Shortly after the events of the evening were explained, dinner was served. Dinner was a buffet of traditional dishes adapted for an American audience. For example, tofu is not as prevalent in Western culture as it is in the East, and in order to make the dish more appealing, it was prepared with beef. Hot and sour soup was provided as an appetizer. The entrées included sautéed shrimp in a black bean sauce, sesame chicken, pork chops in a peking sauce, beef chow fun with bean sprouts, and ma po tofu, and to compliment the entrées, white rice and vegetable fried rice were served. Rafael Martinez ’11 said, “The food looked good and tasted even better. Given the portions and the quality of the meal the price of tickets was pretty reasonable.”

During dinner, a singer from the Electrical, Computer, & Systems Engineering Department performed. He originally lived near Beijing and performed a traditional song in Chinese. The meal concluded with a choice of three cakes: a chocolate mousse cake, a black forest cake, or a vanilla cake topped with fresh fruit. After dessert, the evening ended with hours of dancing to contemporary songs, such as Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” and Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl.” The event managed to celebrate Chinese culture by incorporating traditional dishes and customs while still appealing to American tastes.

According to the CASA Conference Chair, Michael Doo ’10, “The formal went splendidly.” After hours of set up and months of planning, the event was a cultural and culinary success, attracting roughly one hundred attendants. The event continued CASA’s annual tradition of celebrating the New Year on campus and provided an entertaining and enriching evening.