Author: Caroline Osborn
Last week, students from a variety of cultural backgrounds took part in Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Week. These events culminated in the Lu’au party on Friday night, but the clubs that produced and helped with the Lu’au held a Night Market at 6:30 in the Cooler on Wednesday night.
A.P.I., represented at the Night Market by Club Leader Kristie Watanabe (junior), Amy Ishioka (first-year), Starlie Chinen (senior), and several others, decided to organize the Night Market.
“They wanted to expose students to foods they usually do not get to experience while raising money for their Lu’au on Friday and club funds in general,” Chinen said.
The Lu’au was officially hosted by the Hawaii Club, also known as I Ka Poli Hawaii. P.U.S.O. was not involved in sponsoring the Friday event, but, according to P.U.S.O. club member Kendall Kiyohara (junior), they helped to set up.
A.P.I. was excited about the Lu’au and knew it would be a fun chance to celebrate Asian and Pacific Islander culture. The market consisted of a line of tables at one end of the Cooler’s main room, each of which bore a bold and colorful sign advertising the participating club.
Both clubs sold snacks as after-dinner treats for students eating at the Cooler. Most of the snacks were local L.A. food, but a few of them originated in Asian and Pacific Islander culture.
The clubs augmented their food selection and set the mood with laid-back music. A.P.I.’s table sold strawberry yogurt drinks, melon ice cream bars and spammusubi, which is cooked spam wrapped in seaweed. All of these can be found in restaurants around L.A. They showcased Asian snack cuisine with katsu, mochi and almond floats. Although katsu is essentially breaded chicken, it is native to Japan. Almond floats, which consist of canned fruit and gelatin, come from Chinese culture. Mochi is a Japanese snack most often eaten during Japanese New Year, which coincides with the date most commonly recognized in America as the first day of the year: January first. Amy Ishioka describes mochi as “basically a rice cake.” It is made of glutinous rice and looks like a soft pink rectangle. Many students were interested in trying these, and they also gravitated toward the yogurt drinks, spammusubi, and katsu.
P.U.S.O. sold turrons– Filipino snacks that closely resemble spring rolls. They are made of plantain and jackfruit wrapped in a spring roll, dipped in brown sugar, and fried. These seemed to be a customer favorite. Several called across the Cooler to their friends and acquaintances at the table, expressing an eagerness to buy one as quickly as possible. One customer was so enthusiastic about the prospect of such a treat that he emptied his pockets and paid entirely in change. Each food item cost a dollar or less, and students curiously meandered over to the table after finishing dinner.
In addition to cultural snacks and T-shirts, P.U.S.O. offered an opportunity to be photographed wearing a barong or a maraclara, two types of traditional Filipino dress. A barong is essentially a long, lightweight dress-shirt worn on formal occasions.
All of the Night Market customers seemed to leave satisfied with their purchases. The event added variety to the Cooler cuisine, which students readily embraced. Students entering the building turned their heads to investigate the source of the music, and a number of them came back to make purchases.
A.P.I. and P.U.S.O. promoted their clubs, raised money for their events, generated awareness for Friday’s Lu’au, and fed students with culturally diverse food all at the same time.
Students, in turn, delighted at this little taste of Asian and Pacific Islander culture.
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