On Saturday, affiliates of the Asian American Student Alliance and the Asian American Cultural Center held performances and sold food on Old Campus for the annual night market.
Jerry Gao & Davis Zhong October 27, 2024 11:51pm
staff reporter
Garrett Curtis, Contributing Photographer
About 300 students gathered on Old Campus on Saturday to participate in the annual night market event.
A myriad of food options were offered at various club booths, and attendees were treated to dance and martial arts performances. The event was hosted by the Asian American Student Alliance, also known as AASA, and the Asian American Cultural Center’s affiliated student organizations.
“We’re really happy that so many people came, all the clubs came, and we made so much food,” said Justin Huang ’28, co-organizer of this year’s night market. told the news. . “A lot of people were happy with it. It was just fun for them.”
From coordinating dance rehearsals to playing instruments to preparing food in the booths, board members proved the event preparation process to be a unifying experience.
The night market is one of the most famous cultural events of the year, so clubs started preparing long before the event. Rafia Mobasila ’27, another co-organizer of this year’s Night Market, told the News that planning began a month before the event and 16 of AACC’s more than 50 member organizations participated. Ta.
Members of the martial arts club fly to the market.
The night market is usually held during the spring semester, but this year it has been postponed until the fall, Mobasila said.
AACC affiliate organizations brought cultural food and drinks to the event. Students can purchase bundles of three meal tickets online for $10. Each ticket can be exchanged for food at each booth.
Oishi Monawala ’28, first-year liaison for Yale’s Bengali Language Student Association, said the preparation of jal muri, a typical Bengali street snack that YBSA served at its booth, took “intensive effort and difficult work.” He pointed out that there were “logistics”. The main ingredient in jal muli is chanachur (spicy snack mix), which is not easily available in regular stores.
Janina Gubenova ’27, Social Chair of the Yale Philippine Club Kasama City Board of Directors, cited preparing and serving the food as one of her favorite parts of the event. She said cooking with club members in the AACC kitchen was a “bonding experience.”
Anh Nguyen, 26, AASA coordinator and co-director of Asian Recipes at Yale University, told the News that related organizations like ARAY provide food and beverages without funding from AASA.
Proceeds from the sale of food tickets will be donated to the New Haven Mutual Aid Fund, Nguyen said, as the night market typically raises about $500. This year’s proceeds will be posted on AASA’s Instagram account, Huang said.
With several representatives from each club manning each booth, the night market was not only an opportunity for attendees to make friends and enjoy the show, but also a special opportunity for club members to socialize with each other.
“For people who identify as Asian, this event is really fun. It’s a good way to hang out with friends, try different foods, and enjoy the performances,” said Tina Huang ’26. Said. She first learned about the night market from a friend at AASA.
Ronald Gomez ’28 attended the event as a member of the performance group “Red Lantern” and performed a Chinese fan dance at the event. Gomez told the News that while he believed the event was a testament to the diversity of cultural groups at the university, he didn’t think the meal stamps were worth it.
“I think the food was good, don’t get me wrong. The quality was there, but the quantity was too small,” Gomez said.
The Red Lantern Group performs for the market crowd.
Due to the large number of participants and generally positive feedback from the student body, organizers deemed the event a success and are considering holding it again in the spring.
Despite the complications, clubs agreed that the preparations were “worth it” as the response to the food and beverage booths and performance groups was generally positive. Mobasila hoped that with more participants and early planning, the next event would be bigger and better.
UNITY Korean Taiko Group will perform at the market.
The Asian American Cultural Center was founded in 1981.
