The smell of many different rice dishes wafted out of the Asian American Resource Center (AARC) from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday during the OHANA: Rice Cook Off event.
The cook off was a part of the OHANA series of events where the AARC meets Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to talk about academic resources, as well as student and cultural organizations at NIU.
The event began with a presentation introducing the leadership members of the AARC, then delving into a presentation on the importance of rice in Asian cultures.
Rice is a symbol of prosperity and survival and has historically been tied to economic stability. Rice has also played an important role in rituals and traditions.
After the presentation concluded attendees had the option to taste four rice-based dishes made by the AARC. They could then vote for their favorite dish, based on both taste and presentation, by placing a paper in a ballot box.
The dishes submitted in the competition included champorado, a Filipino chocolate rice porridge made by OHANA Nights Coordinator Blessing Coranez, fried rice made by AARC Leadership Coordinator Jocelyn Thammavongsa, mango sticky rice made by AARC Peer Mentor Coordinator Ryan Le, and spam musubi made by AARC Academic Success Coordinator Fenella Ibias.
For those who submitted a dish to be judged, stakes were high as the winner got to take home prizes which included a hat, coffee mug and two Labubus.
Abram Gunn, a junior accounting major, believed the stand out dish of the night was the fried rice, enjoying the dish’s diverse taste profile.
“I think it might be the fried rice,” Gunn said. “To elaborate more on that, I just like the flavor better. I’m not really used to the spam rice they had or the sticky mango rice, the mango rice was too sweet. That fried rice, it had a good combination of flavors to it.”
Sebastian Camacho, a junior mechanical engineering major, thought either the mango sticky rice or the spam musubi should win the cook off.
“I honestly want to go for, like, seconds to actually get myself a proper verdict, but it’s got to be between the spam musubi or the mango sticky rice,” Camacho said.
As the attendees closed their deliberation and all the votes were counted, a drum roll began as the winner of the event was announced.
Ryan Le, a third year psychology major, was the winner of the OHANA: Rice Cook Off.
After being announced as the winner of the event, Le said he had a suspicion he would win.
“I had an inkling, I feel like you just can’t really beat the classic, like sticky rice. Because I feel like it’s such a nostalgic dish for all Southeast Asian kids out there, because, like, everybody’s had it,” Le said.
Le said he chose to make mango sticky rice due to it playing such a big part in his culture and childhood.
“A big part of my identity is being Southeast Asian, and something that a lot of our culture share is sticky rice. So I felt like it was appropriate for me to represent my culture through mango sticky rice, because it’s been such a staple within my childhood,” Le said.
If you are interested in more from the AARC they are holding an exhibit in the Pick Museum of Anthropology located in Cole Hall Room 114. The exhibit celebrates the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Asian American Resource Center at NIU.
The exhibit exploring how the AARC has changed over the years is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and ends April 18.
