The joy of an event that is organized annually in New York, "Romania Day on Broadway", brought together on Sunday, June 16, thousands of Romanians settled in all corners of America. Prayers were said, the anthem of the two countries was sung, speeches of thanks and words of encouragement were given.
Romanians and Americans celebrated together on Romanian folk music and traditional dances from all areas of the country, supported by artists and folklore ensembles from home or abroad, in order to "take by storm" all the goodies and tastes that reminded them of their native country.
And this time, the stars were the mici [traditional Romanian small sausages], prepared according to the traditional recipe from home, but in New York restaurants, with local meat.
The queue was inevitable in most places where the mici were sizzling on the grill and the smell was mind-blowing. Some stood for more than an hour in line to enjoy the mici with bread and mustard. Two mici for 10 dollars.
I asked an American who was eating some sarmale [traditional Romanian stuffed cabbage leaves] 'Do you like them?' 'Very much! So different, but so good!','' he answered with his mouth full. Here the sarmales were sold for 12 dollars, 'cash only', and for 10 dollars you got three mici.
Another crowd was standing in front of a stand that sold, besides mici and well-grilled sausages, pork, smoked bacon, Sibiu salami, traditional cheese and zacusca. The stall also featured the products loved by Romanians from all time: Buzau pretzels, Eugenia biscuits, the classic chocolate with rum and puffs.
Even the people from Twister Cake Transylvanian Bakery, who sold the famous Szekler cake or kurtos kalacs as everyone knows it, didn't stay all day at all. The cakes, savarine, tiramisu, homemade pies and cheese strudel at 4 dollars each were also very popular.
An indisputable success was also enjoyed by those at the stand selling traditional Romanian blouse [ie] for 50 dollars a piece, regardless of size, as well as those from a non-profit foundation in Connecticut who sold t-shirts with the message 'Made in America with Romanian parts' or 'I may live in the USA but my story began in Romania'.
Annual event "Romania Day on Broadway" held in New York
The vibe of the party for the Romanians, but also for the Americans (they were also celebrating Father's Day) was disturbed with the arrival of the firemen who had to check if something was burning in the area, because the thick smoke from the small grills penetrated in the building behind the stands and the fire alarm was triggered.
"Our mici smoked the famous Broadway!", joked Valentin Soneriu, president of the Romanian Hospitality Industry Federation (FPIOR) and general manager of Carmolimp, the producer of "Litalsi - niste mititei". "I am very proud that we managed to bring Romanian brands and tastes to the heart of New York!" he added.
The festival dedicated to Romania was also a good opportunity to promote Romanian holiday destinations and attract American tourists to our country.
As the Romanian ambassador to the United States of America, Dan-Andrei Muraru, said, "Romania Day on Broadway" was an extraordinary opportunity to talk about Romanian culture, about traditions, about what we do quite a bit outside of Romania, but it was also a day when he brought those who stayed at home closer. A new important day for Romanians everywhere is coming, the one dedicated to the ie, on June 24, "IA New York Day", when the Romanian traditional blouse, which is included in the UNESCO heritage, will be celebrated.
"Romania Day on Broadway" debuted in 2000, the event being organized in partnership with the Embassy of Romania to the United States of America, the Consulate General of Romania in New York and the Romanian Cultural Institute. The event will include an artistic program, with the aim of promoting among Americans the most beautiful aspects of Romanian culture, customs, values and traditions. AGERPRES was the media partner of the event.
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