foods and restaurants that we missed in our home states. We got to know each other better, and our combined love of good food helped us form a great friendship. Food gave us something aside from COVID to talk about. What should we do for dinner? Should we order in? Should we go to the dining hall? Should we invite the girls across the hall to come with us? These were the questions my roommate and I would ask daily. Since we couldn’t enter the other dorms on campus, it became difficult to find places to get together and pursue new friendships. Struggling to make friends with students in other dorms, we were obligated to get creative on ways to spend time with one another, and thanks to Google and word of mouth recommendations, we were able to explore

waits, no rowdy college kids, just us and some locals. During one of our culinary outings, we stumbled upon one of Syracuse's hidden treasures, Thanos Import Market, located on 105 Green Street. This shop is one of Syracuse's oldest food markets, specializing in Greek and Mediterranean fare, which is full of delectable delights. Walking into the shop we were greeted by scents that transported us to a Greek food fair. This place was a gift for the nose and taste buds. The pungent scents of aged cheeses, the nutty aromas of the rainbow of spices and the bold flavors bursting from the salamis made us savor every moment we were in the market. To make things even better, they

make the BEST sandwiches. My personal favorite being “The Green” includes tomato, fresh mozzarella, and pesto all on a stretch of fresh artisanal bread. And while the food was amazing, this place provided us with so much more for me and my friends. On the days when we were yet again stumped on what to do and wanted to escape the dorm, we picked up our favorite sandwiches from Thanos and picnicked all over campus. With every bite from the sandwiches in hand, we would talk and laugh for hours, getting to know each other. Within the first weeks of being on campus, we were eager to try to put ourselves out there with people we barely knew. We spontaneously asked a girl from art class to come and have dinner with us at one of Syracuse's freshest Mexican restaurants, Otro Cinco. Getting into an Uber with a new acquaintance from class we hardly knew was predictably awkward and we passed the time in the car with simple small talk. Where are you from? What's your major? It got us through until we arrived at Otro Cinco. It was a typical Friday night with an hour-long wait to get a table. The reputation of the fresh guacamole and tantalizing tacos left us determined to wait. Yet, there we were stranded in the city of Syracuse with an hour to spare until our table was ready. It was at that moment we decided to explore the beauty of Armory Square and all it has to offer. We walked until sunset, sat on benches and delved into deep conversations about life. We bonded over the struggles of being freshmen during a pandemic and how upside-down our lives were at the time. Trying to pass time until our table was ready allowed us to relate to one another and experience our new home of Syracuse together. When we were finally seated, we learned more about each other over the greenest guacamole, crispy chips, fresh salsa filled with chunks of tomato garnished with cilantro and a choice of tasty tacos.

Food was our escape. With numerous days on end being glued to a computer screen in an 80 square-foot dorm room, it was our breath of fresh air. Being a freshman during COVID, no one really talked about how hard it was to find ways to connect with others. To this day, I'm still friends with the girl from Otro Cinco and I'm really grateful for Syracuse's unique and unforeseen delicious food scene that helped me connect with other students during a time where the college experience was anything but normal. From Thanos to Otro Cinco, sharing a meal and sampling different cuisines gave us a shared experience that deepened our friendships and opened our eyes to new experiences.

You learn a lot from someone when you share a meal together.

Anthony Bourdain American Chef