Reviews of food at this year’s NASH Convention
By Jerrison Oracion, Senior Columnist
Every year, the Canadian University Press hosts a journalism conference (NASH) for students from across the country. These conferences present opportunities for aspiring reporters to learn from professionals while networking with their peers. I hadn’t had the opportunity to attend NASH in my years at the paper before, but finally got to go this January. This year’s NASH took place in Vancouver at the Marriott Pinnacle Downtown Hotel, and was hosted by the University of British Columbia’s student newspaper, The Ubyssey.
During the convention, we ate a lot of interesting food and the rest of the Other Press staff asked me to do reviews; so, here I go! When we checked in at the hotel, they had cookies and hot chocolate on top of the desk. The hot chocolate tasted like tomato soup with the creamy taste of chocolate and dipping the cookie in the hot chocolate made it more delicious.
At the check-in desk of the convention, the staff were giving cans of Yerba Mate kombucha to everyone. I drank most of the flavours and it did not have a vinegar taste at all, but it has more of an iced tea taste. The mint flavour has a strong mint taste and the fruit flavour tastes like fruit juice.
The first dinner we had was a buffet and they offered Korean fried chicken wings which had a grainy texture and a lot of sauce. It was great when eaten with the chipotle sauce. The following day, we had fish with a curry sauce on top and a coconut rice block. The entire dish was probably inspired by Malaysian cuisine, but the curry sauce overpowered the fish’s taste. It was interesting that they shaped the rice into a block. There was also a salad dressing that tasted like either Dijon mustard or horseradish and you could even eat it with bread.
On day three of the convention, we had a gala that was like going to the journalism equivalent of the Golden Globe Awards. We were treated to chicken surrounded by the sauce and a block of cornbread. The skin of the chicken was crispy and the sauce added flavour to both the chicken and the cornbread.
The cornbread looked and tasted like either cornbread or mashed potato—it could’ve been both. If it was mashed potato, it could’ve been served in a block as well. For dessert, we had crème brulé and the caramelized sugar top was very crunchy and had a sweet taste, and the cream was soft.
I had a very fun time at the NASH Convention this year and it had food that all of us at the Other Press were talking about long after we left. Hopefully, I can go to the convention again next year and review more food!
