Kosher for Lent

     Fish on Fridays.  A time honored tradition especially during the Lenten season--the forty days before Easter. Actually, any vegetarian dish will do when you're at home.  But what happens when one goes to an exciting food festival like the  Eat Drink Perth  celebrations which last the entire month of March?  The Twilight Markets are held every Friday in the center of the shopping district.  Lots of different food stands from different nationalities serving up wildly different dishes.  It's a challenge for the taste buds and Lenten reserve. What constitutes kosher for Lent?

Croc   &   Roo

       For example, the Australian tent is serving up Skippy-on-a-Stick (a skewered kangaroo sausage) and  Croc-on-a-Stick  (lose a fight with Mick Dundee and you, too, could find yourself on a short pole).    Pretty safe to say that kangaroo is not a 'legal' option.  But what about crocodile?  Do reptiles count?  And that brings amphibians to mind.  Frog-on-a-stick.  Those toads spend as much time in the water as fish do...and so do crocodiles  come to think of it.  The discussion of how these water animals did or did not qualify went up and down the line waiting to be served.

      I tried the Croc-on-a-Stick.  Slightly gamey  taste (it's those four legs) but the texture was rather mealy (I'm thinking grain here). 

Japanese dim sums

genuine paella

     Of course  there were other choices. It was fun watching the lady in the Japanese tent turn over the pot stickers in their individual cooking cups with speed and grace. The mystery contents were enough to rule it out.   
     The Spanish paella was gorgeous, colorful and legal. But all those mussel shells get in the way of serious chowing down.  Not to mention that the last time I ate mussels I ended up in a hospital emergency room.  I gave it a miss.

East Indian in Copper kettles

   Look at the beautiful color here at the East Indian tent.  I happen to be looking at those handsome copper pots.  You might be looking at the colorful contents.  All legal at this stand but truth is I don't like curries. And I abhor the smell.  Curries are banned from our house although Kev will make one when I am out of town on business and then fumigate the house before I get home.  This is a real big miss.  Have I pointed out those really lovely pots yet?

      We took stock of the situation and decided that speared reptile was enough, all sorts of vegetables at home just waiting to be eaten. .  The food and festive atmosphere makes this a great event...just on the wrong day of the week.