One of my favorite college memories is of the meals that I shared with my apartment-mates. All three of us came from close-knit families that valued togetherness at meal times. We had very different dietary habits, some stemming from our religious beliefs (Deborah who was Jewish and two Hindus, Ratna and me) and cultural preferences and others from personal taste. Nevertheless, we did our grocery shopping together and were happy splitting the bill three ways. I mention this in particular because we were frequently surprised by stories of arguments among roommates over the issue of food (who eats more, who eats what and whether everyone contributes their share).

Among us, one girl was strictly vegetarian. Another refrained from eating pork, and tried sticking to kosher food. She also liked a limited range of vegetables. The third was omnivorous, and loved to have a variety of vegetables, like her vegetarian roommate. The food we ate was also an external reflection of the variety in our personal, cultural and religious backgrounds.

The three of us enthusiastically supported each other's activities and interests. Deborah was one of the most active and helpful members of the Indian Students' Association. I attended my first Yom Kippur service and learned about the variety of practices between Orthodox and Reformed Jews, as well as how to identify Kosher food in the supermarket. We also visited each other's families, particularly on special holiday weekends (Passover and Diwali for example). One year when Deborah was fasting during Passover, I fasted with her simply for support since she could not be with her family at that time.

We learned a lot about each other's values and beliefs - reincarnation, religious ceremonies and milestones, celebrations, individual practices such as meditation, fasting and food prescriptions, and our personal beliefs about God.

It was an enjoyable, if eclectic blend. One of our favorite entrees from those years is a fitting example of how we lived side by side, finding common ground and blending where we could, and otherwise respecting each other's personal limits: it was lasagna, a popular Italian dish not inherently part of any of our food traditions. Our lasagna had three parts: half included meat and half was purely vegetarian. The middle third had both, the vegetarian part included mushrooms, onions and bell peppers, and the meat side did not have the mushrooms and onions. Our favorite dish lasagna was a perfect example for our multicultural living experience - we were all different and had distinct tastes and identities; but we found common ground and we were able to learn and grow from it. Swami teaches us to live in harmony and find the unity in diversity. My living experience was a profound lesson in that.