Asian Night Market Features Authentic Food and Performances
Sweet mango lassi drinks, sizzling fried pork dumplings and upbeat Bollywood music filled Grainger Auditorium Saturday, Apr. 25, as students explored Asian Night Market, an annual event hosted by the Asian Advisory Board (AAB), which brings a taste of Asian culture to the Academy.
This year, the AAB tried a new tactic: students would taste and try food from each booth rather than a large, feast-style gathering. Attendees were given 10 free tickets so that they could choose items from several different booths—each food item that the booths served only cost one ticket.
There were six booths present at the night market, each representing different facets of Asian culture. The Subcontinent Society booth presented delicacies from India and Pakistan, including samosas and pastries filled with savory filling, as well as Lassi, a traditional yogurt based drink originating in India and Pakistan.
Every booth sold unique drinks and dishes. The Japanese American Society provided Pocari Sweat, a Japanese sports drink similar to Gatorade and Pocky sticks. The Thai Society served Pad Thai fried rice. Korean Society sold Gimbap, a popular Korean dish. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), students served up spring rolls.
Along with the food booths, there were also unique booths dedicated to teaching the community about the culture of Asia. Groups of students eagerly showed their peers how to make paper cranes and play with unique traditional Asian toys. There was also a henna booth and Chinese calligraphy booth. Prep Wendi Yan was just as excited about practicing her Chinese calligraphy as the students were to see what their names would look like in Chinese.
Throughout the event there were three performances; ITXC breakdancing, Beat of Asia (BoA), an Asian hip hop group and a Bollywood dance by two members of Sub-Continent Society. “I especially loved ITXC! They were so good!” upper Darius Shi said. Various members of ITXC showcased their breakdancing abilities, which drew much applause from the crowd. The traditional Bollywood dance was performed by upper Vennela Vellanki and lower Meghana Chalasani, with a special guest appearance from upper Pranay Vemulamada. This performance was praised by students at the event for the talent it showcased.
The event drew such a large crowd that most booths ran out of food and other concessions before the end of the night, leaving many students with empty stomachs. This could in part be because every student was given ten free tickets, which was plenty to buy food and partake in other activities.
Senior Bharat Arimilli, co-head of Subcontinental Society, described the event as a swarming success since so many attended. However, he was disappointed on how the ticket system was handled. “I think it’s great that they were made free, but it also meant that we sold out of all of our food in just 25 minutes,” Arimilli said.
These free tickets allowed for more participation and inclusion at the event, which could have possibly been a reason for the large turnout.
Lower Jesus Rivera, who went to the event, said, “I think it’s a great idea because otherwise students might not have been able to enjoy the things that were being served. I would have liked for there to be more food, but I also don’t know what budgets the organizations had.”
Senior Natasha Lim wishes that she could stay to see how Asian Night Market grows and continues to teach the community about Asian culture.
“This year it is clear that Asian Night Market shared more than just food with the Exeter community. It was great to see students with henna on their arms, names written in calligraphy and origami cranes being mastered,” Lim said. “While I am excited to graduate, I wish I could be here to see how Asian Night Market continues to grow and how it chooses to share more of Asian cultures with the rest of campus.”