{"id":110363,"date":"2026-05-19T12:35:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T16:35:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/?p=110363"},"modified":"2026-05-19T16:51:50","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T20:51:50","slug":"world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018World on a Plate\u2019 Course Gives UMW Community a Taste of Global Cuisines"},"content":{"rendered":"<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><section class=\"wp-block-umw-hero alignfull umw-custom-block umw-hero umw-hero--dark-text umw-hero--media-float-right umw-hero--white umw-hero--with-no-media umw-hero--with-no-content\"><div class=\"umw-hero__inner\"><div class=\"umw-hero__media\"><\/div><div class=\"umw-hero__title\"><div class=\"container\"><div class=\"umw-hero__title__wrapper\"><h1 class=\"umw-hero__title__header\">News<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section><h2 class=\"alignwide wp-block-post-title\">&lsquo;World on a Plate&rsquo; Course Gives UMW Community a Taste of Global Cuisines<\/h2><div class=\"wp-block-group umw-news-author-credit is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ad2f72ca wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-date\"><time datetime=\"2026-05-19T12:35:36-04:00\">May 19, 2026<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<p>by<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-name\">Jill Laiacona<\/div><\/div><p>When University of Mary Washington College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger first visited Europe nearly 25 years ago, he found himself in a restaurant in Rome, off the beaten path, eating an eggplant dish he&rsquo;d never heard of before.<\/p><p>&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even know that I had ordered it, but it was absolutely amazing,&rdquo; Mellinger said of the meal that opened his eyes to tasting unfamiliar foods during his travels. He recalled a recent trip to Bilbao, Spain, with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/international.umw.edu\/\">UMW Center for International Education<\/a>&nbsp;Director Jose Sainz, where they enjoyed pintxos &ndash; small snacks, often held together by skewers &ndash; that are popular in the Basque region. &ldquo;Again, such amazing food!&rdquo;<\/p><p>That willingness to explore new culinary experiences and food traditions is what inspired the University to introduce &ldquo;World on a Plate: A Journey Through Global Cuisines,&rdquo; an&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/academics.umw.edu\/worldonaplate\/\">online course<\/a>&nbsp;that will be held during the summer session starting June 22. Classes will examine food as cultural text &ndash; covering topics like migration, colonialism, sustainability and celebrations &ndash; through scholarly readings, public lectures and live cooking demonstrations over Zoom.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"413\" data-attachment-id=\"110364\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/newrelease_worldonaplate\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1024,413\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;UMW&amp;#8217;s new five-week course, &amp;#8216;World on a Plate: A Journey Through Global Cuisines,&amp;#8217; will examine food as cultural text &ndash; covering topics like migration, colonialism, sustainability and celebrations &ndash; through scholarly readings, public lectures and live cooking demonstrations over Zoom.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate-300x121.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate.jpg\" alt=\"World on a Plate logo\" class=\"wp-image-110364\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate-300x121.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate-768x310.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">UMW&rsquo;s new five-week course, &lsquo;World on a Plate: A Journey Through Global Cuisines,&rsquo; will examine food as cultural text &ndash; covering topics like migration, colonialism, sustainability and celebrations &ndash; through scholarly readings, public lectures and live cooking demonstrations over Zoom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><p>Modeled after the popular &ldquo;COVID-19 in Context&rdquo; series that provided insights on the pandemic&rsquo;s impact during the summer of 2020, the three-credit course is designed for current UMW students. However, the public lecture component will also be open to alumni and other members of the Mary Washington and Fredericksburg communities.<\/p><p>&ldquo;This course invites students to move beyond a surface-level familiarity with foods they may already know,&rdquo; said Professor of French Scott Powers, one of the five faculty members from the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL) who developed the course, which guides participants as they delve into the cultural, historical and political forces that shape cuisines.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-attachment-id=\"110367\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/1-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2016,1512\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A group of UMW students and two administrators dining in a restaurant in Bilbao, Spain. \" class=\"wp-image-110367\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2-300x225.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2-768x576.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/1-2.jpg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger (navy sweater) and Center for International Education Director Jose Sainz (gray sweater) and a group of UMW students studying in Bilbao, Spain. Photo courtesy of UMW&rsquo;s Center for International Education.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-attachment-id=\"110369\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/img-20240515-wa0014\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1200\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"IMG-20240515-WA0014\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"A group of UMW students dining outdoors in Greece. \" class=\"wp-image-110369\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014-1024x768.jpg 1024w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014-300x225.jpg 300w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014-768x576.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/IMG-20240515-WA0014.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A group of Mary Washington students on the UMW Classics Abroad trip to Greece in the summer of 2024. Photo courtesy of UMW&rsquo;s Center for International Education.<br><br> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><p>For students, the writing-intensive course fulfills UMW&rsquo;s diverse and global perspectives requirement and gives them the chance to engage in research combining cultural analysis and creative reflections.<\/p><p>Faculty will discuss how trade routes like the Silk Road influenced dishes across Asia, the Middle East and Europe, and how migration and colonization blended food traditions. The course will also cover religious dietary restrictions such as being kosher and halal, how immigrants navigate between the traditions of their homeland and those of their new country, sustainability issues, labor conditions in agriculture and food access in low-income communities.<\/p><p>In addition, participants will hear from Danilo Orofino, a Sicilian-born chef who highlights different culinary regions of Italy at his restaurant,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/orofinorestaurant.com\/\">Orofino<\/a>, and Joy Crump, co-owner of New American restaurant&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foodefredericksburg.com\/\">Foode<\/a>, city councilmember, and former&nbsp;<em>Top Chef<\/em>&nbsp;contestant, who has cooked for the James Beard Foundation and is involved in its programs focusing on food policy, chef advocacy and change. Marielle Risse, an expert in literature, cultural studies and pedagogy who taught on the Arabian peninsula for two decades, will also lecture, as well as UMW Professor of Marketing Kashef Majid, who teaches the popular&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2021\/10\/05\/marketing-course-puts-food-waste-on-the-menu\/\">&ldquo;Alleviating Food Waste&rdquo;<\/a>&nbsp;course at Mary Washington.<\/p><div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"110374\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/pxl_20240302_185956455\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1920,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.73\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Pixel 5a\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1709405996\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"4.38\",\"iso\":\"88\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.040007\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"PXL_20240302_185956455\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-768x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A fish carpaccio appetizer in Iceland.\" class=\"wp-image-110374\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-768x1024.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-225x300.jpg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20240302_185956455-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A fish carpaccio appetizer in Iceland. Photo courtesy of Center for International Education Assistant Director Sarah Kersey Moran &rsquo;10.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"110378\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/attachment\/13\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1512,2016\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"0\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"0\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"0\",\"iso\":\"0\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"0\"}' data-image-title=\"13\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13-768x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Pintxos inside a counter at a restaurant in Spain. A woman stands behind the counter working in the background. \" class=\"wp-image-110378\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13-768x1024.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13-225x300.jpg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/13.jpg 1512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pintxos in Bilbao, Spain. Photo courtesy of Center for International Education Director Jose Sainz.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"769\" height=\"1024\" data-attachment-id=\"110375\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/pxl_20260306_034128815-portrait\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1922,2560\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta='{\"aperture\":\"1.89\",\"credit\":\"\",\"camera\":\"Pixel 8a\",\"caption\":\"\",\"created_timestamp\":\"1772800888\",\"copyright\":\"\",\"focal_length\":\"5.43\",\"iso\":\"92\",\"shutter_speed\":\"0.025006\",\"title\":\"\",\"orientation\":\"1\"}' data-image-title=\"PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-225x300.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-769x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-769x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A bowl of ramen in South Korea.\" class=\"wp-image-110375\" srcset=\"\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-769x1024.jpg 769w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-225x300.jpg 225w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-768x1023.jpg 768w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-1153x1536.jpg 1153w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-1538x2048.jpg 1538w, \/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/PXL_20260306_034128815.PORTRAIT-scaled.jpg 1922w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A ramen dish in Seoul, South Korea. Photo courtesy of Center for International Education Assistant Director Sarah Kersey Moran &rsquo;10.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><p>&ldquo;Ultimately, food becomes a powerful entry point for cross-cultural understanding,&rdquo; Powers said. &ldquo;It allows students to develop a more nuanced, empathetic view of cultures beyond their own.&rdquo;<\/p><p>Di Lauro hopes participants will come away with more humility, curiosity and respect for different perspectives &ndash; not just when it comes to food but for culture more broadly.<\/p><p>&ldquo;If they&rsquo;re willing to pause, ask and understand before judging another person&rsquo;s food or culture, then we will have done something truly meaningful,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;We hope to turn an everyday occurrence, something simple as a meal, into an opportunity for connection over division.&rdquo;<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/academics.umw.edu\/worldonaplate\/\"><strong><em>Learn more<\/em><\/strong><\/a><em><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>about World on a Plate. Students who wish to enroll in the course for credit can do so through the UMW Banner portal, while alumni and community members can register on the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/umw.imodules.com\/s\/1588\/rd17\/interior.aspx?sid=1588&amp;gid=1&amp;pgid=3879&amp;cid=9939&amp;ecid=9939&amp;ciid=22767&amp;crid=0\"><strong>UMW Alumni website<\/strong><\/a>.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>byWhen University of Mary Washington College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger first visited Europe nearly 25 years ago, he found himself in a restaurant in Rome, off the beaten path, eating an eggplant dish he&rsquo;d never heard of before.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even know that I had ordered it, but it was absolutely amazing,&rdquo; Mellinger [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1236,"featured_media":110364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"umw_cb_additional_links":[[]],"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_advisory_expires_time":"","_advisory_meta_include":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[704],"tags":[],"topics":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-110363","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"entry"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018World on a Plate\u2019 Course Gives UMW Community a Taste of Global Cuisines - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018World on a Plate\u2019 Course Gives UMW Community a Taste of Global Cuisines\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"byWhen University of Mary Washington College of Arts and Sciences Dean Keith Mellinger first visited Europe nearly 25 years ago, he found himself in a restaurant in Rome, off the beaten path, eating an eggplant dish he&rsquo;d never heard of before.&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t even know that I had ordered it, but it was absolutely amazing,&rdquo; Mellinger [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/19\/world-on-a-plate-course-gives-umw-community-a-taste-of-global-cuisines\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UniversityofMaryWashington\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-19T16:35:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-19T20:51:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.umw.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/NewRelease_WorldonaPlate.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"413\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jill Laiacona\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" 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