Nothing bridges cultural gaps better than sharing a meal together. Food does far more than nourish the body — it tells the story of who we are, where we’ve been, our trials and tribulations and, most importantly, does so in a most delightful way.
It was this thought that sparked the idea for Cincinnati’s first Asian Food Festival five years ago.
“A group of friends were sitting around and discussing that there was a German fest (Oktoberfest), Italian fest, Greek fest, etc., in Cincinnati, but there wasn’t one that featured Asian food,” says Lam Dang, marketing director for the Asian Food Fest. “We thought, ‘Well, let’s not [just] talk about it and let’s make it happen.’ ”
Today the fest has grown into an event that shares Asian food and culture with more than 15,000 attendees and brings together the city’s various Asian communities, from Vietnamese and Chinese to Indian and Malaysian. Although admission to the fest is free, donations support the Asian American Cultural Association of Cincinnati, a nonprofit that works for the preservation and promotion of Asian traditions, values and lifestyles through programs and events.
This year, for the first time, the festival will be held in Washington Park. (Previous years have seen Asian Food Fest at the Kolping Center in Mount Healthy and The Banks downtown.)
“Having it at Washington Park this year was a dream for us,” Dang says.
More than a dozen vendors will provide unique dishes from their countries of origin in the park, with dishes ranging from $2-$6. B.J. Kim of Red Sesame Korean BBQ food truck, who is equally as passionate as Dang when it comes to using food as a means to communicate cultural awareness, will be serving Korean barbecue tacos and mini quesadillas.
“Diversity is key in regards to a well-rounded community,” he says. “Bringing the flavorful tastes of Korea to Cincinnati is the goal I set when starting Red Sesame. When people try my food, they’re experiencing a little bit of Korean culture.”
Findlay Market’s Vietnamese restaurant Pho Lang Thang will also be at Asian Food Fest, offering their popular beef and chicken pho — cup o’ noodle style. And Pho’s sister restaurant Quan Hapa will be serving up okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancakes). “We decided to serve our most popular dishes from both of our restaurants,” says co-owner Duy Nguyen. “We opened up our restaurants to share our culture with this city. My culture is very important to me, and food is the best way to share it with others.”
Angie Tang, owner of Angie’s Malaysian Satay & Sauces, is eager to introduce people to the diversity of flavors that make up traditional Malaysian street foods. She’ll be serving her signature Malaysian chicken satay with peanut sauce, Beef Rendang, Nasi Lemak and ginger-peach fresh mint tea. “I want to educate and introduce our delicious Malaysian cuisine to the wider community,” she says. “Food has always been part of our culture in the multi-racial population of Malays, Chinese, Indians and Eurasian in Malaysia. It is a huge melting pot.”
Yvonne Chew of Clifton’s Tea ‘n’ Bowl will be featuring another Malaysian dish: her mother’s version of sticky rice. “Malaysian-style glutinous rice is one of my favorite indulgences,” Chew says. “Due to the gluey and sticky consistency, this rice is usually not served on its own unlike the usual white or brown rice you see at most Chinese meals.” Her mother’s recipe is made with minced shrimp and scallops and topped with shiitake mushroom slices, pan-fried egg, green onion slices, fried shallots and a sauce made with shredded pork.
New to Asian Food Fest this year is Oakley’s Yat Ka Mein restaurant. They will be serving sesame dumplings with red bean paste, curry wontons, Dan Dan Noodles (Chinese spaghetti noodles topped with a ground meat mixture and sauce with vegetables) and sesame chicken. Vickie Chan, who does all the communicating for her father, Yat Ka Mein owner Clarence, says, “We chose these items to showcase how our restaurant can do both traditional Chinese noodle dishes and foods as well as the Americanized versions. We like to call it Chinese comfort food because some of our more traditional dishes are those that my parents and other Chinese people grew up eating, like noodle soups.”
Along with food, this year’s festival will also feature a human foosball arena, Asian beer by Sapporo, cultural dances like a Taiwanese Lion Dance, Kung Fu and Tai Chi demonstrations, and Asian-inspired arts and crafts.
ASIAN FOOD FEST runs 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday at Washington Park, 1230 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine. More info: asianfoodfest.org.
This article appears in Oct 1-7, 2014.