We returned last evening from a trip to Winnipeg where we took in a half dozen shows of Folklorama, their large multi-ethnic celebration of the many cultures that live in and mix with that city. We’ve been there a couple times before, but each season the two week long production is different. This year we attended the pavilions of Africa, Scotland, and Colombia the first evening and Israel, Russia, and Korea the second.
Each of the two nights we ate appetizers at the first location, the main course at the second, and dessert at the third. Some of the food was good, some not so. My favorite was the main course we ate at the Russian venue; it seemed like real food. Scotland’s main course included haggis, a dish I’d heard much about. It was a dark lump of heavily seasoned sausage-like tripe that I did not care for, but then some people don’t think much of lutefisk and lefse either, so I can’t condemn that whole culture because of their favorite dish.
Music performances from each of the countries were a great crowd pleaser, even though some of it was loud. Korea included a demonstration of tae kwon do; I would not want to pick a fight with any of those people because of what they showed they could do to an opponent.
Israel’s show was held on a Jewish campus in the city, and I could not help but notice the patches on the uniforms of the men directing parking. They identified them at that campus’s private security force. With Jews under attack from terrorists in so many parts of the world, this Winnipeg enclave of Jews obviously planned to take no chances by leaving themselves open to attack.
Winnipeg’s mural painters are given exterior walls of businesses to create their large scale art which gives the city an attractive, decorated look. The city overall has a clean proud look about it that makes it a pleasure to visit.
