By By CPS (St. Joseph’s) Healthy Courier cub reporters | Half a world away from New Jersey, students in Nepal have been learning about the types of snacks their American peers enjoy. Likewise, students at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral School in Camden were excited to try some Nepalese foods.
What they didn’t expect—in this age of instant communication—was having so much difficulty making a connection! Their best laid plans got interrupted by weather, technical difficulties, distance, and resources. But they persevered.
The Nepalese students attend Kopila Valley School in a valley in the Surkhet Province, according to their teacher, Anjali Karki. Nepal is located in south Asia between India to the east, south, and west, and Tibet/China to the north. It’s about 7,600 miles from Camden.
The plan was for reporters at Kopila Valley to sample some American snack foods and for St. Joseph reporters to taste foods from Nepal and then to share their experiences with each other.
“As Americans, we get our food from stores, but since the Nepal people live in the mountains, they don’t have the same kinds of stores or markets like we do, so they grow their food and cook it themselves,” said Jace Schwartz, a St. Joseph reporter. “The Nepal people learn the ability to cook and not order take-out food. They cook for each other and themselves. They connect to each other through cooking and eating food together.”
Teacher Karki said “making real-world connections for our students is at the heart of meaningful learning. Education is not just about textbooks—it’s about helping students understand the world they live in and their place within it.”
Rowan University anthropology professor Dustin Cushman told St. Joseph reporters that food “connects us to people around the world and helps us learn about different cultures. It strengthens bonds and helps people to socialize through food.”
Professor Cushman noted that in many cultures, elders teach younger family members to cook. “Through these connections, food can be passed down to multiple generations,” he said. “Even when people move from one country to another, the food from their homeland keeps them connected to their culture.”
As of publication, the Nepalese students hadn’t tried the American snacks because of weather and environmental problems that disrupted their school schedules. Teacher Karki said she hopes the connection with American students will “provide them with insights, help them see different lives in different parts of the world and make them curious. Most of ur students come from places where they don’t have any means of knowing the rest of the world.”
For their part, the St. Joseph reporters learned that Nepal has “a very diverse culture consisting of food, culture, and religion. They use lots of flavorful seasoning in their food,” said Kylar Harris.
“We could tell from tasting their food that people in Nepal use many different types of spices,” said Matthew Ramos. “Nepal also makes wonderful food such as momo, which is a very flavorful meal with many spices. When you take a bite of momo, a burst of spices and flavors will unfold and that’s what makes it delicious,” he said.
In addition to momo (dumplings filled with chicken), St. Joseph reporters tasted roti (a bread-like food with vegetables and spices wrapped inside), and lassi (a yogurt-based drink.) The food got good reviews.
“The food was a new experience; it had a hint of sweet and spicy. I liked the combination of both tastes, and the sauces that came along with the food were also very good. I’m sure to come back to Nepalese food, it’s truly delicious!” said William Hernandez.
Despite the miles that separate them, St. Joseph and Kopila Valley students have one thing in common: They’re both learning to be reporters. “They learn about reporting and newswriting in their course, which through this collaboration (with St. Joseph) they can put in action” said teacher Karki.
Illustration by Lynasia, 4th grade, Lowell, 2025-26.
