Fun Foodie Fests

Summer , especially th emonth of August is a time of ethnic festivals throughout the country. There;'s always one group who celebrates their heritage with a lot of eating singing and dancing. These are fun escapes , made more enthralling by the fact that they serve good food. Nothing beats an evening of homecooked favorites followed by mouth watering desserts.

Foodfests are a great way of connecting with your heritage or discovering a new culture. I love going to the German fest s in my area, one in particular in Clark, NJ The Dame Verein there is full of Swabians and Bavarians, the first is what I partially am. I love heading to the festival for fresh made bowls of spaetzles loaded with goulash gravy along with hocks, which are pork shoulders. Afterwards I sample the delicious cakes, such as the traditional Black Forest, plum and bee sting (a cream and almond slivers topped butter cake) ones, This isfollowed by just out of the oven buttery pretzels and of course apple schnappes. I love the food, the people and the music. It's a great way for me to connect with my own and have a foodie fest too.

It;'s also fun to see other cultures. Most big cities such as New York, Boston and Chicago have different fairs that specialize solely in certain groups. You can not only eat delicacies such as wontons or fresh made hummus but also buy some of the ingredients to make your own version. There's usually just a small entrance and parking fee but that's it. They're open to the public so anyone can join in and enjoy.

There are food and ethnic fests throughout the country right now. Check your local newspapers for them and then go. You'll have the best time a foodie can at a festival.