Communication sophomore Nikash Khanna and Weinberg first-year Joaquin Song Schnitzler sat at the same Allison Dining Commons table from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in their “Eating Day” event Wednesday.
The event barred technological devices at the table and encouraged participation from any willing passerby. It also collected proceeds for each finished plate.
At the end of the day, Khanna said the funds would go to GiveWell’s Top Charity Fund, which Khanna said was chosen for its ability to source the most cost-effective ways to combat malaria.
Patrons had the option of donating the standard rate of $0.50 per plate, contributing $3 for Khanna and Song Schnitzler’s “wizard-level wisdom” or paying $10 for the duo to eat whatever their patron puts on a plate.
Outside of the food-related challenge, Khanna said Eating Day provided him and Song Schnitzler with the chance to have a complete discussion without interruption.
“I feel like me and Joaquin always have long conversations, but they never reach their natural end,” he said. “So we thought, ‘What if we had an entire day where we weren’t confined to any work or scheduling by society?’”
Discussions at the table ranged from “the consciousness of non-human beings” to the potential existence of “fundamental intelligence that lies within our quantum realm.”
Song Schnitzler said his and Khanna’s “wizard-level wisdom” special was partially inspired by the fables of Greek storyteller Aesop.
“We thought they were all really wise,” Song Schnitzler said. “And we thought that if more people knew about them, the world would be a better and calmer place.”
During his time at the table with Khanna and Song Schnitzler, Weinberg junior Lleyton Gunter said he learned about NU’s Effective Altruism club, of which the duo are members.
For Gunter, the decision to join the table was a spontaneous one.
“I saw it on Fizz, and I thought it was f—king awesome,” he said.
Through Eating Day, Khanna and Song Schnitzler brought a new, tasty method to the practice without having to step foot off campus.
Looking to the future, Khanna said he hopes to make Eating Day “a tradition.”
“If I’m here next Winter Quarter, we’ll do it again,” he said. “Then, we’ll get another freshman, and then we’ll have a lineage, so that way that freshman can pass it on.”
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Bluesky: @lucaskubovchik.bsky.social
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