(Written 09/11/2016)
Times Square Mall in Grand Prairie, Texas, that is. The venue for this Asia Times Square Mid-Autumn Festival 2016 was unusual for a festival, but judging by the threat of thunderstorms for the weekend, I could see this was a smart business decision.
The variety of foods and entertainment offered at this locale was unbelievable. It would be difficult for me to tell you exactly what I saw, so, if you didn’t make it to the event, here are several pictures to show you:
On one side of the main entrance you encounter a big selection of roasted chickens, ducks, and pork. If you are into meat, this is heaven for you!
If you prefer a little more variety, these traditional Asian delicacies are just for you. Here you see bánh té (Vietnamese), a steamed rice cake in a long, cylindrical shape, and zongzi, (Chinese) made of glutinous rice stuffed with pork, wrapped in banana leaves, and then steamed.
These are very similar to the very familiar tamales made in the State of Veracruz, Mexico.
And for dessert, here are some bánh ít (Vietnamese), a triangular dumpling wrapped in banana leaf, similar to Chinese zongzi. If you are adventurous and feel inclined to make some báhn ít, here’s the recipe and a video about how to wrap them.
Are you thirsty yet after all that sticky rice and meat? Try a glass of freshly-made sugar cane drink. No artificial sugar required. 🙂
Moving on to the entertainment part of the festival, here are some pictures of the stage performances:
Dance from Thailand Dance from Indonesia
And of course, we couldn’t miss the famous Dragon Dance! Did you know that these dragons, symbol of China, are believed to bring good luck to people, and that the longer the dragon in the dance, the more luck it will bring to the community?
Three colorful dancing dragons People depositing money in the dragon’s mouth
Well, good luck rubbed off on me that day… I didn’t have to worry about making dinner. 🙂
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