The Asian Student Association showcased bingsu, a Korean shaved ice dessert, in an event titled Bingsu Night, as one of their mini events for the semester on March 25.
Traditionally, bingsu is mixed with red bean paste, according to Sara Cho, the president of the ASA. Cho curated the event to teach people about Korean culture through food she ate growing up.
The ASA also provided hwachae, a traditional Korean summery drink. It was strawberry-flavored, mixed with fruit and lychee jelly.
Attendees lined up at a table as the executive board served bingsu. The shaved ice started as a frozen condensed milk base, which was poured into an ice machine to be able to be scooped into the bowls. In addition to red bean paste, different fruits and syrup were included as toppings.
As well as bingsu and hwachae, there were different games at each table like mahjong, a gambling game, Chinese Chess and yo-yos.
The turnout was impressive, according to former president of the ASA and University of Rhode Island alumni Vincent Lee ’24.
“It fills me with joy and makes me incredibly proud of the steps [the e-board] has taken to continue our community’s growth,” Lee said.
Cho and Alex Bolland, the vice president of the ASA, have done a lot of events to get the URI community involved, according to Lee. Through the community’s involvement, URI alumni find themselves coming back to attend their events.
“[The ASA] have given us reason to care about what [Cho and Bolland] are trying to build,” Lee said.
Bingsu night was a success, according to Franny Duong, the treasurer of the ASA. She thought there would be a lot of leftover food, but the club ended up using all of the ingredients.
The event ended with an announcement for elections for next semester’s e-board.
The ASA’s next event is their culture show on April 25 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The show is an opportunity to showcase the creative talents of their community. They invite URI and Brown University student organizations and local professional groups to join the show. It allows students and the audience to learn more about other cultures and foster a community at URI, according to Duong.
Last year’s cultural show featured People Generally Asian Dance, a Korean-pop cover group who did different dances and skits, according to Lee. The Rhody Rhapsodies also joined, performing some of the songs they had been working on. Other members of the ASA sang songs that were personal to them and performed skits. At the end of the show, the new president for the ASA was announced.
“We are an amazing cultural group,” Bolland said. “We’ve been really expanding our breadth and depth to a cultural reflecting club, rather than just a place for hanging out.”
For updates about club meetings, future events and more, visit ASA’s Instagram @uri_asa.
