The Malaysian American Chapter held its 18th annual Malaysian dinner Saturday, selling 22 more tickets than last year.

This year’s event, titled "Malam Budaya," or Night of Culture, was filled with traditional food and entertainment from the three ethnic groups of Malaysia: Indian, Malay and Chinese.

Food included crab Rangoon; "satay" with peanut sauce; golden lemon chicken; and sweet potatoes served in coconut milk.

Sarah Knight, a Winona State University freshman, said the food "seemed authentic." "Having the food from each ethnic group was a nice variety. The satay was my favorite," she said.

By the end of the night, much of the food was gone, said Lean Pau Lim, the president of the Malaysian American Chapter.

"By the time I got to taste stuff, a lot of it was gone," he said. "(I heard) a lot of good comments on the lemon chicken."

Throughout the evening, diners took a trip through Malaysia with the help of Joanna Kong, one of the emcees for the evening, who also is the vice secretary of the Malaysian Chapter.

With the help of pictures and skits, diners got to see the sights and traditions of Malaysia. Included in the program were explanations and demonstrations of the three cultural New Year’s celebrations: "Hari Raya," the Malay New Year; the Chinese New Year; and the Indian New Year. Diners heard the history behind each New Year and saw the traditions that take place.

Mixed in with the New Years’ celebrations and trip around Malaysia, there were fashion shows of traditional dress from each of the three cultures and traditional dances.

The Chinese New Year included a dance with a Chinese Dragon. There also was a "Banghala" dance performed by five of the male members of the Chapter and a Bamboo dance where dancers jump in and out of long bamboo sticks.

"(The Bamboo dance) was my favorite because it takes a lot of technique and practice," Knight said.

Both modern and traditional music from Malaysia was played throughout the night. Eight members of the Malaysian Chapter played the "Angklung," an instrument made out of bamboo.

This year’s dinner had been moved from the spring to the fall.

"We thought not many people would want to come again, but it was nice," said Lim. "More people (came) than I thought would be coming."

In attendance at the dinner was Winona Mayor Jerry Miller, WSU President Darrell Krueger and WSU Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Richardson.

"Everything went well," said Lim.