Busy Weekend (Part 1) - SHAPEFEST

SHAPEFEST is an annual event held at  S.H.A.P.E. (This being the acronym for Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe), and the place where my husband works.  Twenty-eight different countries are represented here. And like every patriotic citizen, they like to show off our country and what it has to offer. This is the opportunity.

It is a weekend long event, with Saturday being the main day. Carnival rides are available for the kiddies, and for the adults, food and beverages.  Each country provides, for a nominal fee, a sampling of their traditional fare. There was Belgian waffles and Belgian beer, Spanish paella and sangria, Greek souvlaki and ouzo, American ribs and beer, French cheeses and wine, Turkish baklava, Czech sausage and beer, Canadian moose milk and maple syrup. You get my drift.

We cased the place, first. When you know the options will be overwhelming, it is important to first know what those options would be. And with twenty-one of twenty-eight countries representing, the choice would be tough.

In Ottawa, I worked with a lovely girl named Boryana, from Bulgaria and on a couple of occasions; she treated the staff to a traditional Bulgarian pastry called banitsa. I wondered if I might find some at Shapefest. I was pleasantly surprised at the Bulgarian tent to find an item which they called pastry. It was banitsa. I couldn’t wait to try it to see if it measured up. It did!!

Once I had my fill of banitsa, I settled for paella and sangria.  Perry had Hungarian goulash and beer.

It was a great way to spend a Saturday.