CHINESE FOOD FESTIVAL 2018
CHINATOWN, MAURITIUS
The two-day festival started on Saturday 5 th of May with an opening ceremony followed by
performers from China and Malaysia. All took place in Chinatown in Port-Louis, the Capital City.
Lion dance and more
Street food stalls on both sides of streets attracted a swarm of visitors and foodies from various
parts of the island. Now and then, lion-dance performers weaved their way through the crowds
followed by artists playing traditional Chinese drum. Red lanterns lit the sky and at a corner of a
street, passers-by stopped to sing on karaoke songs.
Chinese Food Feast
Among the Chinese delicacies, there were sweet food: deep fried sesame cakes, meat bao, fried
noodles, dim sum, meat and vegetable balls, fried rice, prawn crisps, pork briani (that sounded
pretty strange) but that stall that the longest queue! Our favourite were crispy chicken, crispy
calamari and the thin and long spring rolls.
Chinatown by night
Shops generally close late afternoon in the Capital City as it is mostly visited by commuters. So, it is a
different experience walking in the streets in Port-Louis at night. They turned out to be like cabinets
of curiosities. Things that do not generally draw attention were the most visible: the hanging
balconies of old Chinese restaurants, the street art, tiny scenes in the narrow corridors leading to the
backyards etc…
It was worth a visit.
Brought to you by AIM. Mauritius, May 2018.
