Ethnic Engorgement Festival

It'd been a couple years (maybe more, it might have been pre-divorce) since we hit the Ethnic Enrichment Festival.





It's fun, but I'm not sure 'enrichment' is the term. Basically 90% of what there is to do aside from watching assorted traditional dances on the stage, is buy food and eat it.







Most of the food is inexpensive sample-serving fare, which is perfect for someone like me. I had Inarizushi from Japan, a Dolmate from Greece, fried plantains and Arepa Con Queso from Colombia, Empanadas del Pollo from Ecuador, Crab Rangoon from Taiwan, a spicy Thai sausage I can't remember the name of, and an iced coconut (also from Thailand). The last thing was literally just an iced down coconut with the husk removed, hacked open so a straw and spoon could be inserted.







The girls did not sample quite so broadly. I tried to get them to partake of everything I bought, but they were pretty sure I had brought them out to Swope Park to murder them with Weird Food Poisoning. Even when I told Mo the fried plantain tasted basically like a French Fry and pushed it between her lips.







Mo did ask several times for ice cream, and I got her a Baclava Sundae from Greece. She ate the ice cream, leaving every bit of the Baclava for me.









It didn't seem hot when we got there, but the lack of a breeze and the unfettered sun really did cook us pretty thoroughly.





And we ran into some friends there. When I say 'ran into,' I mean on purpose; we'd discussed hooking up there in advance. And by 'friends,' I mean that new kind. Being an old fart who can remember when there was no such thing as email, it seems odd I could have friends I've known for a couple of years and never met in person.







Yip, another blogger and her family. I tried to get a shot of the three of them but when she was facing the camera, he was trying to finish a bite of food, and when they both got together for it, their son decided to look away. Ah well.



Names have been withheld to protect...well I don't know what the hell I'd be protecting. I knew their full names from around the time of what was probably a random add on myspace. So here's Autumn, Ted with their son Presley.