National Organization for Vietnamese American Leadership – DC Chapter (NOVAL-DC) held it’s 4th Annual VietFest in the new Tysons Corner Plaza on the hottest of weekends, August 14-16, 2015. The summer heat didn’t deter this enthusiastic group of organizers. Their program was jam-packed with performances, beauty pageants, eating contests, scholarship awards, and more.
Crawfish Eating Contest
Bánh Bột Lọc Là (Shrimp Dumplings in Banana Leaves)
To me, the local restaurateurs and home cook vendors offering an array of cultural Vietnamese foods were the highlight of the event. The only downside, in my opinion, was the cost of food from the local vendors. When prices are set at a higher than normal price, it makes it hard for you to be able to sample a bit of everything from as many vendors as you can.
The Festival had activities I associate with this type of event, such as food vendors, retail vendors selling unique items, and little children’s crafts, but I expected much more. I felt that the festival was mostly focused on the stage activities such as the pageants and performances and not so much on the actual vendors. In my opinion, it could’ve been called VietShow instead of VietFest. Still, it was very impressive that they had enough entertainment to showcase for 3 days straight.
The eating contest was fun to watch. Who doesn’t love watching people shoveling food in their mouths in state of a panic? It’s like watching a live YouTube video. But my favorite feature of the event was the food. There were mom and pop food stands selling home grown Vietnamese foods that made me miss my grandma’s home cooking and for those who were too afraid to try something different, I shake my head in sadness at you. Why? Because you missed out on the delicious chewiness of the Bánh Bột Lọc Là, which is a slightly spicy shrimp dumpling in a clear chewy tapioca shell wrapped in a banana leaf and seasoned with fish sauce. To me anything wrapped in a fruit leaf is bound to be delicious because the ingredients inside soak in the flavors of the leaf.
Overall, the VietFest was a great event. It makes me proud to be Vietnamese and to see how this group is trying to keep Vietnamese Culture and tradition going into the next generation. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for their 5th year.
About Noval
-ADT (Angie)
