The free-for-all event was to be held outdoors in the Sector 36 campus lawns of the international organisation promoting French language and francophone culture, but because of the continuing inclement weather it was moved indoors as a precautionary measure. And, this was the reason for the chaos. The not so large hall was never going to take in the hundreds of food enthusiasts who thronged the place, and soon it turned a madhouse.
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Photos By : Life In Chandigarh
Nevertheless, the crowd was decent and there was no pushing and jostling. The wait was worth it. There wouldn’t be many who did not get a good taste of the wide variety of lip-smacking snacks, desserts and drinks (all but one vegetarian due to navratras) from Mauritius, Lebanon, Tahiti, Tunisia, France and Canada. The stall from Burundi, for some reason, remained unpopulated.
The sweet cinnamon roll at the Canadian stall was heavenly. If it was not so filling, and considering that there were other delicacies also to be tried out, one wouldn’t have minded having another one for sure. The Nanaimo Bar (barfi), a well known dessert from Canada named after the city of Nanaimo in British Columbia, also looked tempting, but had to be resisted.
Visitors were spoilt for choice at the Labanese stall, where the charming Hala Khneifes, residing in the city with her fauji husband, dished out a tempting fare of traditional Lebanese Hummus (made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, lemon juice and garlic garnished with olive oil, paprika and parsley), Batenjen Moutabbal (made of roasted and spiced eggplant, tahini, olive, salt and lemon juice) and Batata Harra (a potato dish).
Mana-ish Za’atar and Nammoura completed the menu of dishes. The Lebanese lemonade had a differently tasty tinge to it.
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At the Mauritius stall, Vidola Deerpaul, also residing in the city with her family, gave the visitors a taste of soft and sumptuous wrap called Dhol Puri (a salted wheat flour and chana dal roti stuffed with a variety of cooked vegetables), Coconut Cake (barfi) and a fabulous fresh mixed fruit punch. The stall was artistically decorated in typical Mauritius marine style with three bottles of Spiced Rums, a major attraction, standing out in the middle.
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The Tahitian stall served the visitors Tahitian Salad and another salad called Po’E made from coconut milk and bananas. Salads also dominated at the Tunisian stall. Besides other things, it served Couscous and Tunisian salad.
Smoked cheese, cheese of the valley of mashobra and cream cheese bread were among the attractions at the French stall.
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