Monday, August 8, 2011

heritage festival pics!

I ate my way through 20 countries at last weekend's Heritage Festival. That's some serious eating, even for me! My favourite discovery was the Persian ice cream at the Iranian pavilion - it was a creamy, saffron, pistachio and rosewater flavoured delight. Pure deliciousness! I raved about it to everyone and anyone that would listen to me. That's how dang good it was. Did you get the chance to try it? If not, don't fret - there's always next year.

Try to refrain from licking the computer screen while perusing these food pics. (;

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Persian ice cream! Yumminess in a cup.

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Wondering about the golf shirt and fancytastic nametag? I'm a proud Heritage Festival volunteer!
Here I have two Laotian dishes in my hands - kao sankaya and papaya salad.

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Kao sankaya from the Lao pavilion - sweet rice with coconut milk, topped with mango sauce.

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The Cuban pavilion made its return this year! Yay!
Loved their roasted chicken, rice congris and chicharitas de platano.
Might have had a pork sandwich or two, as well. :)

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I started each morning with, karjalan piiraaka, the perfect breakfast from the Scandinavian pavilion -
Finnish rice filled rye and flour pastry topped with egg butter.

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Classic Crêpes Suzette from France's pavilion.
The sauce was carmelized sugar, butter, orange juice and Grand Marnier liqueur. So so good!

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Have you ever eaten freshly made bannock? It's amazing!
My compliments to the cooks at the Aboriginial pavilion!
Right after this picture was taken, I slathered this bad boy in raspberry jam and butter. Mmmm...

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The Heritage Festival wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Dutch pavilion for some tasty poffertjes (small pancakes).
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People enjoying the sounds of a reggae band performing at the Caribbean pavilion at the north end of Hawrelak Park.

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The three tenors...Heritage Festival-style.

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A flurry of vibrant colours at the Aboriginal pavilion.

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Teepees at the Aboriginal pavilion were located in an ideal spot, near the Hawrelak Park pond.

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Dancer from the Aboriginal pavilion. Everyone wanted their picture taken with this pretty lady.

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Scott and our niece Raissa with our good friends from Lloydminster -
Jess & Matt, and their boys, Jakob and Benet. Seen here with a really tall dude.

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Sumptuous saris on two dancers from the Indian pavilion.

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All male dance group entertaining the crowds at the Indian pavilion.

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I love watching the elegant Thai dancers. I also love Thai-iced tea! It's a must try.

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Behind the scenes at the Guatemalan pavilion. Countless mangos need to be peeled to make Mango Loco
- mango on a stick rolled in lime juice and spices.

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Lucy and Scott came to visit me during the Festival.
Dogs aren't allowed on the grounds so I met them at one of the entrances.
Notice my trusty golf cart. This was my beloved chariot for the weekend. I LOVE driving it!

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Giant Taiwanese puppets.

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Croatian dancers beginning their performance.
The Croatian doughnut, known as lepinje, are a hugely popular menu item.
People will line up for a heck of a long time to bite into one of these doughy sensations.

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Chinese lions running loose around the park! ;)

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Next year I'm definitely trying the pelmeni.

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Red horse at Scandinavian pavilion. Random but fun.

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Who is that buxom lady at the Scandinavian pavilion? :)

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By day 3, the Borneo pavilion had run out of some of its more popular items. Luckily, I had tried their yummy banana fritter earlier in the weekend. I'm smart like that. :)

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Early morning tai chi at the Taiwanese pavilon. What a tranquil way to start the day!
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The south end of Hawrelak Park. There's ample space for everyone to find a place to take it all in.

It was a gorgeous weekend filled with sunshine, culture, food & community building (6000+ volunteers)! Mother Nature gave Edmontonians a much deserved reprieve from the rain, the mosquitoes were nary to be seen, and everyone was able to experience multiculturalism at its best. Have I mentioned how proud I am to be a part of this world class event?!

Next year's Festival takes place August 4 to 6. Save the date, friends!

Dajana :)

p.s. Got a couple more minutes? Read Paula Simons' blog post, Why we live here – a Heritage Festival epiphany. It's a real good'er.

8 comments:

  1. Oh my. This looks like the most fantastic event!! All that food - I think I'm gaining weight just thinking about all the fantastic options. Yum!

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  2. Wow, my mouth is watering! It all looks delicious. What a fun weekend!

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  3. droooool. Dajana!! Everything looks SO GOOD. Seriously everything. I might have to get you to take me home a doggie bag next year!

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  4. Great Pictures! From one foodie to another...thanks for sharing.

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  5. It was a sensory overloaded festive weekend and you captured it fabulously. I love these photos! Thanks for posting them!

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  6. This makes me home sick for E-Town! I love Heritage days in Edmonton. The food is always so amazing! Looks like you had a great time.

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  7. Fabulous photos Dajana. The food looks to die for ;) Yum. Love how all of these cultures come together to express themselves!

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  8. That is a real collection of pictures.
    All the cultures possible.

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