SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The New York State Fair is in full swing heading into its first weekend of 2025.
For Friday’s Faces of the Fair, Spectrum News 1 explored a place that serves up delicious food with a side of culture. Welcome to the State Fair’s Asian Village.
“Underneath my banner it says ‘Experience the Beauty and the Diversity of Asia,’” said Tai Shaw, New York’s Asian American Pacific Islander commissioner.
And that’s exactly what Shaw wanted people to do when he helped bring the village to life two years ago.
“You taste the food, right? You buy a merchandise and you meet the people. We all look so different, from 48 different countries. That’s what you come to Asian Village is about,” Shaw said.
Meet people like Vo Lee, who works with his mom, serving up coconuts at the Vietnamese Café.
“I’m so excited to be here,” he said.
Lee said most of his life has been spent in the U.S., and the Asian Village helps him to learn about his own identity.
“I’m still learning from our culture in Vietnam,” he said.
He hopes people visit the village and walk away with deeper understanding of Asian culture.
“All the people from, like, different national, so they can learn more about what Asian is,” he said.
Shaw said it’s not only important to give Asian people a seat at the table, but to sit at their table too.
“I tell them, you want to be at the table. I’ll bring out the menu. I want to sit at the table and eat. You want to eat with me? Come to my table. And the Asian Village is the table for our AAPI community,” Shaw said.
The Asian Village is one of four villages at the fair through Sept. 1.