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Growing up, I never really thought much of the Asian community of Milwaukee; though, I thought often about the experience of Asian-Americans in the U.S. as compared to other ethnic groups. I certainly believe it to be somewhat different than that of other groups in America.

But I can only claim to be half-Asian. My father is a Texan, born and raised. He too felt the urge to migrate to greener pastures. He left his home state and eventually settled in Wisconsin.

But it’s funny to imagine any immigrant in Asia picking, of all the places in the U.S., Milwaukee as their next home city. I recognize it isn’t always by choice – and I certainly don’t mean any offense to Milwaukee – but with an Asian population of only 4.4% as of the 2008 census, Wisconsin has never struck me as a hub for incoming Asian immigrants. And yet, waves of incoming Bangladeshi, Hmong, Laotian, Asian Indian, and Chinese immigrants continue to arrive and make the Brew City their home.

So I decided to check out Milwaukee’s Asian community this weekend. I went with my mother to the first annual "Asia Fest" this weekend. She immigrated from Singapore to America in 1978. She met my father, bore two slightly ugly and very neurotic kids, and eventually settled in Wisconsin. I figured that there was no better place to bond and chat about our Asian heritage than at a Milwaukee Asian cultural festival.

In the past, Asian Moon festival, which was annually held at the Henry Maier Festival Park, was Milwaukee’s de facto Asian festival. It was often held early in the summer and seemed to be plagued by miserable luck. Whether it was bad weather or low attendance, the festival never seemed to gain much traction with the general public.

This year’s festival was a new start for the Asian community of Milwaukee. It was held on a grassy area in Veteran’s park, next to the kite shop and in front of the lake. As I first walked in, I noticed that it seemed far-removed from the bustling festivals that usually distinguish street fests and summer fairs. A few large tents were centered in the green field and small stands and a handful of food trucks formed a ring around them.

Martial arts demonstrations filled the space between the two tents with Kung Fu and Falun Dafa, and in the center of the festival were a troupe of fire performers – "Brewcity Fire Brigade". We sat on the grass admiring both. Students from "Cho’s Kongfu Center" broke boards and cinderblocks with flashy spinning kicks, and across the way, women spun a variety of flaming batons and blazing juggling pins.

We popped in to one of the tents to catch the Hmong Fashions Show and the Lao Dance by "Nkauj Hmoob USA". The fashion show included winners and runners-up of various Hmong USA pageants. It was interesting to see the traditional dress of a staple group within the Asian community. But with colorful dresses and beautiful dance routine, the Lao Dance group was truly captivating. They danced with a fresh pink flower dangling from their fingers. It was well-synchronized and beautifully choreographed.

Afterwards, we watched "Anaguma Eisa" perform a traditional Okinawan-style Taiko drumming routine. Though they took a more modern approach with some of their songs like "Gangnam Style". It was fun to watch, though. The group hails from UW-Madison, and I was surprised to see a college group dedicated enough to prepare and perform during summer.

The last act we caught was the tail end of Bappi Lahari. We walked into the packed tent a little unsure of what we were seeing. Middle-aged Indian men were shouting with glee watching the performer. We had no idea that Babbi Lahari was the "Disco King" of Bollywood. A heavyset man, decked in gold and with a powerful set of pipes, it hit home what the festival means to the Asian community. For all these middle-aged men, this was the opportunity to reconnect with their homeland and the music they loved and missed. It struck me as a particularly meaningful performance for the many people who filled the tent, sitting in the center or crowding around at the edges.

Part of the experience of any festival is, of course, the food. With the exception of one hilariously placed "Wisconsin Cheese Truck" – naturally flanked on either side by Indian and Chinese food vendors – the only food stands that I saw were Asian.

Course 1: A batch of Goat Biryani from "Vanis Kitchen" that was slightly heavy on the biryani and light on the goat. It was followed by Mango and Pistachio Kulfi Ice Cream, imported from India, which was surprisingly delicious coming from an ice cream cart.

Course 2: A delicious Bahn Mi sandwich with grilled pork from "Pho King". Between the sour taste of the pickles, the savory taste of the creamy sauce atop the pork, and the fresh baguette, this was an impressive treat. It was accompanied by "CocoMoon" Boba tea and Vietnamese iced coffee.

It had been my intention to sample every variety of food available at the festival, but after two courses of delicious, heavy festival fair, I found I just couldn’t really stuff anymore down my gullet. Though the selection of food included Indian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese and of course cheese, I suspect this year was a little light on food vendors. With luck, as the festival grows over the coming years, more food vendors will make it a point to attend Asia Fest in the future.

Afterwards, we wandered around the festival grounds for a time. I decided that I would ask my mom about the nature of discrimination in Singapore. In Milwaukee, it in has always been of the "De Facto" variety – demographic segregation remains deeply embedded into the fabric of our city-- and I always believed it to have its roots the ethnic neighborhoods that naturally formed as waves of German, Polish, and Eastern European immigrants arrived to settle Milwaukee.

But I think that’s why it is interesting that Asian communities never founded a corner of Milwaukee to call its own; Milwaukee has no real Chinatown. And it also brings into question the nature of Asia Fest itself. There is a German Fest, Festa Italiana and Bastille Days; each one is an ethnic festival dedicated to a single European nation, but Asia Fest lumps together cultures from an entire continent. Without a centralized Asian community, does it make it hard to hold festivals? Could there be underlying tension between particular communities that isn’t easy to pick up on as an outsider?

On top of this, what is even meant by "Asian"? In this case, the word spans a combination of religions, languages, ethnic groups, customs and traditions, and it lumps all these under the umbrella of "Asian". It also brought me to the point, "Do these cultures even get along?" So I turned to my mom and asked her, "What does discrimination amongst Asians look like?" According to my mother, in Singapore it manifests itself much like any other city: property values.

Many Singaporeans are ethnically Chinese, and some of the most blatant cases of racism are when non-Chinese immigrants move into apartment complexes traditionally occupied by Chinese-descended Singaporeans. Sadly, this can drive down property values and generate animosity between groups. By comparison, when white "Ang Moh" (a Singaporean term for "Red-headed devil") immigrants – often expatriates from European nations and businesspersons – rent apartments, property values can rise. Though slightly depressing, it seems to suggest some interesting parallels about the roots of neighborhood segregation in Milwaukee.

That whole spiel was to say this: I love the fact that from the Middle East to Sri Lanka to Japan, Milwaukee’s Asian community came together to celebrate being Asian. What made Asia Fest fun, so eclectic and such a solid Milwaukee festival, is that it does manage to bring together all these different cultures and groups into one festival. Even without distinct Asian ethnic groups, even without a neighborhood to call their own, Asians came from all backgrounds to Veteran’s park and celebrated their shared identity with food, song, and dance. And hopefully, this marks the first of many Asia Fests celebrating the unity of Milwaukee’s Asian community.