U. holds Celebration of Culture

Despite the April showers, it was culture as planned this weekend. The first in what organizers hope will become an annual Celebration of Culture was held amid intermittent sprinkles Saturday, and despite the inclement weather, students appeared enthusiastic as they sampled a bit of different cultures from all over the world. University groups and local merchants set up booths under a tent on Superblock, selling and displaying items from a number of foreign countries. Food was sold by restaurants such as Indian Palace and The Roti Shop. The Japan Cultural Society was one of several student groups offering food, serving chicken teriyaki. Books, music, T-shirts and crafts were displayed and sold, including handcrafts from Ecuador made out of bread dough. The South Asian Society demonstrated Karem, an Indian pool game, at one of the booths. The event was to have been the second annual Celebration of Culture, except that last year's scheduled celebration was rained out. Organizers took the precaution of renting a large tent to protect this year's festivities from the elements. As hundreds browsed through Superblock, both students and professionals gave performances from a number of different cultures. College freshman Kaplan Mobray played the saxophone, and several students participated in a South Asian fashion show which received some of the most enthusiastic responses. The Duh Warriors, a local band, played reggae music. A Salsa Merengue band from Princeton also played. Other acts included Mexican Folklore dancing, a Kung Fu demonstration, and a Caribbean dance troupe. Although the food was what brought most people to the event, many of those who came found there was much more than they had expected. College senior David Kim said he came to the event because he thought there would be free food, but even though he had to pay, he was not disappointed. "I've never seen anything like this before," said Kim. "I'm having a great time." "I'm glad we go to a university that offers something like this so we can see other cultures," added College senior Gordon Ruckdeschel. "And the Vietnamese egg rolls are great." Wharton senior Mike Fernandez said that he liked the fact that the celebration was so diverse. Wharton junior Nancy Chang, chairperson of the Celebration, said the purpose of the event was to expose students to a variety of cultures. She said she was particularly pleased with the diverse attendance, saying that the crowd was not composed of just minorities. "We had the most amazing turnout," Chang said. "It was packed all day long and most of our food vendors sold out."