Loading ...Hundreds get a taste of Middle Eastern culture at Lebanese Festival
Simmering dishes lifted the aroma of shish kabob and Lebanese cuisine as guests danced, children played and music roared Saturday at the 17th annual Lebanese Festival.
St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church hosted the three-day jamboree that began Friday and will conclude Sunday at 8 p.m. Renee Turk, co-chairperson for the festival, said the annual event is fueled by one emotion.
“Pride. Pride in who we are, what we are, what we’ve become,” she said. “There are people here who are not Lebanese who have just embraced the culture.”
Fellow chairperson Ray Ferris said the festival “lets folks know that the Middle East is more than the trouble they see in the news.”
Hundreds of visitors experienced the Middle Eastern country’s heritage. In a crowded dining hall, grilled lamb and beef kabobs, tabbouleh salad, hummus, kafta, spinach-feta rollups, were on the menu. As were the featured dishes, eggplant-ground sirloin casserole and a feta cheese pie.
Baklava headlined an assortment of Middle Eastern desserts.
“I like the food, it’s just something different,” said Charliece Daniel of Roanoke, who attended the festival on both Friday and Saturday.
Turk oversaw the kitchen for the weekend and said the eggplant-based dish has proven especially popular.
“We ran out of it on Friday last year,” she said with a laugh.
The dish is a layer of eggplant stuffed with a mixture of ground beef and onion under another layer of eggplant topped with tomato sauce and Lebanese seasoning that is then baked.
Turk said the event revealed “typical Middle Eastern hospitality” and offered an opportunity to examine differences in culture and worship.
Booths lined the walls of the dining hall with items that featured “A Taste of Lebanon.” Items for sale included hookahs, rugs and clothing. A silent auction was also held with products from local businesses, gift baskets and restaurant gift certificates.
As for entertainment, Samer Jazrawy, a parishioner and professional musician from Iraq, served as emcee. Traditional Lebanese dancing was on display all weekend, with the Lebanese Dance Youth Troupe scheduled to perform again at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday.
“The music, it gets you going,” said Turk. “The dabke in its simplest form is a line dance that anyone can grab a hand and do.”
Children’s activities included a “bouncy house,” obstacle course, face painting and a “cake walk” all under adult supervision.
According to Turk, devoted planning, coordination and volunteer assistance is the key contributor to the success of the festival.
“I dare to say we have about 100 to 125 volunteers because some people stay and come from 8 o’clock in the morning until midnight. It’s an amazing feat,” said Turk. “When you look at how many people walk in these doors and walk back out again and are fed, and you look at the small number of people in the kitchen who keep it going. So much of it has to be chopped and prepared so it will be fresh. To be able to provide this to the public, it is amazing.”
Ferris said the excitement and success the Lebanese Festival yields indicates that Roanoke has “turned out to be the festival city.”
Source: www.roanoke.com