Foreign Food and Friendly Faces: Goth Ethnic Food Night

With unknown origins dating back to a Utah goth group on a Yahoo forum, Goth Ethnic Food Night has been introducing goths to each other and to new types of food since the early 2000s. “I’ve been asking around to find out who started it, and no one can give me a straight answer,” says current Goth Ethnic Food Night organizer, Jen Ogle. Originally, the group was sporadic, and as the forum gained up to 100 members, the organizers got overwhelmed. When other social media platforms eventually stole the spotlight from Yahoo, the group petered out.

In 2018, those who had been around long enough to remember the days of yore started to reminisce about Goth Ethnic Food Night. With the blessing of the person who had organized it last, Ogle took it upon herself to rebirth the group and has been hosting it since. Once a month, a new restaurant is chosen, and everyone is welcome to join in on the reservation.

Some spots that have been blessed by the bats’ presence this year include Bohemian Brewery, Oromian Restaurant and Beirut Cafe, with their most recent being Baek Ri Hyang on April 25. Ogle tries to balance patronizing restaurants she’s never been to and returning to established favorites among the group. With the group being around so long, it has outlasted some beloved businesses. Some of Ogle’s favorite memories take place at now-closed favorites, like Utah’s first Lebanese restaurant, Cedars of Lebanon, which included belly dancing with dinner.

“We needed more culture in the scene.”

With only Facebook events and word of mouth to advertise the group, attendance is a challenge for Ogle. “Sometimes, we go to a nice restaurant and get 20 people, then we go to a similar place and only get five,” Ogle confesses. With an average of 10 people attending, another challenge arises in finding restaurants that accept large reservations. That does not stop them from trying the best ethnic food around, though.

Despite the challenges, a fresh face shows up at the table almost every time. And the connections that are made as a result outweigh any roadblocks that occur while organizing the dinners. “It’s open to everyone, so people make new connections and meet new friends,” Ogle says. Among the new friends are a core group who consistently attend.

The connection between goth culture and ethnic food might not seem obvious, but both groups are underrepresented in Utah, each with deep potential to form a community. Ogle states the obvious: “We live in a very White place. We needed more culture in the scene.”

“Come eat good food and meet good people.”

Food is just one way of getting goths together, though. “We want to get people together outside the club,” Ogle explains. “Some of us are aging, and the club is too immature.” The group has expanded and branched out, inspiring other events for goths to meet people outside of the club atmosphere.

While the dinners depend on Ogle’s schedule, they often take place on the last Friday of the month. Keep an eye on the Goth Ethnic Food Night Facebook page to see which restaurant is next and add your name to the reservation. You can also post your recommendations for future restaurant picks. Reservations are often due four days before the dinner, but Ogle always reserves a few extra seats for stragglers.

If you’re looking to be introduced to foreign food and friendly faces, look no further. “Come eat good food and meet good people,” Ogle encourages. Coming up on their 50th event since COVID, the group is going strong and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

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