Saturday night I ventured with my husband and our three kids to Jefferson Park's Taste of Polonia, looking to satisfy my appetite for the hearty Polish foods of my childhood. As we drove through the neighborhoods searching for parking, my 7-year-old noticed several Polish-language storefront signs. "Mom?" he asked. "Is sort of like a Polish Chinatown?"
We sampled some excellent offerings, including Polish sausage, pirogi, stuffed cabbage and sauerkraut. The all-weekend event draws huge crowds, thanks not only to the food, but to the multitude of activities: games for the kids, musical performances and tents filled with products touting Polish pride, including T-shirts that read "Got Kielbasa?"
Our Evanston friends who met us there enjoyed the festival as much as we did, and the whole experience got me thinking: What if there was a "Taste of Evanstonia?" In the 13 years I've called Evanston my home, I've attended some incredible festivals here, but I'm not aware of any just dedicated to Evanston in its entirety. What foods might be included on the Taste of Evanstonia Platter? Where would we hold such a festival? Who would we want to make a guest appearance? What would T-shirts and souvenirs say? When's the best time to showcase our city and its offerings?
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