Nothing draws students like free food, and those who showed up late to sample "Philly's Best Pizza" found only empty boxes.
Shortly after the event began, food supplied by Lombardi's, Lorenzo and Son's, Mama Palma's, Powelton Pizza, Fez Moroccan and Fatou and Fama had already been devoured.
Many of the students who indulged in free pizza and Quizzo had never tried or heard of the restaurants.
"I live on food carts," College junior James Park said. "I've never been to any of these places because there are so many options that are much closer, and I don't generally have time to go downtown, but I did enjoy it."
The Social Planning and Events Committee's event was part of "Philly Week," designed for students to sample the food of various pizzerias and restaurants from around Philadelphia.
"Even though we live in a metropolitan city, kids don't know how much it has to offer," said College senior and SPEC member Kirsten Grubbs. "We use this week to bring parts of the city and its culture to students that do not usually explore it."
The participant's consensus for the evening seemed to favor the food from Mama Palma's, located at 2229 Spruce St., which had several students proclaiming it will be their next stop for dinner on the weekend.
"I have never eaten at any of these places, but after this, I will definitely think about it," said Education graduate student Rebecca Coplan.
SPEC's goal was not only to offer students food, but also to provide all diners with "The SPEC Guide to Philadelphia," a list of restaurants, museums, shops and other places that Philadelphia has to offer but that students might not know about.
"People at Penn are not as aware as they should be of what is in the city, and I think that if they knew what was out there, they would be more willing to explore," College senior Justin Menda said.
Others in attendence echoed Menda's feeling about the lack of student awareness of off-campus activities.
"The great thing about events like these is that they bring people together as well as allowing them to enjoy Philly and learn to appreciate what the city has to offer," said Wharton junior and SPEC Connaissance Co-Director Jeff Shuster.
