APIASF Dinner Fundraiser

Its that time of the year where the capital of not-for-profits hold their annual gala fundraisers. Last week it was the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. My guest, William, who is Filipino born in Hawaii, appeared to enjoy himself. Among some of the surprises we found were Sanyaja Whats-his-name who could not be booted off of American Idol soon enough, an auction that included the Coca Cola Polar Bear and a guitar signed by Miley Cyrus and signed headshots by the man who could really use some basic hair products.



The reception was the auction along with delicious appetizers (tandoori chicken, mini quiches, and salmon and capers on melba toast, among others). There were two fully stocked open bars and a marine band played music. People were dressed in all sorts of ethnic clothings... Indian, Chinese, Thai etc. It was colorful and beautiful to look at.

The event was fun, the table beautifully laid out and the food excellent and very ethnic. The only drawback was the music, especially the two songs by Sanjaya, were off key and elicited a lukewarm applause. (I could have used a Bayer or two after his rendition of "keep your eyes open" or something to that effect. The woman who sang the National Anthem switched keys midway through the song. On a more ironic level, two ladies sitting at our table were from the same region that William's family is from in the Philippines.


Also on our table were three ladies and a gentleman that were part of the Asian advertising agency responsible for the bulletin published for the event. The highlight of the evening was when William asked and everyone (except me--the non-Asian) agreed how is it that an Asian event serves all this food without rice or noodles... go figure!

It was fun and the goody bag even more so! The next event will be the Emery Awards at Cipriani's with Chayenne Jackson performing, Mary Louise Parker receiving the honoree award and Tim Gunn hosting. We should look forward to a posting here or at William Adriance's blog about that one--stay tuned!