Tasty treats

There's plenty to munch on

by Don Fluckinger

Anyone who's attended the Lowell Folk Festival will tell you that the food -- cooked and served by all local, non-profit ethnic groups -- may be the best part of the weekend.

Everyone will find something to munch on from the fabulous fried chicken at the soul-food stand to the drop-dead delicious German desserts. There's lots for the ethnic adventurer to try, no matter what the nationality. Look hard enough and you'll be sure to find a dish you've never heard of but one that tastes great. Exotic dishes from Asia, Europe, North America, even the Philippines will be served up hot. Of course, the meal's not complete without trying an imported canned beverage from carbonated sodas flavored with fruits not common in Massachusetts to things like pasty, milky bean-curd drinks.

This year, 17 different ethnicities in all will be represented at the food booths. Among them will be the Middle Eastern Group, St. Patrick's Irish Cultural Committee, the Franco American Union, the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association, Iskwelahang Pilipino, and the NAACP Afro-American group will be there. Vegetarians, carnivores, high-cholesterol fiends, low-cholesterol eaters by necessity or choice will find delicious food -- if anyone leaves the festival hungry, it's his own damn fault.