Lunar New Year Celebratory Dinner at Elm Street and the New Dining Hall

By DHRUV BHAGHAYATH, CARLY CANSECO, and CIARA O’NEILL

Annually, Elm Street Dining Hall is adorned with red lanterns, posters, and Chinese characters representing good luck. Last year, traditional Chinese dragon dancers entranced onlookers enjoying their meals, students clamored for cans of bubble tea, and Asian snacks littered on the counters. Fragrant smells of different Asian foods filled the dining hall as students, faculty, and other community members came to celebrate the Lunar New Year. For this year’s celebration, students awaited revised food menus, different decorations, and improved performances.

Behind this event is the meticulous and copious planning of several community members — notably the Asian Advisory Board (AAB) student leaders, OMA faculty members, and dining hall staff. 

Asian American and Pacific Islander student coordinator Kerrie Tinsley-Stribling described the immense role of dining hall staff. “My biggest partner is definitely Dining Services,” she said. “They are really mindful about the dishes they select to be served and curate a beautifully diverse menu. They have been really open to suggestions with regard to what is served at the dinner. I could not do this without them.” 

“As a lead-up, Dining Services hosts a dumpling-making event,” Tinsley-Stribling added. “A group of parents come to campus on a Saturday to teach anyone who is interested how to make/fold dumplings. These dumplings are then frozen and served at the celebration. Families are also pivotal in the event because they generously contribute snacks to be distributed at the celebration.”

Several student leder commended Tinsley-Stribling’s significant contributions to the event’s organization. “Ms. Tinsley does a lot of behind-the-scenes work for the AAPI community,” AAB co-head senior Evan Dierberg said. “Aside from running AAB, KS, AV, and helming many of the AAPI events on campus, she does a lot to coordinate efforts between groups. There are a lot of parties on and off campus that want to contribute in some way, and often Ms. Tinsley is the one who bridges these individual initiatives together into one cohesive, well-executed event.”

This year, the event will involve a campus-wide feast in both dining halls, decorations, and performances. “We plan to have posters for different cultures and countries represented at the Lunar New Year dinner, like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, China, and Korea,” Dierberg described. “We want to give students an understanding of what cultures are being represented, what food they’re eating, and what cultures they see at the events.”

“Because this year is the year of the snake, many of the decorations in Elm will be snake-themed,” co-head AAB member senior Freddie Chang elaborated. “Many of the decorations and celebrations will be centered in Elm, but some will also take place in the new dining hall. Sadly, there will be no dragon dance this year, but we still have amazing things planned.”

Challenges have arisen from planning this significant, special event – from fostering inclusivity to the logistical organization. “Planning Lunar New Year celebrations is always somewhat challenging because I feel a need to balance a variety of cultural traditions and make sure everyone feels included,” Tinsley-Stribling described. “I don’t know everyone’s customs and traditions, so I can only do the best I can with what I know and what I research. I always appreciate feedback about ways to make the event more inclusive.”

Dierberg described a different challenge. “Last year, the celebrations were all concentrated in Elm, but since it’s split between Elm and the new dining hall this year, we will have to divide our attention to both venues.”

“One challenge is deciding the best layout of how the meal will be for better flow for everyone. Another would be making sure we have enough dining team members working that night,” assistant manager of Elm Street Rebecca Bolton said. 

Across all communities celebrating Lunar New Year, family is an important aspect of the holiday. At Exeter, it is difficult for many students, especially international students, to reconnect with their families during this significant tradition. “I think Lunar New Year is a lot about family and being together, so it’s a good way for you to be a part of the community and to experience that sense of family and belonging when you’re away from home,” Chang said.

“As an international student from China, Lunar New Year went from the most celebrated holiday to a simple Chinese-style meal at Elm,” co-head of Chinese Student Organization senior Davido Zhang said. “We used to get month-long breaks [in China], and families reunited just like Christmas. CSO tries to foster a community bond for those who miss their families and provide an authentic Chinese dinner for Lunar New Year’s Eve for those who miss the food from home.”

Almost every part of the Exeter community has had a significant role in planning this Lunar New Year event: students, parents, staff, and faculty have all worked together to bring a cohesive, culturally inclusive, and delicious event to campus. “For students who observe it [Lunar New Year], it’s a time to reconnect with their roots, honor their ancestors, and take part in meaningful celebrations and/or connect with their loved ones. However, maybe most importantly, my hope is that it gives students who are far from their families during the holiday a little taste of home,” Tinsley-Stribling concluded.