Hillsdale students can get a taste of arepas at the Venezuelan culture night on April 4.

The event, organized by Sigma Delta Pi, will take place in the Old Snack Bar. Associate Professor of Spanish Víctor Carreño said his wife, María Eugenia de Carreño, will teach two arepa — or cornmeal cake — cooking classes. 

The first cooking class will start at 7 p.m., followed by another at 7:30 p.m. Although both cooking classes are full, students and faculty are welcome to try the food once it is cooked. The arepas will be served with carne mechada — shredded beef — and reina pepiada — an avocado and cilantro chicken salad. Attendees do not need to know Spanish in order to come to this event, according to Lecturer in Spanish Amanda Stechschulte.

At 8 p.m., attendees will watch an excerpt from the documentary “The Twilight of Magical Socialism,” which covers the Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolution. After the showing, Victor Carreño will talk about his experience living in Venezuela and life under socialism. 

Victor Carreño said he lived in Venezuela under the Hugo Chávez and Maduro regimes before immigrating to America in 2018. 

Chávez came to power in 1999 when he won the democratic elections. It was only after Chávez was elected that he outlined his socialist agenda, according to Carreño. 

“The government called it ‘socialism of the 21st century’ because they wanted to convince people that they were going to do something new from previous experiences,” Carreño said. “But Chávez repeated many experiments of the past that failed.”

When international oil prices fell in 2014, the Venezuelan government required companies to freeze their prices. This resulted in smuggling, hyperinflation, and an economic crash in Venezuela, according to Carreño.

“Even an arepa is a luxury food under the Maduro regime,” Carreño said.

This event is a good opportunity for students to learn about Venezuela, Stechschulte said.

“We’re so grateful that he’s willing to share his experiences with our students,” Stechschulte said.