The BU Thai Student Association spiced up its annual Thai Festival with food, games and a celebration of Thai culture Thursday night.
The festival is the student association’s biggest fundraiser of the year and was held at the George Sherman Union. This year’s celebration was more interactive than previous years, with opportunities to play cultural games, make Thai handcrafts and win gift cards from Thai restaurants around campus. Other prizes included boxing shorts and t-shirts.
“This year, we are changing our event to have a Thai night market theme,” said Nathchar Naowarojna, co-president of the BU Thai Student Association, before Thursday’s festival. “It will be more interactive, and people can play games such as spin the bottle and a can toss.”
Over 10 different kinds of popular Thai dishes, from pad thai to pad se-ew, were served buffet style from restaurants all over Boston, including campus favorites Nud Pob, Noodle Street and Thai Dish.
“I think this is a great opportunity to try the unique taste of Thai food and have fun,” said Naowarojna, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. “You’ll be able to see how the carnival is run in Thailand and win great prizes … so why not?”
Attendance-wise, BU students agreed. All 250 tickets sold out, according to a BUTSA post on the festival’s Facebook page.
“A lot of people are here which is great. We also maxed out on our capacity, so we stopped selling tickets,” said Mimi Akrapongpisak, co-president of BUTSA and senior dual-degree in CAS and the School of Management. “I was a little worried about the line in the beginning for food, but I think it’s going well.”
Akrapongpisak said the newly added festive games were popular with even a hungry crowd.
“A lot of people are playing the games and to win the prizes, which is ultimately what we were going for,” she said.
Maria Guerrero, a junior in the School of Hospitality Administration, said she was excited to win a $50 Thai Dish gift card because she enjoyed the food at the event so much.
“So far, I quite like these vegetables. They have a coconut sauce or something, and I really like it. And these noodles are really, really good,” she said.
Poom Thanapat Phattharaboorapha, the group’s external affairs representative and a senior in CAS, helped coordinate getting sponsorships from nearby restaurants. He also encouraged students to try new foods.
“You should try [Thai food] because it’s not what you think it is,” he said. “You think maybe it’s all spicy food, but actually, it’s not. Some of our food is not spicy at all, and some can be pretty sweet. Try some different flavors.”
Phattharaboorapha said students may be surprised by the variety of Thai cuisine, even if they’ve eaten at some Thai restaurants before.
“The taste of pad thai at Nud Pob is not the same as pad thai at Noodle Street,” he said. “It depends on the cook. They’ll have the same recipe but have different ways of cooking it, so the taste comes out differently.”
Traditional Thai festivals, which often celebrate Buddhism and the seasons, serve as a model for BUTSA’s annual festival. The group strives to spread awareness of Thai culture throughout the BU community.
“This is a great opportunity for students to come and enjoy the taste of Thai food but also have some fun,” Naowarojna said. “Students can see how carnivals are run in Thailand.”
The sold-out room certainly seemed pleased to do so. Andrea Mancheno, a junior in the School of Education, said the added fun and the cultural education worked hand-in-hand.
“This event is really cool. I like how they’re all wearing the same thing like in the market in Thailand,” she said. “The food is authentic, and the fact that they have these games and are encouraging people to participate is really nice to see.”
