5:15 p.m. the 300 mugs were gone.
Minh Le ’20 articulated her disappointment by stating, “I came immediately after my afternoon class but still could not score a mug.” At the two stations distributing the mugs were beverages and toppings, and just behind them, inside Reamer, there was an instant photo booth. Throughout the event, groups of students occupied the photo booth, at times forming lines. The main venue of the event was the yard next to Reamer Patio in Jackson’s Garden. Several food stations circled the Nott ice sculptures. There was a station with vegan mac-n-cheese and assorted toppings next to a hot-dog station.
A few steps away was a cotton-candy station, followed by the fried rice station, serving chicken as well as vegan and gluten-free vegetable fried rice options for different dietary needs. Other stations included a chowder station, a taco station and Southern BBQ with beef briskets, pork ribs and cornbread. There was also a desert station with funnel cakes, deep fried Twinkies and Oreos. Making s’mores around campfires scored as a particularly popular activity at the carnival. Groups of friends were seen talking and laughing as they cooked the marshmallows together.
An Nguyen ’18 stated, “My favorite was the fried Oreos, but honestly all of the food was good!” Though Le did not get a mug she was pleased with the quality of the eateries. She commented, “I really like the chicken fried rice and the ribs.” Nguyen and Le were among the hundreds of people who attended the event. Throughout ‘Fire and Ice,’ there were live music performances including the Eliphalets and the Union Jazz Ensemble. According to Hein Htet Aung ’19, the food created an enjoyable time, “It’s a lot of food and I love it!” Shreya Srivastava ’20 agreed by stating, “I think it’s an enjoyable event and it attracts many students. It creates a fun but relaxed social gathering, and it’s nice to have something like that on campus during winter term.”