Tasting Asia's foods

Some came for the food. Some came for the performances. Some came for the giant panda. But everyone who came got a little “Taste of Asia.”

The 18th annual Taste of Asia took place Friday at the IU Auditorium. The event, which was sponsored by the Asian American Association, aimed to educate people and celebrate Asian culture.

“In a place as diverse as IU and Bloomington, it is important that we promote understanding,” AAA President Jake Zhang said.

As in many years before, Taste of Asia included a series of performances from local and national artists, including the Rod Rivera Band and afterschoolspecial, followed by an open buffet of Asian food.

But this year’s event had unprecedented significance; it also aimed to raise money and awareness for the crisis in Japan.

During the show, freshman Meiyi Pan performed the song “Speechless” by Lady Gaga “as a prayer for the victims in Japan,” she said.

At the entrance, students from the Japanese Student Association collected donations in return for paper cranes. In the last few weeks, the group has raised more than $4,000 that it will send to the Japanese Red Cross. JSA President Kentaro Hirano said he was grateful for how positively the IU community has reacted to the tragedy in Japan.

“I am surprised we have collected so much funding because Indiana is so far away from Japan,” Hirano said.

He said he feels events like Taste of Asia help foreigners to better understand Japanese culture in such a crisis.

“When you only see the disaster through YouTube, it doesn’t seem real,” Hirano said.

Many who attended wanted to experience Asian culture for other reasons.

“There is such a large Asian population on this campus,” freshman Bob Salek said. “I think it is a good idea to experience what they are used to.”

Salek admitted that he was most excited to taste the free food donated by seven local Asian restaurants, including Chow Bar, Siam House, Sobon and Taste of India.

But for 11-year-old Eugenia Ermosova, Taste of Asia was all about the performances. She couldn’t tear her eyes off the Bollywood-style dancers from the Bindi-Ana Girls Club.

“It’s very interesting to see how they dance, act and what their different clothes are,” she said. “It is sometimes different than what we have because of the climate.”

The event was celebrated in anticipation of Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, which takes place annually in May.