By EVA THOMAS/Murphy News Service

The CLA Student Board partnered with Pagoda to host a Food for Thought event  Tuesday night, allowing students and professors to connect over a free meal.

CLA students were encouraged to register for the event early, as registration was limited to 30 students, 15 per shift. The first shift lasted from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. with the second one starting shortly after that, from 6:15 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.

Jonathan Yu, the event coordinator, said the event filled up in about a week.

Emma Dunn, the communications officer, said the number of people to attend depends on the size of the restaurant in which they host the student-teacher event.

“We’ve done it at Punch Pizza and Potbelly Sandwich Shop,” Dunn said. “But we look for a restaurant that can accommodate good conversation and a lot of people,” she added.

And Pagoda, a Chinese restaurant in Dinkytown, seemed to fit the criteria. Yu added that the CLA Student Board has a good relationship with Pagoda.

Dunn said the goal of Food for Thought is to give students a chance to connect with their teachers over a casual meal.

Lakshmi Singh, a junior at the University of Minnesota, asked her math professor to join her at event. This was Singh’s first time attending Food for Thought.

“It’s free Chinese food and a chance to talk to my professor [outside of class],” Singh said when asked what she was looking forward to.

Food for Thought is hosted four times during the school year or twice every semester.

Reporter Eva Thomas is studying Journalism at the University of Minnesota.