Last Thursday when I posted about German Christmas markets I admit I was feeling a bit sorry for myself that I couldn’t be there this year.  Traditional food and drink, artisan wares, community gathering.  I was pleasantly surprised three days later by a fest that took place not two blocks from our house and supplied a local taste of tradition and community – SoNo Park Holiday Fest.  This festival didn’t masquerade as an “authentic imitation” of a European market.  It was an authentic community gathering in a San Diego neighborhood that is establishing traditions of its own.

Few foods are as traditional American as chili.  Across the United States regions boast they have the best chili – some sweet, some spicy, some meaty, some vegan.  Look for a recipe online and you’ll get thousands of hits.  This festival featured at least 40 varieties created by local restaurants and families in the community.  I sampled a variety that featured butternut squash and wild game, and another that featured at least five different kinds of meat including lamb and duck.  Before sampling I purchased a ceramic bowl made by the local ceramics shop.  Fifty percent of the proceeds went to the local elementary school.  I refilled my bowl no less than ten times – there were so many to try!  And, like the Christmas market mugs in Germany, we got to keep the bowl as a souvenir.  Nice thing about this market is that my toes didn’t freeze.

Browse the wares from local vendors while waiting for the chili to cool.