A musical performance during Philippines night. Photo by Jennifer Friese/The Dakota Student.

The International Student Services hosted its third culture night this semester with the Philippines Night last Thursday night in the Loading Dock of the Memorial Union.

The culture night started the with the Filipino national anthem, featured a few songs and dances accompanied with facts and general knowledge about the country, followed by a free meal of Filipino cuisine.

The Philippines, with a population of more than 100 million people, is a group of 7,000 islands located in southeast Asia. Only 2,000 of these islands are inhabited and are divided into three major island groups –—  Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

The country’s capital, Manila, home to an urban population of more than 22 million is on the largest cities in the Philippines, located on the northernmost island of Luzon.

The language of the Philippines is dominated by eight different dialects, the most popular being Tagalog, spoken by over of the population, and the other being English.

Two of the most popular tourist destination spots in the Philippines are Palawan and Boracay.  Palawan is an island over 250 miles long located west of the the three major island groups and is home to more than 750,000 people. Popular attractions include Coron Reefs and the El Nido Marine Reserve Park Boracay, located on the island group of Visayas, 200 miles south of Manila, is widely known for its white sand beaches and many tourist activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, wind surfing and cliff diving.

The cuisine of the Philippines is a mix of Malay, Chinese, Spanish and American. This includes barbeque and marinating a variety of meats and seafood, from pork, beef and fresh fish caught on the island.

The culture night featured chicken adobo, a very popular marinated Filipino dish.  Adobo is Filipino for “marinade” and usually consists of chicken or pork marinated in garlic, vinegar, oil and soy sauce.

Pancit Bihon/Guisado was also featured along side the adobo, a popular dish from China served with rice and made with pork, chicken and a variety of vegetables.  This dish is always served during fiesta, birthday parties, and other special occasions.

The culture night was well received by everyone by over 150 attendants and was a colorful experience.

The next culture night will not be until April 9, with Germany being the focus, Thursday night at 6:30 p.m. at the Loading Dock.

Colin Johnson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. He can be reached at [email protected].