By Beatriz Fernandez
Daily Titan Staff Writer

As Master of Ceremonies Mark Hizon announced the start of the Multicultural Food Festival on Tuesday, people began rushing to the different food stands.

AICA hosted the Multicultural Food Festival which featured 12 clubs and 4 ASI organizations. Photo by Shruti Patel

From shrimp dumplings to Skittles, there was a wide variety of foods available to those that were interested in tasting something new.

The event, which was funded by Associated Students, Inc. and hosted by its Association for Inter-Cultural Awareness, had 12 clubs along with four ASI organizations. For an hour, students could walk around the Cal State Fullerton Quad and taste foods from around the world. The event was free to students.

“We call it a taste because it promotes what each organization out here is about,” Hizon said.

AICA provided water, sangria and tamarind juice to quench the thirst of those in attendance. The Titan Tusk Force’s nachos seemed to be the favorite, with a long line of students waiting in the sun for a taste. That’s not to say that the food provided by others wasn’t satisfactory.

The Association of Chinese Students handed out both shrimp and pork and mushroom dumplings, along with a handout which provided information about the dumplings and how they are made.

“I had the shrimp dumpling, and I actually like it a lot – it’s my second one,” Grecia Bahena, a business major, said.

The Pilipino American Student Association also had a hit with its lumpia shanghai – an egg roll-style food stuffed with vegetables, pork and beef. Sammie Sotoa, a business management major, claimed the dish originated in China and was adopted by the Philippines where a different flavor was added. Though the club was serving lumpia shanghai, there is also a dessert version of lumpia called turon, which is filled with bananas and brown sugar.

Students could also taste baklava and barazeh, dessert dishes provided by the Middle Eastern Student Society. Baklava is a pastry made of phyllo dough and nuts with syrup that is a very popular Middle Eastern food. Barazeh is a cookie that is very similar to sesame candy in taste.

“We bought them, but we do know how to make them,” said Rema Wahid, president of the Middle Eastern Student Society.

A student questions whether or not to try some Gulab Jamun, an India dessert. Photo by Shruti Patel

The Cambodian Student Association provided samples of fried bananas, which tasted very similar to banana chips.

“I tried the fried banana, and it’s pretty good,” said Warren Poompong, a biology major, who was slowly making his rounds.

Though not all stands provided food, they were there to support the event and advertise their club. “It’s fun because you get to know more about the clubs,” said Bahena.

It was interesting to see the different reactions that people had to the unique foods. Some attendees gave compliments of the foods and asked about where the it was purchased. Others made a face of disapproval as they walked to the trash can.

Whether the food was a hit or not wasn’t the point of the event; Hizon wanted to expose people to different types of food. The Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (M.E.Ch.A.) club was also in attendance and was handing out pan dulce.

There was a big turnout, which was partly due to Hizon using the speaker system to reel people into the event. The clubs in attendance seemed happy to be a part of the event.

After only 20 minutes, many of the clubs were running out of food, “But that’s a good sign, right?” said Puja Ramy, a member of the Indian Intercultural Club.