Members of the Malaysian Student Organization host a show of wayang kulit, or shadow puppets, during the Malaysian Dessert Night on Saturday, March 23, 2013, in the Akers Hall cafeteria. The event featured Malaysian food, song, dance, and giveaways to involve attendees in the Malaysian Culture. Danyelle Morrow/The State News
—On Saturday evening, walking into Akers Dining Hall was like walking into a slice of Malaysia.
Students and community members who attended Malaysian Dessert Night, which was organized by MSU’s Malaysian Student Organization, or MSO, were greeted by students wearing colorful maroon, pink, orange and blue Malaysian outfits and headdresses made of silky fabric.
Purple tapestries, tables with piles of fried desserts and puddings, and photo booths depicting areas of Malaysia were the first things in sight. White vases with a purple flower, some paired with a Malaysian flag, were the centerpieces on every table.
But transforming the dining hall into a Malaysian restaurant, and even getting the ingredients to cook dishes, such as Buah Melaka, flavored with sweet Pandan leaves found in specialty Asian groceries, took time to plan.
“We started planning this event back in December,” East Neighborhood Executive Chef Jason Strotheide said. “This is the first time we have partnered with a student organization. The hardest part was testing all the recipes and sourcing the goods (to make them).”
Attendees were given recipe books filled with the 15 desserts and beverages made for the event.
There were 56 Malaysian international students enrolled at MSU last fall, according to the Office of International Students Scholars.
“We tried to get the most exotic (desserts) from the Malaysian culture, mostly our own personal favorites,” said food industry management sophomore Nur Mawaddah Ahmad Sodikin, a member of MSO who attended the event. “My favorite is a pink dessert, Kuih Lapis. When I was a child we used to peel the dessert and eat it layer by layer.”
The smells of the desserts, such as a fried dumpling dish called Cekmek Molek, small baked cakes named Kuih Bakar and coconut-covered rice balls called Buah Melaka wafted in the air. Before the dessert tasting commenced, there was an opening parade with four men in maroon clothes and black hats beating hand drums. Students followed carrying plates of the desserts yet to be tasted by attendees, unhesitant to try the exotic dishes.
“I like to experience new cultures, I’ve never had Malaysian food before,” humanities-pre-law freshman Zeria Cummings, who attended the event, said. “The events get people to become experienced with new cultures — definitely helps promote diversity.”
This wasn’t the first time Scott Westerman had a taste of Malaysian culture.
The executive director for the MSU Alumni Association traveled to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the first MSU Alumni Association’s International Engage 2012 Conference. The city is home to the MSU Alumni Club of Malaysia.
“The people are so welcoming and we learned a lot about this culture,” Westerman said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
