Taste of Asia is an occasion where authentic food from a variety of Asian countries are on display for people to experience.
It was hosted by put on by the members of the alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority and members of Asian Pacific American Student Organization, or APASO.
The annual event aims to provide students with a variety of foods from across Asia to increase their cultural awareness, psychology sophomore Rachel Huang said.
Various tables were set up around the Holden Hall basement, featuring dishes from the numerous Asian cultures, including Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Filipino and Hmong cultures, for students to sample.
There was also a presentation explaining how the different dishes were unique within their respective countries.
“We’re the Asian interest sorority on campus,” neuroscience junior and member Christy Ky said. “One of the pillars (of the sorority) is Asian awareness, so we put on this event and have food from all over Asia, just showcasing different foods in different cultures.”
Nearly 100 students packed the room, ready to get a taste of some of the various foods.
For theatre freshman Ali Yenchick, the chance to try some of the free food was too good to pass up.
Yenchick, who discovered the event on social media, said she was drawn in by the opportunity to experiment with new dishes.
“I really do enjoy good Asian food and I didn’t know there was so many kinds, so it’s definitely an interesting cultural experience,” she said.
Other students were impressed by the quality and diversity of the food.
One such student was interdisciplinary studies freshman Abbie Balmer enjoyed the different options available.
“It was awesome, it smelled great, and there were lots of different foods I had never seen before so I thought it was really cool,” Balmer said.
The event featured some unique dishes that students wouldn’t typically see around the East Lansing area.
“We have a lot of different foods like desserts and drinks and main dishes,” Ky said. “So we have things like bubble tea, curry, papaya salad and almond pudding and other unique dishes like that.”
The group hopes the event would help students experience the diversity of Asian cultures.
“Taste of Asia is just one of many events that APASO holds on campus,” Huang said. “We’re hoping that serving all of these authentic foods that aren’t typically found in restaurants in East Lansing will be a culture and eye-opening event.”
