Food and Wine Festival 2011: Round Two

Round Two was, shall we say, something on the soggy side. I had stalked the weekend forecast for over a week, so I was fully prepared for a washout. I checked the weather Saturday morning, and it claimed there would be a break in the rain between noon and two. It was raining pretty hard (read: sideways) when I arrived, so I parked and chilled out in my car for a while, waiting on the rain to lessen. I watched people get out of their cars and head out bravely...only to return within ten minutes, get back into their vehicles and drive away. I had a good stash of magazines in my car, nowhere pressing I needed to be, and the urge for some more yummy food.

I waited about an hour and the sky seemed lighter, so I popped on my poncho (I got it at Disney about four years ago for around $8 when a surprise rain storm caught me off guard--I would say I got my $8 usage out of it, though, and I will need to replace it soon, since the snaps have come apart, but it's served me well on multiple occasions in the parks and one rainy day at Fenway, covering not just me but also Nichole!) and headed out into the drizzle, making a direct line for...

CANADA

Cheddar Cheese Soup.

I figured soup was a great way to start this wet windy trip. (Don't be deceived by the sunny photos of the booth and menu; I took those all on my first round, and good thing, because no way would I have taken out my camera in this weather!) I covered the top of my soup with my hand, so it wouldn't get watered down with rainwater, and made my way to France. There is a tunnel separating some shops there where I knew I could eat in relative comfort, out of the elements, and my camera wouldn't get rained on. The soup was a great idea. It was warm (though no longer hot by the time I reached my destination). It was cheesy without being stringy or goopy. There were chunks of potato, some pieces of bacon, and a hit of black pepper. Warmed me up nicely.


Tucked my camera safely back into its plastic bag, stowed it in my backpack, got the backpack under the poncho with me, pulled up my hood, and marched back out into the rain, headed for...

PORTUGAL

Pastel de Nata.

I had *no* idea what I was getting into, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised! The cast member handed me my dish with a second plate inverted over the top to protect my food. This time I made my way to the Fez House in the Morocco pavilion. I knew I would find a quiet, mostly dry spot to photograph and eat. The only way I can describe this dish is that it was sort of like a breakfast pastry. The outside of it was definitely a flaky dough, like a danish. The inside was a lighter, fluffier version of a cheese danish. It was definitely made of egg, but it could have been egg and cheese. But here is the catch: it wasn't savory. It was sweet! There was a sweet crust of caramelized sugar on the top! There is no way I am doing this dish justice. It was like nothing I have ever tasted before. I would eat it again though!


And then, it was back out in the...wait...it's almost stopped raining! I don't even need my hood now! Off to...

JAPAN

Pork Kakuni.

Every year, the Japan booth does sushi. (I've been told it's pretty "basic and lightweight" as sushi goes too.) This time there was something additional on the menu and I was determined to try it! Again, no idea what I was getting myself into, but how do you know if you don't just try sometimes, right? This. was. delicious. It was this super tender, super juicy pork that had been marinated in teriyaki (at least that's my guess) and either braised or slow-cooked. It just melted apart, not the least bit dry. And they squirted just a bit of wasabi over the top, which gave it just a hint of warmth without making your eyes water and your nose run. I scurried off under the overhang in the Japan pavilion to eat, and it's a good thing I did, because about halfway through my rather generous portion of pork, the skies opened up again.


So much for a ninety-minute window. I hunkered back down under my poncho hood and had to clamp it close around me because the wind was whipping and I was pretty soaked from just above my knees down by the time I arrived in...

MEXICO

Flan.

I decided to head inside the Mexico pavilion to eat, even though I knew the lighting would be dim for getting a photo. The flan, I assumed, would taste good--how can you go wrong with vanilla and caramel??--but having never had flan before, I was unprepared for the consistency. It was a lot more dense and heavy than the custard I am used to. And the serving was about the size of a deck and a half of cards. It was rich and also chilled, and I was feeling like a drowned cat, stuffed into a box with about a hundred other drowned cats. It's probably not fair of me to say I found the flan less than enjoyable solely on its own merit, but I was full and wet and ready to head home, so this was probably my least favorite thing I've tried so far this year. The third of it that I ate before pitching it into the garbage.


The rain came down in sheets and the wind made my poncho flap so hard, the snaps finally disconnected from the plastic. My shoes had water squishing out of them by the time I reached my car. I could have wrung the water out of my jeans. The best idea I had: leaving dry yoga pants and shoes in the car. I slithered out of my wet attire (I was perfectly dry from thigh to neck) and was cozy dry for my drive home. Here's hoping Round Three is a little less...duck weather-ish. ;-)