Students Experience Lithuanian Comfort Food at Mabenka

Class DinnerIn the few weeks leading up to semester finals, students often look to “comfort” food to relieve some stress.

Providing a needed break for her students, Associate Professor of Psychology Mary Lynn Colosimo took her Cross-Cultural Psychology class to Mabenka, a Lithuanian restaurant in Burbank, Illinois. There students experienced the “comfort” food of Colosimo’s cultural heritage.

Everyone enjoyed the restaurant’s warm, casual environment and the friendly staff attired in European clothing. The class feasted on homemade breads and sausage, cepelinai (dumplings), golabki (stuffed cabbage rolles), and kugelis, a Lithuanian potato delicacy.

“The Mabenka dinner was a wonderful opportunity to expand our cultural perspective on food while joining in community and fellowship with friends,” said Katrina Koltz ’12 of Crestwood, Illinois. “Dr. Colosimo’s generosity allowed us to experience her cultural dishes and share in Lithuania’s rich history.”