Scenes and tastes from the Caravana de Asistencia Social

This year as always, the German beer was a big hit

Scenes and tastes from this year's Caravana de Asistencia Social
photos and story by Eric Jackson

This year 37 countries participated in the Caravana de Asistencia Social, with several shocking absences. France, Brazil, Spain and Jamaica weren't there. There was nothing distinctively Chinese or Taiwanese about Taiwan's food offerings. There have always been countries that didn't offer much in the way of food or beverages, but it seems that the non-edible offerings grew substantially as a portion of the things for sale.

But this reporter came to report on the food and beverages --- always a problem, because there's way too much to sample everything, and this reporter really doesn't need to aggravate his obesity.

So what to do? Start with dessert, of course. As in a couple of variations on honey, nuts and filo dough at the Israeli stand. Yum.

Then, a bit of roast suckling pig accompanied by baked banana, sweet potato and potato from the Bolivians.

Then more starch --- sweet and tangy sticky rice balls wrapped in edible seaweed --- washed down with Kirin beer from the Japanese. (Does Japan have similar beer temperature standards to England's, as in room temperature? Their brew was just slightly cooler than lukewarm. It was un-American, but didn't really bother me.)

Then, a little open-faced salmon sandwich from the Danes.

After that, I visited the Uruguayans and got a little hard sausage and sliced Parmesan cheesed sandwich.

To culminate this extravagant pig-out, I did some little maple sugar cream pastries from the Canadians.

I won't even try to judge "best." I didn't sample enough, and generally avoided the stands of countries I have usually eaten from in the past so as to try different things. That eliminated two sure contenders for "best," the Greeks and the Colombians.

It was a huge and tasty lunch for a good cause, even without French wines, Jamaican patties, Spanish cured meats or the wonders of Brazilian cuisine.

Nicaraguan stick to the ribs fare

The Russians did collectables, but no food

The Americans did "comfort food," soft drinks and beer

Living proof that foxes are endemic to Bolivia?

The Tico booth had food on one side and other stuff on the other

Our neighbors from the opposite frontier, the Colombians

The Israeli kosher offerings were more Middle Eastern than European --- and very good

The Finnish bread looked so rich as to tempt one to sweat it off in a sauna

Panamanian musical entertainment

Horns on a Swede? Aren't their neighbors the real berserkers?

The Venes did food, artwork and tourism promotion

For the first time, Vietnam and its artwork

Norwegian sweets

The British used book stand

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and their commitment to multiculturalism:
now money launderers may well be eaten by a brown bear instead of a polar bear

Denmark: beer, pastries and sandwiches

It was easy for Chile to be the wine champion without the French being there

Uruguay, with its heavy Spanish and Italian influences

Japan sold fans and other non-food items, along with sushi, beer, rice balls and so on