Sounds of chatter filled the air as people of all ages poured into the basement of the Spokane Buddhist Temple for its annual “Haru Matsuri” Spring Food Festival on April 21.
The temple served a variety of dishes, including a teriyaki chicken dinner that included rice, Tsukemono and Miso soup. According to volunteer Zavier Brown, the cooks had been preparing the meal for several days. Some of the other food that had been served was combination sushi plates and Inari, which is flavored rice, packed inside of fried tofu pouches.
Kayla Mosner, a student at North Central High School, came with her friends to eat at the festival. She had participated in last year’s Japan Week, but had not attended that year's food festival.
“We thought this year would be a good opportunity to come [to the festival],” Mosner said. “Everything about the food was good.”
As customers walked in the door, Brown, who was volunteering along with his mother, would take down the orders of customers before they found a seat. He had previously volunteered at the temple’s food festival back in the fall.
“I get to meet new people and [I know] I’m doing something good,” Brown said. “You’re rewarded with that, ‘I helped somebody today,’ feeling.”
Besides the number of customers who dined in, there were several who picked up their owner. Some orders totaled up to $70. After 1:12 p.m., the kitchen had to stop taking orders because they had run out of food to cook.
According to Celeste Sterrett, a member of the temple’s board of directors, this was the first year where customers can dine in and eat their food. Although it was hard to figure out how many people would have showed up, Sterrett has been pleased with the increasing number of people coming to the temple.
“Lately we have had [anywhere from] 50 to 60 people come to service,” Sterrett said. “A few years ago we would be lucky to have 10 to 20.”
