Immigrants Day Festival

I like the summer (yes, I know at the time I'm writing this it isn't technically the summer yet) because the summer brings with it a plethora of festivals. On Saturday, May 17, 2008, I looked through the list of festivals and, feeling lazy, selected the Immigrants Day Festival in downtown Redwood City.

I made a great choice. First, the food was a great deal: for a mere five dollars, I got to eat a large quantity and variety of food--I must've had twenty distinct items. (See the pictures for details.) Almost all the dishes looked home-made. Clearly, no one was making money from this tasting. Frankly, I'd be surprised if, given the quantity of food everyone got to try, the food stands broke even.

Second, it was a clear and brutally sunny day and, despite the heat wave, quite comfortable in the shade. Seats under umbrellas were in high demand. Aside from the time I spent eating, I spent most of festival sitting outdoors, listening to and watching music and dance groups from a diverse assortment of cultures. Although the San Mateo County History Museum was free admission and even had special arts and crafts activities the entire day, I enjoyed sitting outside by the entertainment too much to actually browse the exhibits (including the permanent one about immigrants to San Mateo Country). I only entered to eat.

In between performances, a state senator, an Irish consul, and a Filipino consul all put in appearances and spoke briefly. Those are nice gestures to the local community.

The pictures I took have more details.

Interestingly, my fortune cookie had two fortunes! "An unexpected visitor will bring you good blessings." "You will receive an unexpected gift from an acquaintance." I don't know what the existence of two fortunes means, but I at least can guess that something unforeseen will happen.