Collingwood Food Fair
Awatea Birch eating a pig’s eyeball at the Fair. George Kolff looks on in disbelief.” Photo: Lindsay Nelson
Floods can’t keep crowds from pigs’ eyes and kangaroo kebabs
Come hell or high water, the Collingwood Rugby Club was going to hold this year’s Summer Food Fair. And that’s just what they did last Sunday with a crowd of around 700 adults and “heaps of children” eating their way through a variety of tasty and interesting foods. Club member Pete Watkins said that after having to cancel the raft race on 8 January because of the flooding, the people of Collingwood were not going to be denied their other major social event of the summer. “You didn’t think a drop of rain would stop us, did you?” The fourth annual food fair was hailed a major success at the rugby club grounds that about a month earlier were under water. The enthusiastic crowd munched and slurped their way through such delicacies as kangaroo kebabs, pony patties, chillied cicada larvae, stingray, pig’s eyes, hare steaks, thar stew and smoked eel’s heads. For the less adventurous there was tons of variety with seafood chowder, baked hake, hangi kai, and a real favourite with the kids, pancakes with maple syrup. Live entertainment was provided by musicians while the kids played on the bouncy castle and sudsy water slide. The four-way tug-o-war was once again a crowd-pleaser, the overall winner being the team led by Steve Beck. “We’re pretty pleased” said Pete. “I think we’re a lot more professional this year and it feels like a good crowd. ”
Lindsay Nelson
