Little food at the fair was prepared on the spot.
At this mela organized by the Church-McDonald Bangladeshi Business Association, most participating eateries brought out trays of recently prepared food from indoors. One stall did offer chaat made to order; another operated a tiny outdoor grill, cooking chicken to be served with sliced cucumbers. (Just the standard cuts of the bird, mind you; no "bishop's nose.")
Several vendors offered pickled, sliced green mango lightly dosed with chillis, including the stall manned by fellows from the Shapla market. This day it seemed a popular alternative for many fair-goers to hot, cooked food, not least because the adjoining sidewalk was in the shade. At another table, staffed by lads from AYSAB attired in football kit, the pickled options included mango, olive, and "black berry" — a colloquialism for small fruits also called jambolan and by many other names. As served, the fruits were soft and sweet (and barely astringent) in a plumlike way. Also juicy in a watch-where-you-drip way, as my photo of pits suggests.
CMBBA Mela
McDonald Ave. between Church Ave. and Ave. C, Kensington, Brooklyn
Early summer (the 2011 mela was held June 26)
