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My Favorite Cheat Meals
Written by Will Chen With Thanksgiving around the corner, all I can think about is the incredible food I’ll get to enjoy. As a young adult, I try to maintain a healthy diet most of the time, but I give myself one cheat meal each week. I usually save these for after finishing a tough project or exam, since treating myself to food I love helps ease stress and reset mentally. Here are some of the cheat meals I look forward to most. AYCE Sushi Sushi is one of my all-time favorite foods, and there’s no better place to enjoy it than Sakura, an all-you-can-eat restaurant a few miles from…
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Comfort on a Plate: My Top Comfort Meals
Written by: Angelina Ng There are plenty of days when the weather is gloomy and I am feeling down. With midterms season creeping around the corner, academic stress can surely affect the way I feel. When there are times that feel difficult to get through, a main solution for me is food. I make or pick up these delicious meals to munch on during the gloomy days. It gives me an extra push or motivation, or can ease my stress. Here are my favorite mood-boosting foods that you should try! 1. Beef Pho For colder or rainy weather, nothing tastes better than warm broth and noodles. The steaming broth infused…
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Breaking Cultural Stigmas Surrounding Mental Health
Written by Ruthie Suarez Growing up in a Filipino household, mental health wasn’t something we really talked about. When I felt anxious or overwhelmed, I was told to pray, distract myself, or just push through it. My family cared about me deeply, but mental health was seen as something you handled privately, not something you openly discussed. Because of that, I learned to hide what I was feeling. When I started noticing how easily I got distracted, how hard it was to focus, and how often I felt tense or on edge, I started wondering if something deeper was going on. I finally decided to bring up the idea of…
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A Guide to APIDA Orgs on Campus
Submitted by Hannah Sazon Joining the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community here on campus has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college years. As an out-of-state student who only knew one person from high school, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make friends on campus. However, joining one club quickly led to another, and before I knew it, I had found a home and a group of people I could truly call family. Below, I’ve put together a brief guide to the APIDA clubs at UD to help you get to know them and find your own place in this welcoming community! Asian…
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How Cultural Identity Shapes the College Experience
Submitted by Zoe Pecson There is something very special that we all as humans inherently feel and share: a desire for community. We all strive to find and connect with people who experience and enjoy life in ways that resonate with us. Many communities we find ourselves in can be built upon shared hobbies and passions, family ties, academic or professional endeavors, or past experiences; however, we are often most deeply connected through culture. Entering college often intensifies our craving for community. Faced with a new and unfamiliar world and life experience, we seek out others to share it with, people to witness our lives. Campuses offer many ways to…
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The Hidden Language of Red Envelopes
Submitted by Jodie Li Red envelopes (hóngbāo in Mandarin, lai see in Cantonese) are a symbol of Chinese culture and tradition. These vibrant envelopes are usually associated with Lunar New Year, weddings, and other grand celebrations. But these pockets hold deeper meanings beyond their monetary gifts—they carry wishes of luck, protection, and connection across generations. Origins in Legend The tradition of red envelopes traces back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD). The tale goes that villagers would place coins in red paper under children’s pillows to ward off a demon named Sui. The color red symbolizes fire and vitality, which is why it was believed to repel evil spirits. By…
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The Bizarre Journey of Boba
Submitted by Will Chen Boba has turned into a worldwide phenomenon over the last decade. It has grown to be the perfect drink to grab on the go and is beloved by the younger generation. Here at the University of Delaware, we have a handful of boba shops such as Comma Cafe, Kung Fu Tea, TBaar, and Tiger Sugar. With such a large popularity, let’s take a dive into the origin of boba. Where did it all start? The origin of boba is often debated. However, it is widely believed that in the early 1980s, the owner of a tea store in Taiwan wanted to experiment with serving cold…
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The Symbolism of My Chinese Zodiac Sign
Submitted by Angelina Ng The Chinese zodiac sign is similar to a horoscope: your sign is determined by the animal that is associated with the year in which you are born. The twelve zodiac signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. With the twelve animal signs, it is believed that each has unique personality traits and characteristics associated with it. This was assigned by the ancient Chinese. They believed that these traits would be embodied in people, according to their zodiac sign. Born in 2004, my Chinese zodiac sign is a monkey (猴). Overall, a monkey’s personality traits are described as…
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Love Perspectives: How Different Asian Countries Celebrate Love and Relationship
Submitted by Jodie Li Ah, it’s February again—the month of love, affection, and heartfelt connections! Whether you’re celebrating romance, friendship, or family bonds, this is the perfect time to cherish the relationships that matter most. From bromances and Galentine’s gatherings to parent-child bonds and, of course, couples in love, everyone has their own way of expressing and celebrating these emotions. And just as individuals have their unique traditions, so do cultures around the world. Across Asia, countries like China, Japan, India, South Korea, and the Philippines each have their own beautiful and distinct ways of honoring love and connection. So, no matter how you celebrate, let this month let you…
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Places to See Christmas Lights/Decorations
Submitted by Ruthie Suarez “Glowing Parols and Holiday Joy: My Magical Christmas Break in the Philippines” The Philippines is known for its vibrant and festive Christmas celebrations, and one of the most prominent aspects is a dazzling display of lights everywhere, especially the iconic parols. A parol is a traditional Filipino Christmas lantern, typically star-shaped, symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem. They are made of bamboo and colorful paper and come in various sizes, from small and simple to big and intricate designs. When I visited the Philippines over the winter break to celebrate Christmas and New Year with my family, the sight of parols glowing brightly along the streets, homes,…
