Taste of Romania

The festival!

Yesterday I attended the 16th annual Taste of Romania festival, located in Chicago’s west side. I made a mental note (which as we all know tends to not be the best way to remember things) to attend this year’s festivities after my extensive “research” on Chicago’s elusive Romanian community. Unsurprisingly, I forgot all about it until the night before, when the fates stepped in by means of a flyer for the festival. It was posted on a wall , winking me in the face. This time the mental note stuck and I woke up the following morning chipper and ready to seize the day.

Before I say anything else, I really must hand it to the one or two people who attempted to put this event on. Quite contrary to what the web site proudly insists (“thousands of people attend each year…”), it was a good effort.

Roast pig, just one of the many taste-sensations available to patrons.

The effort was there, but still the event came up short. It cost $10 to enter the fest (not a suggested donation like many other street fairs in Chicago), and the price only got you in the door. Once inside I was greeted with the sounds of a man “tuning” his Casio keyboard and a handful of people milling around the grounds. As it was about 2 pm at this point, I was pretty shocked by the lackluster outcome of the event. Not ready to give up now that my money was in the hands of the cashier, I decided to buy a few tickets to taste some of the culinary fare.

My lunch!

Ticket booth.

Meals ranged from about 10-20 tickets which, naturally, cost the equivalent in dollars. The dishes included mititei (a popular Romanian meat), stuffed cabbage, roast pig and roast lamb. There were also options for wine, beer and the authentic “beer bucket”, as well as soda, water and homemade grape juice–stomped proudly the morning of. Tickets were sold in a tiny tent, nestled in a corner by a humming transformer (captured in photo on right).

I ordered the roast pig, tempted as I was by the slow-roasted sucklings on the spit. The dish was served with french fries and pickled green tomatoes. Three, thick-cut slices of bread were served on the side. Fairly heavy and dry for a lunchtime meal, it was more of an experience than a healthy alternative to a PB&J sandwich.

Keeping in mind that there wasn’t much to do aside from eating and drinking, I sat around wondering what to do next. The music had yet to really start (the Casio player was still tapping away idly at the keys) and people were still trickling in.

Amandina pastries.

It was around this point that I decided on dessert. One tent was sponsored by Le Patisserie and served two Romanian delights, one a chocolate mousse tart, the other a profiterole-style pastry with cream. I ordered the equally pricey chocolate mousse, called an Amandina, and returned to my chair and ate once again.

I am reluctant to admit that after dessert, I had little reason to stay. The musician finally made her way to the stage and the chairs lined in front were still empty.

Walking out I took this footage of her performance for your viewing pleasure. (Please try to  ignore the wind in the background!)

Long story short, it was a good, once-in-a-lifetime experience. With a little work and a little more for guests to do, it could  be a success.

Have a look at the link below for some shots of the faces from the event.

-Ileana