Taiwan night market brings food and culture to Northwestern University students

A line of students streamed out of the Lewis Room at the Norris University Center on Sunday night as community members gathered to enjoy food, games and decorations at the Taiwanese American Students Association’s annual Taiwan Night Market.

The event celebrates Taiwanese culture by simulating Taiwan’s popular night markets, which serve street food to bustling crowds. TASA aims to provide a space for NU students to gather and experience the country’s culture.

Most of the food at the night market, including red bean soup, green onion pancake, brown egg and boiled pork rice, made by students. TASA also offered drinks such as winter melon boba.

Medill Sophomore Douglas Lee He was excited to attend this event and eat the traditional Taiwanese food he always enjoys with his family. One of his friends was involved in food production, he added.

“I know she’s a really great cook, so I was like, ‘Hey, you gotta come, I can’t pass up this opportunity,'” Lee said. “It’s comparable to her hometown. This is the best you can get in Evanston.”

In addition to the food, TASA hosted student performance organizations such as the Refresh Dance Crew and Treblemakers, NU’s East Asian-minded a cappella group.

The club also provided bingo boards for participants. This included action items such as eating different foods, meeting volunteers, decorating lanterns, and taking pictures with the Taiwanese flag. Students who completed bingo entered a raffle and won prizes such as her one-month free drink from Evanston’s Happy Her Lemons.

Weinberg freshman Amber Lueth made leek pancakes in Shepherd Hall’s communal kitchen. The recipe is simple and easy to make, Ruth said.

“It’s a fairly traditional Taiwanese dish that’s served in many night markets across Taiwan,” says Lueth. “(It’s) not a flat, one-dimensional texture, but the layered texture of a pancake.”

Former TASA social chair and Weinberg senior Derek Wen says the club has helped him find community in NU. The club hosts bonding events throughout the year, including trips to the Chicago neighborhood of Argyle, home to Game His Nights and its own Nights Market.

Wen said the club splits event responsibilities between cooking, transportation of food and decorations, and event logistics. He added that he was pleased with the turnout of the night market.

“(This event) was intended as a way to introduce different parts of Taiwanese culture to the Northwestern community in general,” Wen said.

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