AAST250: Asian American Foodways Featured in the Diamondback

On May 1, 2026, the Diamondback published an article, “UMD Asian American food course explores history, culture at sago drink event” highlighting the collaboration between AAST250: Asian American Foodways and the UMD Campus Pantry.

About 30 students gathered around the University of Maryland Campus Pantry’s teaching kitchen Tuesday to “remix” a traditional ingredient with the aim to learn about the Asian American experience and build community.

Students in this university’s Asian American foodways course showed attendees how to prepare strawberry and mango sago drinks and then let them try the sweet treat. The event, “Sago: An Asian American Remix,” served as the final project for the course, according to professor Jennifer Cho. 

Sago is a type of starch extracted from tropical palm stems that can be cooked to form small, translucent and chewy pearls. These pearls are typically incorporated into drinks made of sweetened condensed milk, coconut milk, ice and fruits of choice.

Cho explained the event allows students to connect through food. She said she always likes to end the class with a community-oriented event that allows students to demonstrate what they learned about Asian American food and history throughout the semester.

Read UMD Asian American food course explores history, culture at sago drink event in full!