If you find yourself with a few hours of free time this Sunday, in the brief lull between May Day festivities and Cinco de Mayo, you might head over to UCLA for Asia in LA 2010, a day of roundtable discussions, talks, exhibits and, yes, food. The day-long event, subtitled “Creating and Consuming Asian Cuisines,” features UCLA graduate students and faculty members, as well as a few non-academic experts, like Jet Tila (executive chef at Wazuzu Restaurant in Las Vegas) and Carl Chu (author of Chinese Food Finder: A Guide to Chinese Regional Cuisines and Search for Sushi: A Gastronomic Guide). As for the food, because this sort of thing does makes you hungry, the event will conclude with a reception catered by Banchan à la Carte, Bombay Café, the Clay Pit, Hop Woo BBQ Seafood, Saffron Spot, Simpang Asia, and Tiger Sushi. And if you're still hungry afterwards, there is much of Los Angeles to the east, where the restaurants will mostly all be open. Thai Town, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, and the entire San Gabriel Valley await you. So take notes.

Asia in LA 2010: Sunday, May 2nd, 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., at the UCLA James West Alumni Center. The event is free, but an online RSVP is required for each person attending.

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