For spectators, the food court offered little more than grilled corn, "bar" pizza, gyros, and buns from a Chinatown bakery that seemed to pale in the sunlight. Competitors fared better: They readied up and cooled down under corporate tents that offered not only shady seating but also ample (and perhaps catered) carbs.
Dragon-boat crews were outfitted with corporate-branded jerseys, too. The green jersey jibed with my sole purchase at the event, one of Bruce Cost's fine ginger ales, with pomegranate and hibiscus (12 fl. oz., $2). For South Asian chow, on the other hand, one would have had to look elsewhere.
Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival
Meadow Lake North, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens
www.HKDBF-NY.org
(The 2013 festival was held on August 10 and 11)
