Street Fair Traditions
By: IE Castellano
I remember Grandma’s Sunday dinner table from my childhood. The smells of her cooking her usual
chicken, meatballs, sausage, pasta, and sides wafting through the house as we kids ran
around, waiting to eat, stayed with me all these years. Although my
grandmother has since passed, certain smells bring back those
childhood Sundays.
The same rings true for adults who been
coming to the Mount Pleasant Glass and Ethnic Festival since they
were children. Now, these adults bring their children like their
parents brought them. Strolling through the vendors to buy their
favorite foods or to discover new favorites has become a late
September tradition.
Every last
full weekend in September, the aromas of all the different ethnic foods
cooking permeate the neighborhoods in the small town of Mount
Pleasant. Alongside the typical street fair foods of fried
delicacies like corndogs and funnel cakes are many nontypical foods
from which to choose.
Vegetarians and the health-conscious
can find food without having to worry about straying from their
diets. A healthier twist on french fries are sweet potato fries —
the cinnamon sugar topping is optional. Loving artichokes (part of
my ethnic heritage), I bought artichoke quarters sautéed in olive
oil and garlic. They were topped with grated Parmesan cheese and
served with a slice of French bread. It was a tasty lunch that
balanced the garlic and cheese well. Much to my taste buds' dismay, this vendor (who also made the potato pancakes mentioned below) retired his apron after that year's festival season.
In my family, we adore artichokes all season long (early spring and fall). One of our favorite family recipes include steaming the whole flower bud with olive oil, garlic and herbs. We enjoy "scraping" the goodness off the backs of the leaves against our teeth as we pluck our way to the tender heart.
Fluffy on the inside and crisp on the
outside, the potato pancakes reminded me of one of the kinds Nana
used to make, using mashed potatoes instead of raw grated potato (latkes, which we also made and still make especially at holiday time). Since Nana lived with us and loved to share her talents, the mashed potato cakes were a common dish in my house growing up when there were not
enough leftover mash to make cole cannon or when we did not make
gnocchi. Nana would transform ordinary leftover mashed potatoes,
flour and eggs into blini-sized pancakes. She would stand over the stove shallow
frying batches in butter until golden brown and crispy.
For those
who did not try the ones that were available at the festival, the pancakes had a
flavor reminiscent of potato pierogies sautéed in
onion. These were served with the traditional accompaniments of
applesauce and sour cream. More meatless options include handmade
pasta, haluski (cabbage and noodles), pierogies,
baked potatoes with a large choice of toppings, vegetable rice and lo
mein noodles, crabcakes, and fish.
From traditional Gyros to Chinese food,
meat lovers have plenty of choices. I watched people carry around
gigantic sausage sandwiches smothered in onions and peppers. At the picnic tables, barbeque sauce covered chins as people devoured pulled pork and smoked chicken. For other stick-to-your-ribs
goodness, check out the charcoal-rotisseried ham sandwiches, bean soup, chicken sticks, wings, pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, nachos, cabbage rolls, and steak
sandwiches. I really enjoy the Sparkyburgers sold at the Festival’s
food booth. Between the melted slice of pepperjack cheese and the
beef patty is a cream cheese mixture consisting of jalapeños,
garlic and a secret blend of spices.
Satiate sweet cravings with a plethora
of desserts. Stroll the stalls carrying hand dipped ice cream or
chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick. Many cannot wait to sink their teeth into the juicy chocolate covered strawberries. Indulge in non-chocolate
deviations such as the farm-made berry desserts, cupcakes or
cream-filled gobs. One year, I devoured a paper bag full of
melt-in-your-mouth mini-doughnuts, which were made fresh at the
festival and very addicting. Lighter side sweet options include
freshly made lemonade and brain freeze inducing fruit smoothies.
Tradition at the Mount Pleasant Glass
and Ethnic Festival has been going strong. I encourage all of you to
start a new tradition and join me as I return to eat my way through
Washington Street in September while listening to the bands and
meandering the craft booths. It is always exciting to see what new
foods await tasting.
IE Castellano is a local novelist
and lover of all food. Find out more about her on her blog.
She will also be volunteering once again at this year’s festival.
Will she see you there?
Sparky’s Note: Come visit your
old favorites and make some new favorites this September 27th,
28th, and 29th. See how to share your festival
experience.
