Ethnic food & fun

MARQUETTE - The red and white flag of Poland unfurled in the sunny breeze that swept across the Lower Harbor Friday afternoon. Smells of stuffed cabbage rolls, Polish sausage and sauerkraut lingered around the booth of the Polish-American Society. Brittany Bushey of Marquette was drawn to the exotic smells at this year's International Food Festival and decided to order a "pierogi."

"I'm really picky and I like to walk up and see the table and look at the food," she said, while taking a bite from the boiled dumplings, stuffed with cheese and mashed potatoes. "It's pretty good."

Frank Schaffer and his wife Diane of Diorite are members of the Polish-American Society, and on Friday they were eagerly explaining the "Golabaki" (stuffed cabbage rolls) and the "Kapusta z Grzybami" (sauerkraut and mushrooms) to food fest goers.

Schaffer said the club decided to participate in this year's 4th of July activities for the first time because "several people had given us an indication that it might work well because there wasn't enough ethnic food being offered," he said.

Schaffer and other members of the club have been preparing for the fest since Monday, including making 2,500 "Golabakies." All is homemade and authentic, Schaffer said. They said they love sharing part of their ethnic background with others.

"You have to carry on the tradition," Schaffer said. "I make my own sausage and sauerkraut. It's important that it's all authentic and homemade."

Besides selling the Polish goods, Schaffer is also trying to recruit new members to the club.

"We accept people from any Slavic descent," he said.

While Slavic food smells hovered in the air on one end of the Lower Harbor, middle Eastern food smells occupied the other. Aza Wolfcale, co-owner of The Rubaiyat on Baraga Avenue, was busy preparing "falafels" and "shawarma" - a type of Middle Eastern sandwich containing marinated chicken or lamb and other ingredients.

"A lot of Middle Eastern countries have it," Wolfcale said. "I love this food because it has a lot of flavor and spice to it, and it's low-fat and healthy."

Wolfcale said her mother taught her a few Middle Eastern dishes, while her mother-in-law showed her how to cook Greek. She added that although her father was from Egypt, she said she "really is just a Michigan farm girl."

Offering Lebanese, Indian, African and Mediterranean foods, Wolfcale said people in Marquette are responding well to the diverse dishes.

"They start out not knowing how to pronounce (the dish) and then they ask for it the next time," she said.

The festivities are continuing today from noon until dusk with a fireworks display in the evening.