Asian Communtity Searches for Place in Davidson

After placing an order, a college student can be satisfied with the knowledge that in mere minutes a collection of dishes- from egg rolls to lo mein- will arrive and be thoughtlessly consumed. While more culturally diverse than a velveeta cup, the dorm-style-Asian meal is a far cry from the Feast prepared for the Lunar New Year hosted at Davidson this year.

“There really isn’t good Chinese food around here,” states Raven Guo ‘24, President of the Chinese Culture Club. “We have Panda Express which is not really Chinese food but it’s good in some ways. This year, I cooked half of the food at the celebration. But that’s only one of the reasons we do the traditional New Year celebration.”

While eating traditional food—from dumplings to Longevity noodles—is always a draw to the celebration, the Lunar New Year is much more than just ‘eating’ food. While Common’s eggrolls simply represent fuel for a night of studying, the Lunar New Year dishes represent a means for a memorable experience for the community and a nod to cultural history. In China, as Gou explains, “my family spends the entire day cooking, talking, and telling stories.” While the Lunar New Year celebration at Davidson did not allow students to cook with their aunts, uncles, and cousins, the festivities still created means for food-based connection.

“I got the chance to make dumplings with a couple of friends this Lunar New Year,” explains Pan Asian Student Association (PASA) President, Audrey Meigs ‘23. “I forgot how something so simple can be such a bonding experience. The first way to have people understand a different person’s culture is through food. In the past, it’s been difficult when Davidson students just come for the food and then leave during the cultural performances. But soon, we are going to have a space on campus. We’re hoping to do some cooking events where we share not just food, which is easy— but also the techniques and the ways we prepare it.”

Despite increasing access to culturally significant food, the societal ripples of hate against the Asian community still affect Davidson students daily. The Monterey Park Shooting during Lunar New Year 2022, was a sobering reminder of the hate, targeting, and racism still experienced in the Asian community today.

“The Monterey Park shooting is something that really shocked me because I got the notification on the morning of Lunar New Year,” explains Meigs. “I had been so excited because I had friends who had been planning to come over to my apartment— we were going to make a hot pot. But reading that notification just made me stop for a second because Lunar New Year is a day to celebrate Asian communities and Asian joy. Not only was [the shooting] a terrible tragedy, but it just brought up a lot of memories of the beginning of the pandemic when Asian communities were targeted, and they were experiencing a lot of hate crimes.”

Some students find it hard to discuss Asian hate with their friends. As Adele Zhang ‘25, an international student from China, explains, when she talks about certain events with her friends “All they can say is ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. That’s so sad.’ because they just aren’t experiencing it.”

The difference between ‘empathy’ and ‘apathy’ can be seen all around campus, particularly with the planning of Union Board’s Winterfest on Lunar New Year, leaving those who observe unable to celebrate on campus.

“It’s easy to become jaded at Davidson, especially as a woman of color. I remember when the Atlanta shootings happened, the spring of 2021 and the very next day students were protesting the closing of Nummit.” said Meigs. “There wasn’t a word about the actual shooting around campus, but people were protesting the fact that Nummit was closing in reference to the event. The insensitivity to