asian food: Eastern food, dance celebrated at heritage festival Asian families use Germantown event to re-connect with the traditions of their culture Wednesday, May 24, 2006 Little Michelle Li, 5, twirled around and around in her pink leotard and skirt, blissfully content swaying to the Indonesian music in the background. ‘‘We’re having so much fun. She doesn’t want to leave,” said her mother Lauren Hu of Clarksburg. ‘‘Her dance performance was over 15 minutes ago.” For a few hours on Saturday, the Discovery Sports Center at the South Germantown Recreational Park resembled an Asian street fair, with food, crafts, clothing and performances from groups all over Montgomery County and a few from Virginia. About 1,500 people gathered to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, which was first recognized in 1992. The month of May was chosen commemorate two events in American history: the first arrival of Japanese immigrants on May 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869. Many people at Saturday’s event, which was organized by the county and the Maryland SoccerPlex, said the fair helped them reconnect with their heritage and expose their children to cultural traditions. ‘‘These are the times when we not only get together to eat great Asian food and see great Asian crafts, but it’s also a time to reflect on the significant contributions that Asian Americans have made to this country in math, science, technology and other fields,” said Del. Susan C. Lee (D-Dist. 16) of Bethesda. ‘‘We’re number one because of us.” Seven countries –– Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Tibet and South Korea –– were represented during performances, which varied from Korean Taekwondo, to Tibetan dance to several fashion shows. And, though the celebration was scheduled to last until 6:30 p.m., some vendors, who said they expected 10,000 people, started packing up about 4 p.m. ‘‘We’re having fun. It’s entertaining,” said Hank Braam, who owns Sabang Indonesian Restaurant with his wife Irma. ‘‘We brought food to feed 400 people, and so far we’ve sold to about 200.” The Wheaton restaurateur said his spicy beef marinade, which includes about 60 spices and cooks for eight hours, was the biggest hit. ‘‘We’re here to promote food from Indonesia,” he said while partaking in a meal himself. ‘‘It’s good for us to be out in the community.” The Asian⁄Pacific Islander community is the second fastest growing population in the county and makes up 12 percent of the county’s population, according to the 2003 Census Update Survey. Montgomery County has the largest population of Asian⁄Pacific Islanders in the state. ‘‘We may come from very different countries with very different religions, and physically we are different, but we are bounded together with the concept of service to humanity,” said Sam Mukherjee, secretary for the Asian Indians for Community Service, a service group based in Silver Spring. Event organizers honored 1996 Olympic gold medallist Tiffany Roberts, a Washington Freedom coach and player, for her commitment to service to the Asian community. ‘‘I’m very proud to say I’m part Asian,” said the half-Filipino Roberts. ‘‘I do my best to help out the Asian community and I’m happy to be here.” Someone else who was happy to be at Saturday’s event was 2-year-old Matthew Tirajoh, who bopped around the food area while brightly-clothed dancers shook their hips on stage. His parents, American-born George Tirajoh and Indonesian-born Nova, met in Indonesia while George was living in Jakarta on business. They married and she came to Washington, D.C., in May 2003, said Nova, between bites of Thai been curd and chicken. ‘‘I liked the performers. We’re enjoying the food,” she said, adding that it reminded her of the small town in which she grew up. They hope that bringing young Matthew to such cultural events will help him connect with his ancestry. Matthew is learning English, his parents will teach him Indonesian when he’s a few years older, said George Tirajoh, a first generation Indonesian-American and president of the Society for Indonesian-Americans in Washington, D.C. ‘‘You learn a lot more about other Asian cultures at these kind of events,” he said. ‘‘He can see all this and that’s good for his exposure to our culture.” Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Privacy Statement