The Great Muslim Food Festival

What do you suppose this guy does with his rice bowl in between festivals? Hmm. . . maybe an backyard bird bath. 😉

East Meets West

I’ve had the Great Muslim Food Festival on my calendar for sometime. I enjoy Middle Eastern foods and this event at the World’s Fair Pavilion in Forest Park on Sunday was sure to bring out the best cuisine from local chefs and home cooks. And since JC, my son-in-law, offered to take me, I jumped on board.

Ancient Foods; New Setting

Let me tell you, there are some serious foodies in our Muslim community! The bazaar-like setting offered everything from shawarma to samosas, gyros to grape leaves, and baklava to biryani. Falafel, kebabs, pakoras, hummus, pita and naan. Ah. . . be still my drooling taste buds!

First, I photographed and visited. Then I ate.

More colorful, fragrant rice dishes

Now, that’s a lot of baklava!

The pink drink is Rooh Afza made from a concentrate, that includes herbs, fruits, veggies, flowers and roots. The mixture is added to water, milk, desserts, or ice cream for a healthy, energy boost during the hot summers in Middle Eastern countries.

I settled on the the vendor, who offered a “Blue Plate Special” of various foods and took time to explain them to me.

My plate of stuffed grape leaves, kibbeh, pita, tabbouleh, rice, tomato-eggplant salad, and a tiny baklava bite.

Body painting is fun and painless. This is not my arm, though I was tempted to get a small butterfly for my big toe. It would’ve been awkward, since I was wearing tennies instead of sandals. Besides, I’m not sure my leg would reach the table. The designs only lasts a week.

View from the World’s Fair Pavilion. The kids’ playground below the fountain featured several huge inflatables. On the right you can see the colorful Bubble Bus, that provided the play area with hundreds of floating bubbles.

This poster was on the wall in a remote spot at the back of the pavilion where we ate. It was entitled: “What Muslims Believe.” No one seemed to care; people were busy enjoying the international language of food. But just before we left, one family stopped to explain the poster to their child. I love this photo! It could be entitled: Tolerance is Taught. Early.

On the Way Home

We stopped at JC’s favorite ice cream parlor: Jeni’s in the Central West End. Sadly, they were already out of Sweet Corn and Blackberry, the flavor with the healthy sounding name, that makes you feel better about loving the creamy treat.