Feeding the masses
Asian Unity's annual 'Taste of Asia' festival nourishes hungry college students
Joe Nguyen, editor
April 19, 2007

Photo by Joe Nguyen Members of Sigma Psi Zeta serve food to hungry patrons during Asian Unity's "Taste of Asia" April 19 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Sigma Psi Zeta was one the 10 student groups that participated in the culinary festival.

BOULDER – Nothing satisfies a college student quite like free food.

Asian Unity held its annual “Taste of Asia” festival April 19 on the Norlin Quad at the University of Colorado at Boulder campus.

The culinary feast attracted endless lines of students who eagerly gathered to sample cuisines from a smorgasbord of different Asian cultures. Not even the explicit anti-abortion displays that resided near the end of the line could curb their appetites.

“You can’t go bad if it’s free Asian food,” one student remarked to his friends as they carried platefuls of delectable fare.

Construction on Farrand Field forced this year’s event to move in front of Norlin Library for the first time. AU member Annie Chuang said that the campus noise rules for the library prevented the group from bringing in performers. Despite the lack of entertainment, people still came out in masses.

“There were a lot more people than last year,” said Chuang, a CU-Boulder sophomore. “… We ran out of food in one hour.”

By 1:15 p.m. a handful of stragglers arrived, only to be turned away because the food trays were empty.

“We didn’t expect the turnout that we did,” Asian Unity co-president Megan Canon said, “obviously because we ran out of food.”

With the festival barely finished, the group is already planning for next year’s return to Farrand Field.

“Farrand’s going to have a stage, so we’re going to have a stage for performances,” AU co-events coordinator Tim Ung said. “So it’ll be a nice atmosphere … almost like an outdoor auditorium.”

Joe Nguyen is the editor in chief for AsiaXpress.com. You can contact Joe via e-mail at Joe@asiaxpress.com.