Cuisine runs gamut; lines move quickly

Ribs, sausages, gourmet wraps, Chinese and Greek food, and baked and fried goodies of all kinds happily coexisted at the 65th National Folk Festival. More than 40 vendors served up culinary delights ranging from down-home comfort foods to the unique and exotic for the hungry masses.

Folks lined up along the waterfront to sample Korean dishes, venison sandwiches, Greek gyros, homemade ice cream, sweet kettle corn and much more. The lines, though intimidating, moved swiftly.

From the festival’s opening to its close, festivalgoers with plates piled high with food stopped to eat on benches or on grassy spots, while others ate while heading to performances.

While diversity ruled at the parking lot food court near the waterfront, sprawling lines for blooming onions, sweet potato fries, kabobs and sausages proved nothing beats the magical appeal of anything meaty or batter-dipped.

“I’m not sure what culture the blooming onion comes from, but it’s tasty,” Nate Bray-Marks, a 21-year-old student from Castine, said. He was sharing one of the festival’s most popular food items with friends Saturday night.

In addition to increased diversity and a wealth of crispy, golden goodness, this year’s festival also featured an increased number of local vendors, including area restaurants, church and civic organizations serving foods ranging from good ol’ ribs and coleslaw to gooey strawberry shortcake, to Indian curries and gourmet wraps.

“We’ve been trying to hit all the local stuff,” said Dr. Michael Ross of Hampden, enjoying a colorful plate of Indian food with his wife, Kim, Saturday evening on the festival midway. “We’ve really enjoyed the Indian food and the strawberry shortcake.”

“I like the variety,” said Becca Maynard, 23, of Castine. “Since you’re out, it’s nice to try stuff you’ve never tried before.”