Want to learn how to make spring rolls, sushi, masubi or just learn what these foods are? Some may be curious enough to participate in today’s “Unwrap this: Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin'” food demonstration event on Asian-Pacific dishes.
The event will be held today in MUII take place from 7 to 9 p.m.
Co-sponsored by the Asian Pacific Culture Week committee and Campus Unions, this free event will give students a hands-on demonstration on how to make many dishes popular in Asia and Asia-Pacific including vegetarian spring rolls, sushi, red bean ice or halo halo, and masubi, a rice and Spam dish popular in Hawaii.
“Food connects people. It is a venue through which people are curious to learn about different cultures” said Angelina Yu, director for Asian Pacific Culture Week.
Yu stressed that participating in this activity will not only give students a chance to learn to make certain ethnic foods, but also give them a grasp on the culture behind food making in the Asia-Pacific.
“APCW programs like this strive to introduce culture, inspire people to keep learning beyond what we present in the workshop and also challenge them to think about the broader picture of what’s happening in the [Asian Pacific Islander] community,” said Yu, a senior human and community development major.
Though no professional chefs will be present at the event, students themselves from the Asian Pacific Culture Week staff will be demonstrating their favorites. Campus Unions staff members will also demonstrate the techniques behind making halo halo and vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls.
“I wanted students to have fun, making these foods while learning about its history” said Julianna Cruz, student director for Campus Unions.
Not only can students have fun but they can learn about the history of making these foods.
“This event was organized around the concept of equipping students with some of the skills of preparing some popular Asian Pacific Islander foods but also educating them with the history and stories illustrating how these foods came to being staples in the communities” said Yu.
This event is just one of the many events put on during the 35th annual Asian Pacific Culture Week.
“Here in America, Asian foods have become somewhat commonplace, but the rich stories and traditions behind these foods is seldom known. It’s important to reconnect these stories and beliefs with the foods in order to spread real cultural knowledge” said Jonathan Chee, junior microbiology major and co-organizer for the event.
Chee gathered stories, myths, traditions and other interesting facts into informational sheets for students to read as they wait their turn for the hands-on portion of the event.
Chee shared a myth that will be talked about at tonight’s event.
“There is a belief in Chinese families that if you leave grains of rice on your plate, each grain will be reflected as a pimple or a blemish on your husband or wife’s face,”said Chee.
“It would be a shame not to share all of our cultures with the greater UC Davis community.… It’s easy to see this community has such a long, diverse [and] colorful history” said Chee.
Cruz agreed that it is important to have such educational yet fun events held on campus.
“Having these type of events on campus are important because they bring awareness of different histories and cultures from all types of communities. Also, these events allow students to interact with each other outside of just school and work and thus some ways builds a community on campus,” said Cruz.
If you would like to participate in the actual food demonstration portion, send an e-mail to annyu@ucdavis.edu. Space is limited to 50 people, so advance registration is required. All are welcome to watch the demonstrations if not able to register beforehand.
ANGELA RUGGIERO can be reached at campus@californiaaggie.com.
A sidebar with the following info:
How to make a Vietnamese Spring Roll
Campus
Unions staff members will also demonstrate the techniques behind making
halo halo and vegetarian Vietnamese spring rolls, including how to
correctly wrap the spring rolls. See the recipe below to make your own.
Recipe:
Given
by Ceci Mendoza, senior Spanish and education double-major who will be
helping out with the Vietnamese Spring Roll demonstration at tonight’s
event. Mendoza said that she got this simple and easy recipe from a
Korean friend and enjoys making this multi-cultural dish often.
You will need:
Rice paper
Rice noodles (vermicelli)
Lettuce, chopped
Carrots, chopped
Cucumber, chopped
Chopped mint leaves
First,
soak the rice paper in warm water to soften it. Then lay wrappers flat.
Place lettuce on wrapper. Add a handful of noodles on top, then
carrots, cucumber and mint leaves. If desired, add chopped cooked
chicken and coriander.
Wrap
the rice paper around the ingredients like you would with a burrito,
tightly packing in the ingredients. Leave one side open and cut into
pieces for presentation.
