A First-Timer Takes a Bite Out of the Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge

I posted about my experience at this year's Events DC Embassy Chef Challenge as a "veteran" attendee, but I was curious to hear about the experience through the eyes of a first-timer, who also happens to be a  vegetarian, at an event that isn't like going to Burger King where you can have it your way. 

So I posed a few questions to Sarah Hansen who won two tickets to the Challenge courtesy of Events DC in the Curious Caravan Giveaway for her take on the evening. Did she love it? Hate it? Was there anything she could eat or did she go hungry?

On to the questions!
​
What interested you in going to the Embassy Chef Challenge (ECC)?
I've been incredibly lucky; I've lived abroad and traveled to different countries with family/friends and others on my own. I'm fascinated by all the ways that people across different continents and countries diverge and converge through language, culture, food, ideology, etc. and these interests led to the educational and career path I've pursued in intercultural communication and international education/exchange. The Embassy Chef Challenge highlights and celebrates nations and their peoples through their unique food cultures, so of course I was ecstatic to win the Curious Caravan ECC ticket giveaway!  

Tell me a little about your experience at the ECC? What was your favorite part?
It was really crowded in the tasting room at the ECC event, but everyone was so excited to be there and sample a bit of something special from the participating embassies! It was everything that I love about living in DC, a vibrant celebration of nations and cultures. It's cliched sounding I suppose, but I love the beautiful irony of celebrating differences bringing people together. My favorite part? The different excited responses from the chefs/bartenders when they were given a chip from an attendee to vote for their dishes!

Thoughts on the winners? Which embassy dishes were your faves?
​I really liked everything I had! I'm a vegetarian so I didn't try any of the lamb or beef dishes that I heard other people gasping over, but I absolutely loved Belgium's truffles (esp. the berry milk chocolate) and Ghana's jolof rice and cocktail with Ghanaian spices. Ooh and Georgia's and Bolivia's red wines! Not certain how the judges made their choices since there were so many stand out items for every kind of palate, tough job!

If you went to #ECC2019, what was your experience like? What did you like  best? Share in the comments?