Get fired up for the Year of the Dragon
With Lunar New Year approaching on Feb. 10, there are plenty of events happening both on and off campus. The 15 days following the new moon will be filled with delicious food, intricate lion dances, firework shows and gift-giving in auspicious red envelopes. Get ready to welcome the Year of the Dragon in style.
CSA x VSA Lunar New Year
Rice’s Chinese Student Association and Vietnamese Student Association are hosting a joint showcase in the Rice Memorial Center’s Grand Hall Feb. 3 starting at 5 p.m. The $15 ticket price for Rice students and staff covers a bento box and boba, and the event includes dance, music, fashion and art from both Chinese and Vietnamese cultures.
College committee events
Check your college’s calendar for information about what’s in store. For example, Duncan College’s Cultural and Inclusion Committee is planning a get-together for Duncaroos and their friends to celebrate. The event includes dumpling making and a performance from Rice Lions, the official lion dance performance team.
Caffeinate to celebrate at Coffeehouse
Starting Jan. 28, you can enjoy Vietnamese iced coffee at Chaus while supplies last. They also have sesame balls and egg tarts for sale until Feb. 9.
Try a new treat
Located inside the Galleria, luxury chocolatier Cacao & Cardamom has Lunar New Year themed chocolates with flavors ranging from matcha and black sesame to ginger and citrus almond. Sample one of their boxes with some friends.
Pop up at a pop-up
POST Houston is holding a free event in collaboration with Jack Daniel’s whiskey Feb. 4. From noon to 9 p.m., the venue will host an Asian pop-up market with diverse foods, activity booths and two Lion Dance performances. Despite the collaboration, the event is open to all ages.
Hike to Hermann Park
Vietnamese-American owned cafe Sunday Press overlooks the lake and serves delicious breakfast, lunch and snacks to visitors of Hermann Park. Join them Feb. 10 for their annual Lion Dance celebration and try some of their uniquely flavored croissant swirls — the Fruity Pebble one is a must.
Support Houston businesses
When ordering in after a long evening at Fondy, consider a local Chinese or Vietnamese restaurant. Some amazing picks include FuFu’s Cafe, Hu’s Cooking, Kau Ba and Roostar. Make sure to get the “whole shebang” on your banh mi.
More from The Rice Thresher
Take a break with some dead days deeds
With finals soon approaching, study sessions take up most of our day. Need a break from staring at a screen? Need to stand up and stretch before you fall asleep? Find some ways to spend the hours you simply can’t look at your notes anymore.
Buzzwords & belonging: DFs discuss O-Week
Diversity, equity and inclusion are buzzwords that often get thrown around, but at Rice, students and administration work to bring them to life. It shows: Rice was recently rated fifteenth for most diverse colleges in America by Niche.
Environmental student organizations talk politics, sustainability
Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Sunrise Rice co-founder Dyllan Lozano-Lomeli said she worries even more about the future of the Earth’s climate. Originally from Brownsville, Texas, Lozano-Lomeli said her passion for the environment was sparked in 2021 when she saw how the ‘Texas Freeze’ disproportionately impacted poor neighborhoods in her hometown. Now, living in Houston, she said she feels empowered to make a difference, both local and national.
Please note All comments are eligible for publication by The Rice Thresher.