EAT REAL FESTIVAL Year 2 (SIGNS, SIGNS #7)

Eat Real combines a state fair, a street-food festival, and a block party to create a celebration of good food. At the Eat Real Festival, participants learn where food comes from, who grows and makes it, and how they make it. Eat Real Festival attendance is 100% free of charge, all food at the festival costs $5 and less, and all food incorporates regionally-sourced, fabulous, and sustainably-produced ingredients. [SOURCE]

Set in picturesque waterfront of Oakland's Jack London Square, food trucks and food stalls set up shop and fed hungry foodies all over the bay. Last year it was held August 27-29.

Here's what I gather for this year's offerings:
The Eat Real Festival, the urban food extravaganza that celebrates the best of quality food and farming, has released its expanded 2011 festival dates. In addition to its annual Oakland event, Eat Real now adds a Los Angeles event that will offer an extraordinary opportunity for people to celebrate not only the very best of their regional food purveyors, but also the people who grow it. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get up close and personal with their food, through food skill demonstrations on stage as well as hands on workshops.

“Eat Real has taken the idea of and old-time state fair and turned it on its head,” said Anya Fernald, founder of Eat Real Festival. “We put people in touch with their food by showing how it’s made including sauerkraut and tamale making, animal husbandry, and the skills involved in craft food professions like cheesemaking and butchery.”

Details for the 2011 events are as follows:
• Los Angeles: July 16-17 at the Helms Bakery District in Culver City, CA
• Oakland: September 23-25 at Jack London Square, downtown Oakland, CA
[source]

See how much fun it was.

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Not the usual fare you see on food trucks. And some sold out items too - so quickly.
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Spencer on the Go won third place in the first Food Channel's THE GREAT FOODTRUCK RACE, has anyone seen it?

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Gerard's Paella had the longest line, except for the Beer Shed, or even longer. They had three kinds - seafood, meat, and vegetarian.

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Cajun Boudain is spectacular!

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Sisig taco - no offense, but NOT sisig at all :). Tasty though, so Mexican in flavor.
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From the El Salvadoran stall, I got the very best chicken pupusas with sauce.
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Jerk Fish on left, fish tacos on right = both equally superb.
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Nom nom nom!!!!!
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I cannot wait for the next one!

Share your signs at SIGNS, SIGNS

Comments

  1. Paella and tacos would have been my favourite!!!

    Regards and bon profit

    Valery

    [Barcelona Daily Photo]

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  2. i can't imagine the taste of sisig taco, but food photos never fails to make my mouth water...yum.

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  3. gastronomic feast!
    woot! may adobo! =)

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  4. so yummy! I'm amazed you still managed to snap some photos. I would be very busy having my hands full with food I won't be able to take out my digicam to take pix. ehehe

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  5. Thanks for sharing these fabulous dishes! Beautiful sequence, paella is one of my favourites!

    I haven't heard from Joy of Norwich, hope to see her soon in her blog.

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  6. WOW. Too bad they didn't have this when we lived in Pasadena years ago, Maria. That would have been an experience!

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  7. That is a very good initiative !
    I think a lot of people have no clue whatsoever from where there food is coming and how it is prepared.

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  8. wow! i'm already full from my dinner yet i'm getting hungry again! :)

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  9. Oooh, this reminds me of "Taste of Chicago" food festival! Man, sisig taco wasn't really sisig? What a teaser! Sounds like a sizzling idea, though!

    By the way, I'm looking into collecting destination-themed aprons, too. That Maltese apron you mentioned sounds interesting! I'm interested in map/state aprons. Hurray for Ebay! :P

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  10. Oh and I just realized your blog name is "Tarlac" spelled backwards! Haha.

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  11. This is one food festival I would wait for. too. If this was the second year for Eat Real, I cannot imagine how great the third year will be. The shot of the bread and the one of the shrimp are my favs but all of them are great. A really fun post for a dreary Wednesday afternoon.

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  12. Oh yummy, all looks so delicious. Need an expanding stomach, LOL.

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  13. This is the kind of fair or festival I want to attend. First of I watched that Food truck contest on Food Channel but didn't finished it. Second, the Paella my goodness I so love that and I missed that dish. Third, my eyes popped out when I see the truck with lumpia, pancit, sisig sign on top of their truck. And yes I agree their sisig basing on your picture is not sisig. Sisig is made from the face of the pig or ears, lol! Happy Thursday!
    Signs

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  14. you are making me hungry! i wont be taking photos there, i will be eating ;-)

    Sign:Wanted

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  15. wow, glorious food! i don't know which one to pick.:p i was at a similar foodie event last Friday--Mercato Centrale, a late night foodie paradise (10 pm to 2 am) at The Fort.:p

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  16. Wow, great finds! I just had brunch, but I'm almost hungry again :-)

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  17. I'm intrigued by the Lobster Cappucino... The paella looks fantastic.

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  18. just had paella last night and wasn't deli at all, but those paella does looked scrumptious. ^0^
    yum, yum.

    ps: tnx for the info on agave plants. ^-^

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  19. You make my mouth watering Maria!

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  20. They all look good. I would probably try the Paella...looks yummy.

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  21. food trip on wheels. ever heard of the manila machine?

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  22. it's a one time eat for the day. you'll definitely end up having your tummy full with those food. if i was there... ill go for those sea food.

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  23. Yummy! hayyyyyyyy nagutom ako. Now, its time to find something inside the fridge. Mukhang super sarap ng paella.

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  24. love this kind of food festival ! The paella looks scrumptious :)

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