With aromas rising from steaming pots and pans, students and faculty eagerly waited to fill their plates with Asian food in the courtyard. The Asian Pacific Student Union hosted a Good Luck Potluck Friday, May 2, to celebrate Asian heritage through food in honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
AAPI Heritage Month commemorates the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to the U.S. and celebrates the history and contributions made by people of AAPI identities, according to the website. The month highlights the diversity of cultures within the AAPI community, recognizing various traditions, languages and cuisines.
Every year, APSU hosts a Chinese Lunar New Year celebration in the courtyard in honor of the 15-day spring festival. This year, in addition to that celebration, they decided to host a potluck for the Archer community. Club members brought in foods and drinks from their AAPI cultures.
APSU member Maia Kim (‘26) helped organize and plan the event. Kim’s idea for the APSU potluck was originally inspired by Black Student Union’s annual Taste of Soul potluck. Kim said despite being only a member of APSU, she was still able to propose her idea to the APSU executive board and put her plan into action.
“I thought [Taste of Soul] was a really sweet idea, and I really enjoyed all the food and vibes that came with it,” Kim said. “So I thought APSU should do something similar, especially because there’s so many different cultures we could bring food from to enjoy.”
Foods like japchae, which are Korean stir fried glass noodles, jiaozi, popularly known as potstickers, fried rice, cookies and drinks were all served free of charge. The dishes introduced many different AAPI cultures, featuring each traditional flavor combination. Luella Moshtaghi (‘28) said she was eager to experience AAPI culture through these foods.
“I love all the different varieties of foods, and there’s a lot of new flavors I haven’t tried yet,” Moshtaghi said. “I really like these potlucks because I can get to know things about different cultures from their foods.”
Zara Kahn (‘25) said APSU decided that the goal of the potluck would be to foster connection among students, giving them the opportunity to experience each other’s cultures. It is especially important to bridge food and culture to create cultural connections within the community, Kahn said.
“I think that food can say a lot about cultures, and that food is kind of a universal language,” Kahn said. “I think it is important to spread joy and culture, and it’s really sweet to see everyone enjoying the food.”
