Annual Macau Food Festival

Macau Food Festival!!! This annual event is held at Sai Van Lake Square by the Macau Skytower; the skytower complex can be seen in the background!! Wear a coat and bring some cash - the food IS excellent, but the weather can be quite chilly during the Macau winter season.

Yes, it's that time of year again!!! Time for festivals, friends, and the most important ingredient, FOOD!!!! Christmas celebrations are no longer solely confined to the West and have begun to spread into Asia - primarily through commercial channels, of course, but still welcome to expats like myself. One tradition in the isle of Macau during the fall season is the annual Macau Food Festival, a two-week bash held at the Sai Van Lake Square beside the imposing Macau Sky Tower. You can check out the specific details of the event HERE at the Macau Tourist Office's website.

Macau, as you can read elsewhere on the web or even on the Macau section of my blog, is a part of China that for several centuries was administrated by the Portuguese. Therefore, the cuisine for the islands have a decidedly Portuguese influence that can be quite delightful!! This is especially true in the areas of stews and seafood. Once, I had the folly of planning on visiting every single restaurant on the three small islands that compose the area called "Macau", but soon I realized this was a vain task!! There are multitudes of restaurants on every single street.

The easiest way to get a real taste of Macau and a sample of the diverse culinary experiences available there is to stop by the annual Macau food festival held downtown!!! On the island of Macau is the Macau Sky Tower and its associated complex. If you're not up for skydiving or eating at the 360 degree rotating restaurant, I would recommend stopping by the complex during the month of November to sample the mix of Chinese, Portuguese, Macanese, and Japanese dishes available there!! Free buses from Taipa island help shuttle people to the location, as well as several of the buses from Macau. The easiest way, however, is to use a taxi. The festival starts nightly after 7pm. Crowds descend on this area during the evening hours, creating a festive environment with live performances by local bands and schools, fireworks, and of course plenty of food. Of course, the commercial Tsingtao and Coca-Cola stands are available often giving out freebies, but the real treat comes from stopping by the stands hosted by the local restos and shops.

[Left] A worker and some chefs prepare some shellfish with cheese. [Right] A shocker for China, but not so much for Thailand... a partially-frozen crocodile head. Yes, folks, it's real!

Above is pictured some of the Portuguese-style seafood, which is absolutely fabulous. Additionally, some exotic fair can also be found, such as the frozen crocodile-head!!! Crocodile meat, while abundant in Thailand, is almost unheard-of in Macau, and after I posed for a picture with the head, several others followed suit. One lady in a nice evening gown seemed like she accidentally kissed it while only pretending too. Seemed like she got quite a shock!!!

Sai Van Lake Square is a huge venue. One part contained a covered area with performances by local artists. This included muscial entertainment ranging from the traditional

In spite of the fact that there were thousands of people at the venue, the area is large enough and the design done well enough to make it bearable. Of course, for the very popular restaurants (including one Indian restaurant), the lines can be quite long. But of course, it's all in good fun! Check out some more photos from the event below.

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LEGEND. 1. People eating with the backdrop of some Macanese food stalls selling Macanese-style food (a mix between Chinese and Portuguese) 2. Feasting time under some colorful banners 3. Selling some seafood 4. The eating is great! and the crowds are just part of the experience!

The entertainment provided by the musicians is great. I listened to performances by Chinese, Filipino, and Portuguese bands and saw dancing performances and the like put on by the local colleges and schools. One Chinese singer I found to be absolutely AMAZING. I uploaded to Youtube a quick cut of some of the videos I took while munching and listening... if you feel so inclined, you can watch below... pay very close attention to the first singer and see what you think :). Cheers!!