THT Int'l Food Fest '16 satiates the foodies with world cuisines, music, games and more Kathmandu Under the warm sun, and surrounded by serene Gokarna forest amidst the sizzling sound of food made on grill and music along with the aroma of spices — Royal Treasure presents The Himalayan Times International Food Fest 2016 on November 12 catered 11 cuisines from around the world to the foodies. It became an opportunity for the festival goers to taste their favourite to new dishes while playing games and listening to live music. “I am here to have fun,” 72-year-old Lava Bhattarai quipped adding, “I am old but I enjoy eating.” He was accompanied by his 62 year-old-wife Usha Bhattarai at the Food Fest. The 50-year-old couple from Baluwatar “really” likes to try different kinds of food. And they were here for that. It was early afternoon and they had already savoured the Thai dishes — Vegetable Roll, and their favourite prawn dish, which were “delicious”. And Lava was ordering chicken and prawn dish at an Indian stall while his wife waited for him at one of the tables. “We have been a part of the Fest before. Rather than feeling bored at home, we can spend few hours here and go home,” added Lava who usually stays at home on Saturdays. They had come to the event to try Japanese food but it was not prepared yet. But after Indian, it was the Japanese stall where he was headed to. The Fest kicked off at around 10 in the morning while it was inaugurated around noon. By this time, Swiss citizen Sabine Picard, who is in Nepal for almost one year now, had tried “super good” Chicken Tikka and Chicken Cutlet; Hot Dog, Swiss food as well as a German soup. “There are food from different cultures. It is great to see a whole range of different countries here,” she expressed adding, “The Fest is great for Nepali people to taste different food items.” She had the opportunity to enjoy diverse cuisines other than Nepali food that she usually eats during her eat-outs. People kept pouring in as hours passed by while some left. Pairs, groups of friends and family members were strolling around, checking out stalls of mocktails and cocktails along with the stalls of restaurants that represented Switzerland, Austria, the USA, Mexico, India, Nepal, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, and Thailand — and ordering the cuisine and drinks they liked. Games stalls were garnering the attention of visitors, from young to old, at the other end of the venue. Hitting the matka was a hit. Many people tried their hands. In the second attempt Saroj Chaudhary, 25, was able to hit the matka. “I was confident about it,” he said which is why he tried. After this, he went to hit the can. “I just had lunch. I will enjoy the games first and then try out different cuisines,” he unveiled his plan. Chaudhary had come from Maitidevi after winning two tickets of the Fest in a contest. When you are a part of such festivals, you need “to enjoy”. This is what Santioago from Spain did at THT Food Fest. Man Vs Food competition hosted by the USA stall was exactly that. Santioago had to eat Ultimate Double Burger — portions of three burgers in five minutes — at the contest, but he didn’t win. “It was very huge and so it was hard and difficult to finish — even if you are hungry,” he shared. Santioago, who has been working in Nepal for about a year, “tasted almost all the stalls. I liked the burger but it was huge. If it was smaller, it would have been great”. The competition drew attention of festival goers, and so did the live concert which saw 1974AD #thenewlineup, Robin and The New Revolution and Vishan N’ The Elektrix rocking the stage with people’s favourite songs like Guransai Phulyo, Keta Keti among others. And it helped the audience digest their food in the evening. The Fest had Silk Air as its Airlines Partner, was co-sponsored by Bajaj Avenger, Real Mixology and Carlsberg, and Gokarna Forest Resort was the Hospitality Partner.