Free Press photos by Matt Johnston
Abdul Aly (right) serves a dish to Charlotte Winslow of Mankato during the annual International Fest at East High School Sunday. Aly, who works for the Holy Land grocery in Minneapolis, said he brought plenty of food and was prepared for the large crowd at the festival.
Silvia Sharmin (left) and Nusrat Zaham preform a Bangladeshi dance at the 2009 International Festival Sunday at East High School in Mankato.
Abdul Aly was busy at 6 a.m. Sunday morning slicing the meat for lamb and chicken gyros, mixing cucumber sauce and tossing a vegetable sambusa in Minneapolis.
Five hours later, he was serving up a taste of the Holy Land Deli, a popular spot in the Midtown Global Market in Minneapolis, to hungry customers at the Mankato Area International Fest at East High School.
One of the first customers in his line, which quickly became one of the longest in the cafeteria, was Charlotte Winslow of Mankato. She’s a regular at the annual event, which is organized, in part, by Minnesota State University and is in its 33rd year.
There were 15 vendors offering specialty dishes from around the world, ranging from Sri Lankan kothu roti to carrot-covered hot dogs from Russia, but it isn’t just the food that draws Winslow to the festival.
“I enjoy being in the auditorium with the entertainment, costumes and dancing, too,” she said.
The auditorium has become a popular spot at the festival. People filled the seats to watch several dance performances, a Japanese piano performance, a fashion show and other entertainment.
Visitors also had a chance to bid on crafts and other items during a silent auction. There was a Peruvian place mat, Chinese tea cups, a Russian bowl, wooden toy animals from Africa, an Egyptian sculpture and many other items.
After picking a famous city from the world, bidders used that city to make their bids anonymously. Matt Carlson was New York City. He was checking out the Russian bowl as the traditional parade of flags passed at noon.
“We like to come through and see what’s new and interesting to the area,” Carlson said. “It’s just a great way to learn about other cultures.”
He was hoping to win a bid and bring something home for his daughter, who couldn’t make it to the festival this year.
This was Aly’s first year serving food at the Mankato festival. He said he has many regular MSU customers who travel up to the Holy Land’s two locations in Minneapolis, including the deli and grocery at the Midtown Global Market. They’ve been telling him for years that he should rent a vendor’s booth at the International Festival here.
They also told him to bring plenty of food, which he did. Within minutes after getting started, he had to go back out to his vehicle to bring in more gyro meat from a 190 degree warmer.
“I’m stocked for the whole day,” Aly said.
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