Having been rained on as they put up the tents, nerves were frayed, but as soon as people started turning up the sun came out and stayed out all day.
So … Just a few snapshots from the hundreds that I took.
Here's our own one-woman tornado and organiser of the whole shebang, Joy, with Norwich's Mayor taking refuge in the food tent before the start.
This is what I was rushing around doing last night. Trying to make finger food from English ingredients … me the man who never makes English food at home.The sarnies were:
- Organic local roast beef (rare) with horseradish from Colmans of Norwich;
- Wild British smoked salmon with English cream cheese and chives from my patio;
- the quintessentially English cucumber sandwich (white bread with the crusts cut off).
Together with local organic lettuce and tomatoes and mum's own cheese straws and sausage rolls (thanks, mum)!
Followed by local organic strawberries and Devon clotted cream.
This lot disappeared in minutes.
Before the Mayor opened the event, nobody was supposed to eat the food but our Thom seemingly couldn't resist one of my cucumber sarnies.There was food from all over Europe and the Middle East, plus Japan, China and of course the wonderful Jong with his Pinoy cooking (I made sure and got loads of that before it was all snaffled up).
Two of the lovely Lithuanian girls who helped set stuff up and very kindly did the washing up.The Lithuanian food was excellent!
Jong dishes out the goodies to ladies from Japan and China.
Two thirds of Jong's beautiful and well-behaved brood. How cute are they? I love getting kisses for "Uncle Dive". Hee hee.Here is some of the marvellous entertainment Joy had laid on for us from around the globe:
First up came Thunderbolt.Beautiful, talented … Remember you heard it here first. If this girl doesn't make it big then I'm an American Christian Right-winger.
Australia's own (brilliantly named) "Librarian Girls", singing their own stuff intermingled with Aussie folk tales and aboriginal rights songs.Wonderful! Even with a broken arm.
This little guy just had to join in the drum workshop.
Walk Like an Egyptian …
Henna Hands.
A fantastic guitar player from Argentina whose name I didn't catch (Joy? Can you help here?) but who was very chatty afterwards. A lovely guy.
I love flamenco and this group were red hot!So there you have it. A tiny snapshot of what was a lovely day out, getting chatty with some beautiful people from all over the planet who have made our cosmopolitan little city their home … and eating ourselves silly.
Huge thanks to Joy for working herself into a frenzy organising a fantastically successful day.
25 comments:
That was fast! I wish I had your energy for blogging. The Argentinian guitarist was Ariel.
I didn't get to eat anything in the end. Of course that's my fault - as I can't eat at my events until it's all over. I'm glad you enjoyed the day. Hey, you didn't show photos of the free complementary therapies. Did you have one?
P.S. I'm still at the office! It's close to 7pm. I have no plans of going to work on Monday.
Ariel! He was brilliant, Joy (not as good as me of course, but brilliant nonetheless … hee hee).
I have over a hundred photos and yes, I do have one showing the massage therapists with some very relaxed-looking patrons. I'll stick 'em all on a CD for you.
Enjoy your Monday off. You truly deserve it. You made a heroic effort to organise this event and it was brilliant. It's just a pity my photos don't do justice to what a great time we all had.
I'm pooped and aching, so I dread to think how YOU must feel!
Thanks again!
Flamenco? Oh, god...I get all hot and bothered just thinking about it.
And henna hands? Lovely.
The food looked GREAT. Bing would have been all over that salmon. And I made cucumber sandwiches for Liv's lunch today in your honor...
Woah! An American making cucumber sandwiches! Maria, you'll be making tea and crumpets in no time.
Wow Dive this is an amazing collection of fabulous photos highlighting an awesome-looking local festival! Great job Joy for putting this together! I would have eaten myself into a coma with all that yummy food. Your food looked really delicious (as well as your mum's); worth getting into a snarky mood I'd say. Great food, cute kids, world music, belly dancers and free massages -- what's not to love?
Looks like a great day. I can't let you get away with calling our food 'crap' though. I didn't get where I am today on pixie-portions of raw fish. Where was the steak and kidney pie, the stew and dumplings, and I can't believe anyone's not mentioned the Sunday roast! Don't get me started on proper puddings. This celebration of our heritage has made me realise what's been missing from my life recently - a real pudding every day. With custard. That's the only way to cope with our dismal winters!
WOW! How cool is that, Dive! What a bunch of cutie pie kids. And Henna hands....isn't that one of the loveliest art forms on the planet? I'd love to get it done myself some day. Culture fests RULE!
God Dive I am so impressed - not only was the show an obviously roaring success (well done JOY) but that you've managed to make English food look and taste sensational - he! he! he!
Off to the hairyport (you need to be in a PNG airport to fully understand that statement) and have left by blog in the capable hands of He-Who-Doesn't-Blog and the cat!!! Hope they do it properly - you just can't get good help these days!!!!
Katie: It was a lovely day. I met so many wonderful (and funny) people. And of course free massage, lots of belly dancers, beautiful weemen everywhere (Hi to Marina from Lithuania - who is not in these photos in case you're curious, hee hee) and yummy food. I wish we could do this every weekend.
Pea … Hee hee. You know how I love steak and kidney pud! But making hot food was not an option. Can you picture me dishing up puds and roasts and then driving them like a mad thing to Norwich to have them sit outside on a table getting cold?
Dad's special stew and dumplings will be hitting the recipe blog as soon as winter veg season comes around.
Besides which … I cannot make puds like you. You make AWESOME desserts! Perhaps you should come to next year's event armed with your puds and show the world what an English sweet tooth is capable of.
Yesl Katherine. Henna is gorgeous and so much nicer than tattoos. I must admit I liked the fad we had a few years back of girls doing henna painting on their bodies and then going out sunbathing for the weekend so that when the henna wore off they had a negative tattoo for a couple of months.
Body art can look great but tats are too permanent for my taste. Hoorah for henna!
Hi, Jules … Much as I deride our cuisine, the English "high tea" food of smoked salmon, cucumber sandwiches and strawberries and cream is pretty yummy.
Have a fun trip. I'll pop in and see what HWDB and Benson get up to while you're away.
Looks like a wonderful festival! How did you find all the participants?
I looked at the stage and there they were!
It was Joy who organised everything and found all the acts, plus all the other stuff that I've not shown.
A splendid day.
Hi Dive! Sorry I called you Dive yesterday :D You should post a photo of yourself coz you were kinda spiffy yesterday in your beige suit!
Correction: Marina was born in George, but grew up and lived in Ukraine. She'd be annoyed if you she knew you thought she was from Lithuania :D
And thanks, Katie! It was stressful and nerve-wracking putting the Festival together. This year was the fifth. And it all started in 2004 when someone came to my office and said she found it difficult to make friends - being from a different country. So I decided right there to hold the first Festival in 2 weeks time.
The Festival has definitely grown and become more complex. I doubt if I'll do it again though. But it's good to end things on a high note.
Hi, Joy! I don;t mind you calling me Dive. Hee hee.
Marina was talking about Lithuania so I assumed that's where she was from. She has a lovely accent.
I do hope someone grants you the funding and support to keep the festival going. I know it's a lot of hard work but you are so good at it!
All that chop, chop, bang, bang seemed to work out ok Dive. Those are the best looking sarnies I've seen in a long time (we call them "sangers").
Poor Joy missing out on Mum's sausage rolls!
Your photos are fantastic and between Joy organising and you photographing, you have some fantastic memories of a successful, diversified get together. Mixing cultures is fun! Thanks for sharing your weekend with us dear. See you soon!
Sangers! Good word, Mme!
Mum makes wonderful veggie "sausage rolls", too. I'l have to ask her to make some for next time so Joy can eat them.
I'm counting the days to your visit. Yaay!
I think I know why Marina was talking about Lithuania, but I'm not gonna go there. She is lovely, that's why she's my friend!
I haven't yet tried sausage rolls - even the ones made by Quorn. Are they nice?
Well, if they want the Festival again next year, I'm not the one who will have to find the money - if you know what I mean. I've have 5 successful and lovely festivals, I think I'm content with that. :)
Ah … I'm glad I kept to neutral subjects.
Mum makes great veggie "sausage rolls", so I'll have to get her recipe for you. Sausage rolls were one of the only meat things I missed when I turned veggie decades ago and she experimented and came up with perfect replacements.
Dive and Joy,
What a blow out! We need more diverse culture here. I should say we need to more thoroughly embrace the diverse cultures here. Anyway, quite the party!!! Thanks for letting us e-crash it.
Cheers, Vic. you are so right; the diversity is already there, it needs embracing. Joy does fantastic work not only welcoming diverse people into our city life but helping those people to show the rest of us their cultures, their food, their skills and experiences and the things we can gain from them. Embracing other cultures is far better for everyone than trying to force them to assimilate.
lovely, absolutely lovely! well done, darlings! xoxox
Cheers, Savannah!
xoxox
I enjoyed this wonderful festival with you Dive but I forgot to comment. Joy did a superb job with diversity it looked like, and SHE seems to exactly fit her name as well. :) Wow, and all of the yummy food! Good job getting that done!
I wondered as you were talking about the guitar player. Do you not perform with anyone or even alone around town or elsewhere? And if not, why not?
This looks like such an incredible day. What fun, and how lucky that you got to participate, Dive!!, or should we start calling you "Uncle Dive."
Shan: Joy is indeed a joy! And she NEVER stops working! Sheesh!
As for guitar, I am long sice retired. I don;t play any more and I am glad of it. Too many decades take the joy out of it and I should really have retired ten years earlier. As it is, if I never play another gig I'll be happy.
Robyn: Like Jong's beautiful children you can only call me Uncle Dive if you have a kiss for me. Hee hee!
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