Third-year political science student Ashley Kim picks spicy kimchi from a silver pot and sets it on a Styrofoam plate with rice, dumplings and bulgogi beef.
It’s lunchtime and a group of 20 students gather around the Bruin Bear, each doling out $7 to buy a meal.
The first 50 students earlier in the day got japchae, a Korean noodle dish, for free. They went “in a blink of an eye,” said third-year linguistics student Lisa Kim.
The two Kims joined other members of Hanoolim, a Korean culture awareness group, Tuesday, to sell the donated Korean food.
Members of Hanoolim set up their tables at 10 a.m. and pledged to stay until they sold out.
They said their goal is to sell 1,000 plates of Korean food. Proceeds will fund Korean Culture Night in April, which is a musical about a brother and sister on a life-changing quest in a mythical land.
“People like Korean food,” Ashley Kim said, explaining the strategy behind selling Korean barbecue.
Third-year international development studies student Daniel Werner said he recognized the international cuisine from his days in Northern California.
“I ate with my family in San Francisco all sorts of ethnic foods,” Werner said. “I like Korean barbecue.”
The fact that he only had 11 weekly meal swipes also contributed to his decision to buy the Korean food, he added.
Declining to state the exact costs of the culture night, they said the fundraiser will continue Wednesday and will pay for sets and costumes and renting Royce Hall.
The production, titled “Beloved Upon a Time,” will feature Korean traditional folklore, Korean proverbs and original music, an advertisement said.
Fifth-year psychology student Samuel Yeu said he will a play a villager in the musical.
“It’s confidential,” he said, on what specific character he was going to play.