Club to bring Malaysia to WSU

The Winonan

October 25, 2000

Club to bring Malaysia to WSU

Annual dinner set for Saturday

Stacy Booth

Winonan

The Malaysian American Chapter Society will be holding its annual Malaysian Night Dinner Saturday in the East Cafeteria of Kryzsko Commons. This year’s theme for the dinner is "Malam Budaya," which means "Night of Culture."

The program, the club’s biggest event of the year, features food and entertainment from Malaysia’s three major ethnic groups: Chinese, Malay and Indian.

"(The goal of the dinner is) to introduce our culture and our food," said Brindha Thinakaran, the club’s public relations director. "(We want to) bring Malaysia to you."

The night’s menu features popular food from the three major ethnic groups, Thinakaran said. The menu includes lemon chicken, "clay pof" tofu, almond beef, different types of rice and "satay," a Malay dish of chicken served with sweet peanut sauce.

The entertainment for the night is wonderful and varied, said Poi Lee, the human resource director for the club. There will be examples of the three different new year’s celebrations: the Chinese New Year; "Hari Raya," a day of celebration, which is the Malay new year; and the Indian new year, "Deepavali," or the festival of lights.

Also included in the program are ethnic dances and traditional music, said Lee.

Funding for the dinner comes from sponsorship, ticket sales and the club’s budget. Volunteers prepare the dinner and provide the entertainment, said Thinakaran.

Organizing the dinner starts at the end of the summer, said Lee.

New to the dinner this year is the time and location. Last year’s event, themed "Discover Malaysia," was held in the spring in the Smaug. This year it was moved to Kryzsko’s East Cafeteria because there’s more room, said Lee. There also is more variety in the menu.

"People like the way it was very warm and very together," said Thinakaran about past dinners.

Last year’s dinner sold 198 tickets, said Lee. The target for this year’s dinner is at least 200. Prices for the three-hour dinner are $10 for adults, $8 for students and $6 for children 12 and younger.

Interested individuals can purchase tickets in the International Office from noon to 4 p.m. or by contacting the club’s president, Lean Pau, at 453-9808. The dinner is open to the entire community.

"Our main purpose is not for fund-raising, it’s to share our culture," she said.

The Malaysian club hosts many other activities throughout the year, including apple picking, strawberry picking, a bowling and pool competition and the mooncake festival.