Festival of Nations... Please give ideas. What countries and food?

[Kaoru]

Hi Minna-san,

This Saturday, I am going to a festival in the Twin Cities(Minneapolis/St, Paul) called the Festival of Nations with my town's Spanish club.(We have a small group of native speakers plus some beginners) And, I have never gone before. There will be many nations represented and there will be demonstrations and music, and food of course. I am familiar with some foreign foods, but not a lot.

I want to try foods I haven't tried before. I want to know what food(And music, dance, art, etc.) from other countries is like. Also, I hope to visit lots of country booths to see what other countries are like and learn something. Well, sort of like, anyway since this is just a festival. :)

What should I try(If available) and what countries to visit? I hope to see lots of things and learn a lot! Thank you minna-san!

Oh, we get passports too from what I got told, and each country booth stamps the passport. This will be so fun! :)

The biggest bummer... My Mom can't go since she's out of town. She's in the club too, and she is just learning Spanish. :( Gonna have to bring her a present.

Kaoru

[Paikea]

Hi Minna-san,

This Saturday, I am going to a festival in the Twin Cities(Minneapolis/St, Paul) called the Festival of Nations with my town's Spanish club.(We have a small group of native speakers plus some beginners) And, I have never gone before. There will be many nations represented and there will be demonstrations and music, and food of course. I am familiar with some foreign foods, but not a lot.

I want to try foods I haven't tried before. I want to know what food(And music, dance, art, etc.) from other countries is like. Also, I hope to visit lots of country booths to see what other countries are like and learn something. Well, sort of like, anyway since this is just a festival. :)

What should I try(If available) and what countries to visit? I hope to see lots of things and learn a lot! Thank you minna-san!

Oh, we get passports too from what I got told, and each country booth stamps the passport. This will be so fun! :)

The biggest bummer... My Mom can't go since she's out of town. She's in the club too, and she is just learning Spanish. :( Gonna have to bring her a present.

Kaoru
Try everything...it's not going to kill you (probably, unless you're allergic - ask first).

[Lloromannic]

I suggest you eat.......RABBIT!!:D

Seriously now; I don't know if you have tried it but Indian Cuisine is very nice. I especially like Punjab. Vindaloo is also extremely delicious although it is actually British so you may not find it in Indian Food.

[ChaShu]

Try the Spanish food there. You'll find a marked difference from Latin American food, which is widely the type of "Spanish" food we are marketed in North America. Filipino food is always good. Indian, Ukranian, Malasian and Thai, Hakka, Taiwanese, Salvadorian, Cuban... Oh heck! Try them all! :D

[bluhawq]

well...I dunno whether there's any Malaysian food there but if there is..try out their satay...NYUM!!!!basically everything there xcept maybe belacan which would be too hot for you...owh yeah..and for Indian..try out Briyani...thats my fav...lovely briyani~~(its rice with chicken/beef..may be a bit spicy for u though)

[binni]

If there's Korean food, try the kim-bap. :grin:

[irakasle]

I'd recommend you to try basque food (perhaps included into spanish or french there).

[DanDan]

try....bulgogi or galbi :-D

[Light Samurai]

well...I dunno whether there's any Malaysian food there but if there is..try out their satay...NYUM!!!!basically everything there xcept maybe belacan which would be too hot for you...owh yeah..and for Indian..try out Briyani...thats my fav...lovely briyani~~(its rice with chicken/beef..may be a bit spicy for u though)
That sounds really good.

Hey, kaoru, can I hide in your uggage? Or something. I'm pretty sure I can fit almost anywhere :) (Just a joke :D )
Peace and Love.

[mark]

I agree that you should try everything!!!!!

"You will need a strategy" (quote from Will and Grace regarding salad bars).

1) Team up with a friend or two and share your plates. That way you can try more variety and can easily "eat through" the food you might not like as much :eek: .

2) If you have the choice between a food that is serve in large portions or another that is small pick the smaller size. You will be able to try more things before you are full. (unless you are trully a buffet officianado and have mastered the Roman eat and puke technique :D

3) Start with the food that seems most familiar and end with the most exotic.

4) Start with the least spicy and end with the most spicy: Indian, cajun, mexican, Thai and Jamaican food should be towards the end of your trip.

5) It could be fun to try to create a full meal - visit a few countries for the appetisers, then a few more for soups and beverages, then others for salads and main courses, and lastly run wild for d*****.

6) Countries that are contiguous (near each other) tend to have similar foods. It could be fun to eat through continents and see how foods change as you change geography, and climate (hot to cold) (sea to inland) (deserts to jungles).

I am getting hungry, I still have not had lunch ... leftovers... lets see... couscous,.... with a little salsa...and chicken cacciatore.

Have fun
Mark

[Light Samurai]

After Mark's post, I really wanna go :(

[Kaoru]

Hi minna-san!

I just got back from the Festival. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance this morning to thank you all for the wonderful suggestions, and that and had been my intent, but I ran out of time. Grrr!! I did get a chance to see the replies. I did as suggested and tried a bunch of countries. I went with a small group when we all spit up, and we did share with each other. Good idea too!

We got programs so I was able to circle the foods I had.

I had:

Egypt: Hummus

That was sweet and sour at the same time. Served on pita bread, it's yummy, but alone, I didn't like it so much.

Philippines: Pancit

YUM!! That was SO good! I wish I knew how to make that. I have never had any Filipino food before, and it sure was good! It was a clear sort of thin noodle that I've neer seen before, and it had chicken and veggies in it and I would like more. I wanted to try the other things, like Chicken Adobo and Carioca but decided to get stuff from other places to get a variety.

Indian: Samosa

That was interesting. I don't know if I like it or not. It was a green sort of vegetable or something inside mixed with some spice or somthing, not sure what, and stuff inside a thin pastry like bread, I think. I think if I ate more, I might get used to it, but it wasn't my favorite. This item was bought by one of the group and she shared. It was sort of sour tasting to me, I guess you could say.

They had Briyani, but I didn't try it. I don't do well with very spicy food, so you were right, when telling me that it would likely be too hot for me, bluhawq-san.

Lloromannic-san, they didn't have Punjab. Oh well. Next time! :)

American Indian: Fry Bread

This was VERY good. This was gotten by another person. It had cinnamon on it as well. Very tasty!

Japanese: Gyoza and sticky rice

I love Japanse food, so of couse I got something I never had before: Gyoza. Oh my, those are sure good! They were steamed dumplings(pot stickers?) filled with chicken and vegetables. I love them!

The sticky rice I love. I can't live without sticky rice. :D So naturally, I got some!

They even had hashi(chop sticks) to eat with. Japanese food tastes better when eaten with them, hehehe!

Turkey: Borek with Spinach filling.

Oh YUMMY!! I loved this too. I like the Greek version of this called Spanekopita, so I decided to see if this was good. Oh, it was! I got this myself.

Thai: Honey Pastry

Someone else got this. It was ok, but I don't really like honey. I didn't finish it because of that. Way too sweet for me.
I tried it anyway, because this is supposed to be learning about different foods from all over. Now I can say I had it. :)

For dessert I was only able to get two things. :( One to eat and one to take home since we were running short on time after shopping, which we did after eating lunch.

Germany: Apple Strudel

I always wanted to try that. So, I did. WOW it was REALLY good too! I love apple turnovers, so I thought trying this would be cool.

The one I brought home:

Switzerland: Apple Fritters

I haven't had it yet. It's going to be my breakfast in the morning. I bought one for me, and one for my Mom.

So, those are the foods I ate. I wish I could have tried more!

I didn't get to try Kimbap. I wanted to get Korean food but never got to. It's good! Had it before. But, I don't remember getting Kimbap.

And, I was amazed to find they didn't have a Malasyian food booth. I wanted to to know what it was like. Oh well. Next year maybe they'll have it.

Oh yeah, I forgot... There wasn't any Spanish food, which was a REAL bummer!
I had planned on trying some. They did have a Mexican food booth but it was awful! I don't know what the deal was, but it looked like Taco Bell. And, they had American non-Spanish(Also didn't even speak Spanish.) people running it, which was odd. That was the only booth that was very disappointing. I was hoping for some good Mexican food like from home in Califonia. :-( So, I didn't get any of that. Well, at least the rest of the food was excellent. :)

Oh, and at the food booths, each had on their native costume, which was cool!

It really was fun to try all the foods! My favorites where the Japanese, Filipino, Geman and Turkish foods.

In between all that good food, we got to see some dances from other countries.
We saw dances from Ireland-step dancing which was so neat! I wanna learn it. Serbia, what pretty costumes and it was neat to see the dance. India: I really enjoyed this! It was really pretty and graceful. Awesome costumes too. Norway: Pretty costumes and it looked like fun. Mexico: Very lovely. I remember learning some of this type of dance when I was little. I'm not Mexican, but living in S. california, it becomes part of your culture if you live there long enough, hehehe! Spain: Flamenco dancing. Totally AWESOME!! I love that! The lady dancing put us percussionists to shame, she was so good at playing castanets! And, she did a pretty fan dance, and another dance with nothing but hands. I really enjoyed watching this! Her dancing was pretty to watch, and she was very good!

I missed the Japanese and Filipino dancers to my dismay. :(

All wore their native dress, which was fun to see. So many colors!

Oh, when walking around, I saw that some people came to this Festival dressed in their native costume. That was cool!

Then, we also went shopping to the various country booths and the venders wore their native costumes which was neat. I bought several things for myself and some things for my Mom. I got her a handpainted Ukrainian Egg that a lady had painted earlier and I got here a really cool Egyptian ankle that has small coins attached and has beads. She likes ankle things, so it's perfect! I got one too, but hers is really pretty.

The, I went to a booth where this nice Japanese lady was making origami things, and I got to talking to her, and I found out she's a Kendoka! She is shodan, but said she hasn't done Kendo since she left Japan because she didn't know a dojo existed so I told her where mine was, and invited her. It would be neat if she came!
And, I was able to talk to her in Japanese and actually managed an entire conversation at one point when I got up the nerve to speak it. She made pretty things and I bought a long rod that held four cranes from a string each seperated by a bead, and then a pretty magnet that had a cut out picture of two ladies in kimono on it.

I then went over to the Japanese booth and bought two things there... A pink parasol with flowers and more hashi for my collection.

Then, at the Mexican booth, I got a corn husk doll and a small handpainted picture that is very colorful.

The nicest thing I bought was a hanging for my breakfast nook. I got it in the Indian booth. It was sparkly and so pretty and has such pretty colors! So, I had to have it. It's not a tapesry or something really expensive, but it is pretty.

So, I had a good time. Sure wish my Mom could have come with me though. I can't wait 'til next year!

Oh, and Light-san, I could try to fit you in next year, hehehe! I tried to fit you in this time but you didn't fit. Sorry about that! :D I think you would have enjoyed this, Maybe there is something similar in your state in the capital city? That's where this was... Our state capital.

And, Lloromannic-san, there wasn't any rabbit to eat. Too bad! :D Wouldn't have eaten it anyway, probably, hehehe! That "savetoby" site ruined that for me at the moment. :D

Mark-san, your post was excellent. I'm saving it for use at next year's Festival of Nations. Thanks for the great ideas!

Anyway, thank you everyone for all the great ideas and suggestions. They really helped! I had a great time. Thank you all again very much! *rei*

Kaoru

P.S. Now I am REALLY really tired!! I will sleep like a log!! hahaha!

[Light Samurai]

Oh, and Light-san, I could try to fit you in next year, hehehe! I tried to fit you in this time but you didn't fit. Sorry about that! :D I think you would have enjoyed this, Maybe there is something similar in your state in the capital city? That's where this was... Our state capital.
Kaoru

P.S. Now I am REALLY really tired!! I will sleep like a log!! hahaha!

I might. I'll take a look. Harrisburg is only a hour awya from wher ei live :) Thanks Kaoru ^^

[mark]

[QUOTE=Kaoru]Hi minna-san!
I went with a small group when we all spit up, and we did share with each other. Good idea too! "

I see grasshopper that you are an expert buffet person with mastery of the Roman "eat and spit up" technique :)

Sorry, I could not resist :)
I am glad you had fun,
Take care,
mark

[Kaoru]

I might. I'll take a look. Harrisburg is only a hour awya from wher ei live :) Thanks Kaoru ^^

You're welcome! :) Hope there's one like it there! :)

Kaoru *tired*

[Light Samurai]

You're welcome! :) Hope there's one like it there! :)

Kaoru *tired*
I wonder what squirrel tastes like... :)
Peace and Love.

[Lloromannic]

Lloromannic, they didn't have Punjab. Oh well. Next time! :)

Punjab is not an Indian Dish but a type of Indian Food. They are (as far as I can remember: Gujarat, Punjab (my favourite), Benaras, Kashmir, durbar, Bengali, Tamil, Maharashtrian (the one with my favourite name) and Andhra plus some other I am sure I forgot.
Oh, From the times I've been in California I can tell you that although not bad it is not quite the real thing. You'd had to come over here to find out how it really is.

[Togashi Yokuni]

Hey there Kaoru! Nice to hear that you tried one our more popular dishes. :wink:



Philippines: Pancit

YUM!! That was SO good! I wish I knew how to make that. I have never had any Filipino food before, and it sure was good! It was a clear sort of thin noodle that I've neer seen before, and it had chicken and veggies in it and I would like more. I wanted to try the other things, like Chicken Adobo and Carioca but decided to get stuff from other places to get a variety.


The pancit was probably pancit bihon (though if the noodles were like vermicelli, then it was more likely pancit sotanghon). In any case, if you'd like I can send you my grandmother's recipe for it. I can also send you a recipe for Chicken Adobo, so that you don't have to feel too bad about missing out on it...assuming you feel up to cooking. :wink: Can't help you with the Carioca though...not in my repertoire. :p

Cheers!

Togashi

[mark]

Hey there Kaoru! Nice to hear that you tried one our more popular dishes. :wink:



The pancit was probably pancit bihon (though if the noodles were like vermicelli, then it was more likely pancit sotanghon). In any case, if you'd like I can send you my grandmother's recipe for it. I can also send you a recipe for Chicken Adobo, so that you don't have to feel too bad about missing out on it...assuming you feel up to cooking. :wink: Can't help you with the Carioca though...not in my repertoire. :p

Cheers!

Togashi

Togashi, if you don't mind sharing I would love to receive your pancit and adobo recipes.
Take care,
Mark