World Fare brings international flavor

Colorful booths, crowds of people and a red rickshaw transformed the Indiana Memorial Union’s Alumni Hall into an international bazaar Wednesday.

The IU World’s Fare featured booths from 19 international student associations and eight cultural performances. Each booth represented its culture through decorations and a native dish.

Street signs pointing in different directions and a cardboard building decorated the Asian American Student Association. The Hong Kong Students’ Association continued the urban theme and hung a brightly lit Hong Kong sign above its table.

“Hong Kong was the best,” said junior Matt De Leon, who tried a hush puppy-like dish. “It had a spicy aftertaste and each bite was a new explosion of flavor.”

The African Students Association served Jollof rice, which was a stew-like mixture of chicken, rice and tomatoes with a hint of cinnamon. The Turkish Student Association offered Hunkar Begendi, or Sultan’s Delight, which was a combination of lamb, eggplant, onions and tomatoes.

Sweets also had a place at the fare. The Singapore Student Association served banana fritters, and the Thai Student Association presented a Thai pumpkin dish.

Some booths featured activities for the attendees including the Thai booth, which translated people’s names into Thai, and the India booth drew henna tattoos.

“I think the art is really beautiful, and it feels cool,” said sophomore Jen Yu, who had a henna tattoo on her wrist.

The international organizations taught fare-goers more about their culture through brief performances featuring dance and song.

Upbeat music, swaying hips and shimmying shoulders represented Latin America, while drums and singing gave the audience a taste of Japan.

Others immersed themselves in foreign cultures before they arrived at the event.
Freshman Katheryn Purcell wore a sari, which is a traditional Indian dress. Purcell, who is involved with Association for India’s Development and the Indian Student Association, had a friend lend her the sari and drape it for her.

“It forces you to be dainty while walking,” Purcell said.

With two performances, India was a prominent part of the evening. Four women in glittering outfits performed a graceful dance with pots, while the IU Raas team bounded across the stage in a flurry of brightly colored skirts and wooden sticks.

“I liked their costumes and animated faces because it was entertaining,” junior Elise Coffman said.

After the MC got a drum roll from the audience, the winners were announced. The Hong Kong booth took first place in the cultural display category, while China and Malaysia came in second and third, respectively.

The Indian Student Association earned first place in the performance category, while Association for India’s Development and the Filipino Student Association came in second and third, respectively.