SMU students participate in a Fear Factor eating competition as a part of EASA’s Asian Night Market Wednesday night in front of the flagpole. The Night Market was a part of CelebrASIAN. (Michael Danser)

For one night, the SMU campus was submerged in Asian culture and heritage, as SMU students sampled a variety of traditional Asian foods and games. The East Asian Student Association hosted the event, called Night Market, on Wednesday at the flagpole.

The idea for Night Market was derived from the famous night markets in Taiwan, where vendors hawk their wares to passersby and every imaginable food can be eaten. Although EASA’s Night Market isn’t on quite the same scale, there was still plenty to see and do.

EASA brought in two local bands from the University of Texas at Arlington to provide the music, and the runner-up from EASA’s Dance Festival, The Anybodys, performed as entertainment.

Vendors from different parts of Dallas brought all types of Asian cuisine for students to purchase. Some of the restaurants that participated were Bangkok City, Fadi’s, Fat Straws and Bistro B.

Participants also had much more to do than just eat. There were several tents that featured a number of various activities, some traditional and others modern. Various prizes could be won at any of the booths, and these prizes could often be upgraded by trading in lesser prizes for a larger one.

The activity booths were manned by the many other multicultural organizations, including the organizations under the Multicultural Greek Council: Omega Delta Phi, Kappa Delta Chi, Sigma Lambda Gamma and Sigma Phi Omega. And, of course, there was plenty of help from Asian Council and its umbrella organizations, which include the Indian Students Association, the Asian American Leadership and Educational Conference, and the Vietnamese Student Association.

“I’m really happy about all the support from the multicultural Greek clubs, as well as Asian Council and the other Asian organizations,” said Chloe Chen, president of EASA.

Students could buy food and play games by purchasing punch cards from the EASA desk. However, the punch cards also doubled as raffle tickets, and EASA gave away prizes, including two iHomes and a mini HP laptop.

The main event of the night, though, was the return of Fear Factor. Just like in the famous TV show, volunteer participants had to face their fears and eat some of the most exotic foods found on the planet.

This year’s Fear Factor involved the participants eating pig ears and intestines as a starter, followed by the Durian, which is called the “King of Fruits” in some parts of Asia. Its smell alone has caused it to be banished from some countries.

As a finale, the final participants had to down a thousand year old egg, a delicacy in Asia when prepared correctly, and some chili pepper. The winner received an iPod shuffle and bragging rights for overcoming their fear.

The event drew more than 150 people, a major success in the eyes of the EASA executive officers. Months of planning and preparations have gone into Night Market and the officers were glad to see it all paying off.

“I am very thrilled,” said Mai Lyn Ngo, the social chair for EASA. “We’ve come a long way since planning. It is very rewarding to see it all come to fruition.”