Ginas

The problem my parents have with European establishments is that conversation volume must be kept at a constant whisper and, if you've ever been to a Chinese restaurant (or anywhere where there's more than 6 Chinese people), you would know that it is near impossible.


This is why we mostly frequent Chinese restaurants where you can practically  yell at the top of your voice and it would barely be heard over everybody else. 

In my mind, European restaurants were all super sophisticated and, therefore, near silent where conversation is kept to a hush and the only sound that should be heard is the occasional clinking of wine glasses. 

Chinese food is about atmosphere. That, and the ability to talk about anything you want and not be overheard.

I was overjoyed to find that Gina's (or, GINA'S) Italian Kitchen prided themselves on atmosphere and absolutely delighted to see their tag line:


"You want quiet darling? Then you'll have to go elsewhere because we don't do quiet."


And with Jason's recommendation of their food, immediately booked a table for three for the night. 

Classic Bellini and Kiwi Bellini - $10.50 each

Upon entering Gina's, we were immediately greeted by a bunch of enthusiastic (and gorgeous!) men and women who were speaking Italian at the top of their voices. We were led to a table in the middle of the restaurant (and right in front of the kitchen) and, coincidentally, perfectly positioned to experience what Francesca calls "true, Italian restaurant atmosphere." We started our night with Francesca's favourite EVER drink, the Bellini while I opted for one with a more Kiwi twist consisting of kiwifruit nectar instead of peach puree.

Pizza Garlic Bread - $10.00

To accompany our drinks, we ordered a pizza garlic bread for the table. It was then I decided that I was going to dedicate as much time as needed to learn the secret to that base -light and crispy on the outside and soft, but not doughy, on the inside. 

Tre Funghi Pizza - $24.00

Still in her "OMG I love pizza phase", Francesca ordered the Tre Funghi pizza which consists of grilled portabello, chanterellé & porcini mushrooms 
with rosemary & truffle oil. If there's one thing that Italians do better than anybody else, it's making pizzas. The base is similar to the pizza garlic bread we had before and the earthy taste of mushrooms was perfectly offset with the rich truffle oil.

Tagliata di Manz - $30.50

Jason opted for a grilled scotch steak with a side of chunky fries and salad. The steak was cooked a little rare for his liking but was well seasoned and went very well with its sides.

Fettuccine Mari o Monti - $25.00

My hands down favourite dish of the night was definitely the seafood fettuccine. I was informed, when ordering, the the kitchen had run out of fettuccine but could replace it with some spinach tagliatelle (which is basically the same thing). The dish comes with prawns, chicken and mushrooms swimming in the most amazing sauce made of marsala, roasted walnuts, truffle oil and pecorino cheese. Mmm.. just writing about it now makes me want to go back for more. Delizioso! 

If you want to experience authentic Italian food with amazing atmosphere, or if you want to talk about secret things without fear of being overheard look no further than Gina's Italian Kitchen. 


Gina's can be found at 101 Symonds St, Auckland, New Zealand.


View Larger Map

Huka Prawn Park

I'm a dreamer. I'm the type of person who says "oh we should do this!" but, for some reason or another, never get around to it. It's not that I'm a disorganised person (I really like lists), I'm just too busy.The idea eventually fades and is buried, deep beneath all the boring, everyday tasks I have to do.

Glancing over the prawn farm

Enter Jason. He is a doer. He's the type of person that picks up a good idea and makes sure it happens. Because he's awesome. It was because of him that I finally decided to book tickets to the Wild Foods Festival in Hokitika earlier this year and it was his "if-you-really-want-to-go-just-go" attitude that had us planning a trip around the central North Island and going to one of the coolest places ever. 

The throng of prawn fisherman at the park in the summer

If you had asked me for a list of places to visit in the North Island, I would have told you the usual -Rotorua for the thermal attractions, Waitomo for the glow worms and maybe Ruapehu for the snow (in winter of course) but now I have another to add to the list -Taupo for the prawn fishing! It was highly recommended to us by my cousin, Rex, who had already been twice and was planning a third trip.

Some rules for fishing. Seemed pretty obvious to me

Proudly named the Prawn Fishing Capital of the World, the Huka Prawn Park is the only activity of its kind in New Zealand and the perfect place to spend a day. Jason and I bought ourselves Super Fun Passes which included all day access to the fishing park as well as a guided tour and fishing lesson. 

Just doing some tranquil, silent squatting

The tour starts off in the hatchery where more than 1 billion prawn babies are born each year. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure that's a big number. The park makes use of the waste geothermal heat that is generated from the nearby geothermal power station to make sure the temperature is just right for the tropical prawns. As well as being good for the prawns, the warm water that is circulated throughout the park is also quite nice for us poor visitors who are exposed to the cold winter atmosphere and I especially like feeding the baby prawns. Warning: their little claws tickle very much.

This is my first (and only) catch. I named him Clive. Look at how big he is!

After a short fishing lesson and a few rules, we were set loose in the park armed with our bamboo rods, a bucket and some bait. I have to say that prawn fishing is a lot more satisfying than normal fishing as you get tugs more often -although I suspect it's due to the fact that the prawns are concentrated in a few small ponds rather than prawns being more hungry than fish. Although it was cold (middle of winter, you see), the steam rising from the warm ponds kept us toasty while we sat in tranquil silence.

Clive on ice, ready to go to the restaurant

  It wasn't long till the tranquility was broken by something big tugging on my line and I let out a squeal of delight. Following the instructions given by our guide, I wait for a few more tugs and don't start pulling back until I feel a constant pulling which meant the prawn had put the bait in its mouth -the short jerky tugs mean that it's only got it in its claws. He's a big 'un!

Mmmmm... warn toasty fire

Unfortunately, the rest of our fishing time wasn't as eventful and we decide to head to the Huka Prawn Park Riverside Restaurant where all the farmed prawns are taken and the lovely chefs cook up your catch of the day. We happened to arrive at the same time as a large tour group who had just placed their gigantic order and taken up all the seats in the restaurant -all except a table for two beside a roaring fire. Perfect.

Hot lemon, ginger and honey fruit drink -$4.50

Garlic Ciabatta -$5.50

 Due to the aforementioned tour group, we were advised that the average wait time would be about 30 minutes. Since we were in the most comfortable place in the world, we decided to order some hot drinks and remain by the fire. However, our entrees arrive minutes after we are seated and our lovely waitress informs us our mains would be arriving shortly after. The hot lemon and ginger drink super lemony (just the way I like it) and was the perfect drink after a few hours in the cold. The Ciabatta bread was very well flavoured although a little softer than I would have liked.

Chunky Chips with housemade tomato sauce and aioli -$6.50

 Most of the dishes on the menu are a little out of our price range as we had already spent a lot of money on renting a camper-van so we had to resort to items that wouldn't break the bank and what better way to fill up than on chunky fries? Lucky for us, the chunky chips here are delish -crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside and as big as your face. Don't believe me?

See? I told you.

 Anyway, they were very satisfying and we let ourselves have a nice seafood dish..

Tempura prawns with a sweet chili sauce -$18.50

The tempura prawns was the one "luxury dish" we allowed ourselves and boy was it tasty! The batter was light and super crunchy while the sweet chili sauce had a slight citrus twang to it which went well with the natural sweetness of the prawns.

Clive. On a plate.

Last to arrive was Clive. Remember him? The catch of the day?

At this point, I wish we had caught more

Although I had bonded with Clive on our trip to the restaurant, I immediately forgot and happily tucked in to the big, juicy prawn when it was brought to our table. It was perfectly cooked and simply delicious.

Waikato River

After our meal, we decided to take a tour of the grounds which took us through all the fishing ponds and along the Waikato River. There were many activity stops on the way such as rope courses and trout fishing which kept us entertained and made the walk more enjoyable. The scenery was breathtaking.

Biggest prawn ever caught is 42cm. Try to beat that!

Interesting prawn facts

In case you can't read the interesting prawn facts above, here they are:


1. Did you know that the prawn breeds at a ratio of seven females to one male.
2. The male Prawn has two Thingi's.
3. The golden claw male puts all his energy into fighting and if he wins often enough he then turns into a blue clawed male and then puts all this energy into mating (Clive was one of those!).
4. The male prawn in an average lifetime of 2 years will father approximately 36 million happy and healthy baby prawns.

 All and all, this was the best place we visited on our road trip -it was just a pity that it was winter. The Huka Prawn Park has all the ingredients needed for a great day out -good food, good activities and very educational. We will definitely be back for more soon and this time, we will get a whole bucket of prawns to ourselves Muahahahahaha..

The Huka Prawn Park can be found at the end of Huka Falls Road, Wairakei Park, Taupo, New Zealand.


View Larger Map

Barolo at the Langham

I started off the day feeling uneasy because, on the way to work, I realised that I had put on my stockings backwards. I kept thinking about it as the day progressed yet did nothing about it because I knew it was going to be a good day. You know why? It was Jason's birthday (31st of May if anyone's interested..) and, for months, I had planned for us to go to Barolo for dinner!

The foyer at the Langham

Status: arrived at work a little overdressed and then at uni where I was also a little overdressed. I reassure myself that it'll be OK once I get to fancy restaurant.

After a slaving away at our literature reviews (poor Jason, he always has to study on his birthday), it was finally time to cast them aside and head up to Barolo in my little Nissan March. I'm just going to take this time to gush about valet parking -it's the best! We just got out of our car and left it trusting that it would still be there when we came back. And it was. Life is good.

We were warmly greeted by the staff and led to some very comfortable corner seats which allowed us to sit closer together while observing the rest of the patrons. The room was scattered with tea lights and the foreign background music did much to set the mood. So far so good. 

Chef Alberto advertising his selezione menu

Being our first visit to Barolo, we opted to try out chef Alberto's personal 'selezione' menu for two which is a five course meal, for $99 per person, including:

• Four entrees

• Two primi piatti

• Two main courses

• A dessert tasting platter and

• A tasting platter of Langhe cheeses

Exciting, I know. What's more exciting is that we don't find out what we're having until it arrives at our table!  

Sparkling wine -$17 per glass

At our waiter's assistance, we started off with two glasses of New Zealand sparkling wine made from Hunter's Sauvignon Blanc. The wine was quite fruity and full bodied and we found that it suited our tastes superbly. 

Pesto, olive oil and freshly baked breads

We were eased into our meal with a variety of freshly baked breads with pesto and olive oil from the table while we waited patiently for our food to arrive. At this point, some very casually dressed people are seated a few tables over and look very out of place. I am extremely glad that Jason and I dressed up for this.

Rabbit terrine, salmon, beef carpaccio and goat cheese tart

After we devour our bread and dip, our very attentive waiter brought over our first course: the four superbly presented entrees. We started off with a pork scented rabbit terrine with grappa, truffle and hazelnut, toasted focaccia and aged balsamic. Might I just add that this was in my top two favourite dishes of the night? The terrine itself was simply delightful and the balsamic complimented it perfectly without being too overpowering. We then turned to the salmon  which was accompanied by grapefruit and watercress salad and drizzled in a Chardonnay vinegar syrup. How fancy -even the salmon hater (Jason, not me) couldn't hate on this one. 

So fancy that their soft drinks are water

Next was the beef carpaccio accompanied by a Parmigiano and garlic crostini and a light lemon dressing which proved to be Jason's favourite. And lastly, a caramelised pear, onion and goat cheese tart, beetroot jelly and microsalad. The pastry crumbled and melted in just the right way while the beetroot jelly was a cute little addition. Failed to see microsalad. Very micro indeed.

"Agnolotti del plin al sugo di arrosto" and "Gnocchi al Basilico, saltati al pomodoro, zafferano e aragosta"

Don't be scared by the names. They are delicious.

aka Pinched agnolotti pasta stuffed with marinated beef and beef jus

After the Antipasti came the Prima Patti -the pasta course. We were lucky enough to try two pasta dishes off the menu and Barolo certainly put their best foot forward. We started with an agnolotti pasta stuffed with beef and covered in a beef jus. We found the filling to be a little grainy, but the beef jus was delicious -sticky and sweet.

aka Basil gnocchi with saffron in a lobster tomato bisque.

This was, hands down, my favourite dish. I had originally been afraid that we would miss out on the lobster gnocchi by choosing the mystery menu, but I was very relieved when the smell of the flavour packed bisque came our way. The hand made gnocchi was soft and chewy and the flavour of the lobster bisque penetrated right through the center-oh the lobster bisque. Mmmmm. This is how all gnocchi should be done. 

By this time, I was feeling quite full and we were only half way through our courses. We take a little rest before our next course comes, wondering what will come next.

Filetto al Blue di Langa and Pancetta brasata alle nocciole

The Secondi consisted of a grilled eye fillet and braised pork belly. The eye fillet came atop a bed of creamy polenta, silverbeet and beef jus. The beef was very soft and the dish very rich.

aka Grilled eye fillet, soft polenta, silverbeet, Blu de Langa, beef jus and Pork belly braised in hazelnut milk, fennels, Jerusalem artichokes, baby radish

After this, we moved on to the braised pork. The crackling became a bit chewy because we had allowed it to cool down while we tended to the beef but the rest of the meat was very soft and came apart quite easily. 

Status update: near bursting. Jason had to eat about 20% of my meal.

From left: Tiramisú, Plum and apple crumble, Caramel semifreddo, Hazelnut and chocolate mousse, red wine poached pears and Orange scented pannacotta. And a candied nut line. Don't forget the candied nut light.

Despite being near bursting point, we were still looking forward to the next courses. We sat like eager little kids for the dessert platter to arrive and I couldn't wait for the waiter to bring it to our table so I could dig in. Everything was presented beautifully, and it was hard to decide where to start!

Orange scented pannacotta, liquid toffee and candied orange pieces

I'm in love with citrus flavoured things so of course we had to start with the pannacotta. The crunchy toffee was a very welcome addition to the soft, creamy texture and mouthfuls of candied orange provided nice bursts of extra citrus flavour.

Caramel semifreddo, lemon broth and wild berry coulis

I have to admit that I didn't eat very much of this. As well as being very full, I found that the coulis was a bit too tangy for my tastes so I stuck to the semifreddo while Jason worked on it. We try the candied nut line with each of the desserts and find that it's the perfect accompaniment.

Hazelnut and chocolate mousse, red wine poached pears

One of my favourite elements of the dessert platter were the red wine poached pears. They were soft and provided a nice alternative to the very creamy desserts that surrounded them. The chocolate mousse was the equivalent of eating a cloud made of hot chocolate -so light and bubbly with a soft sponge base.

A degustation of six Piedmontese cheeses with mustard fruit and crackers

By this time we were so full that we became a little delirious, giddy and barely had the capacity to form full sentences. An incomprehensible mumble told our waiter that we were ready for the last course -Formaggi (aka cheeses).

And then I realised that the cheeses were the main focus of this course.

"Start from the left and work your way clockwise from the mildest cheese to the strongest" suggested our waiter. The cheeses were all very creamy and I would have asked what each one was called had I been in a state to form proper sentences.

Status update: We have now been at Barolo for 3 hours -we were the first ones to arrive and are now the last ones here. 

"Best meal of my life" -Jason 2011

If you, too, want to have a real eating experience, Barolo can be found in the Langham hotel on 83 Symonds St, Auckland, New Zealand.

View Larger Map

Hokitika Wildfoods Festival 2011

A few weeks ago, I was quite adamant to everybody that I would not consider doing a shot of horse semen. I would not even go within 10 meters of the stall. On the day, however, it was a completely different story.

Let me explain..

Let me explain..

..All the cool kids were doing it (Horse semen shots -$10)

Hokitika is the home of the world-famous Wildfoods Festival which is put on every second weekend of March. The founders put together 50 years of research to determine the weekend with the best weather -and boy, were they spot on! With pretty average weather either side of it, this weekend was spectacular! I was quite afraid that I had psyched all my friends up for so long that, when we finally arrived, they would be disappointed. I needn't have worried at all.

Oh yeah, everybody dresses up too

As well as claiming the best weather each year, Hokitika's Wildfoods Festival attracts thousands of adventurous foodies from all over the world -and I actually mean thousands. They had to limit numbers to 15,000 actually so you have to get in fast. Jason and I had sussed out our trip (flights, rental car, event tickets and accomodation) since September and managed to get the last available studio unit in all of Hokitika leaving our traveling companions in tents nearby. Yeah, you need to get in real early.

Live Huhu Grubs -$2 each

He made me eat the bigger half..

  Our first stop of the day was, of course, the rowdy people near the entrance who were chopping logs and offering the freshly caught Huhu Grubs to the crowd. Yeah it's gross, but that's why we're here. I have, previously, been told that Huhu Grubs taste like crunchy peanut butter. Those guys lied to me! It didn't even taste like peanut butter! It wasn't even crunchy! I find it hard to describe the taste as I was too busy being grossed out by its texture -goopiness encased in a soft chewy shell. 

Cooked Huhu grubs

Pan fried Huhu Grubs -$1 small, $2 medium, $5 large

Being a very gullible person, I was convinced that cooked Huhu Grubs would taste better so, when we passed this stall, I had to give these a go -only if my companions had one too..

Asia wasn't a fan

It turns out that my hunch was spot on. Although not something I would have frequently, they were definitely more tolerable when cooked. Now they had the hint of peanut butter and, surprisingly, the texture of really really overcooked prawns.

Venison Sausages -$5 for 2. These are seriously good. Each one is as long as my arm

We really needed something normal to follow this up with. Something from the "Best New Food" stall of 2010. Smokey venison sausage line it is. 

Wild Meat Sauce -$10 per bottle

As well as sausages, the guys at Glass Eye Creek made their own "Wild Meat Sauce" to accompany it claiming it also goes with meat that "ain't so wild" and I believe them. Their Wild Meat Sauce is delicious! Luckily for me, there were bottles on sale for $10 each and we all bought one each. Believe me, I would have bought more if I had more cash on hand and the means to bring it back home! We paired the sausages with a lovely glass of honey mead (injected with a bit of bee sting!) which we simply fell in love with. It was sweet, fruity and a little dizzying -Moen almost cried when I mentioned that he probably couldn't get this at your average supermarket.

Moen and I with our best "serious" faces

Something that was quite controversial this year was the introduction of horse semen shots. Something, as I had earlier mentioned, that I had planned to avoid. I'm quite easily persuaded by my peers though and, when someone offered to pay for me to try one, I knew I had to. They don't look at me the same way anymore. I know you won't believe me, but they're not actually that bad -especially if you tried a flavoured shot (I had Banoffee Pie flavoured). It just tastes like watery flavoured milk. Don't worry, I didn't pay $10 to have a shot. I was sponsored. Lets make that very clear. I regret nothing. NOTHING. I only wish they didn't show me what one of the shots looked like underneath the microscope..

Liquorice straps for Africa -$2.50 for a small strip, $7 for a large strip

..Back to something normal. Like candy! Liquorice and Honeycomb! If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that Jason and I have missed out of liquorice on many occasions so, when we spotted this stall, we knew we couldn't let this opportunity pass. I'm not usually a fan of liquorice, but these liquorice straps left me wanting more. So we came back later that day to buy 10. Excessive? I think not.

Honeycomb -$2 per piece

I remember honeycomb being such a treat when I was a child. I use the term "treat" quite loosely as my parents would only buy them as gifts. Gifts for other people. Not me. So, being sneaky, I would carefully slip off the seal around the edges of the box, slowly lift it up and sneak the tiniest spoonful of delicious honeycomb. And that would be it.

Could you resist?

I lie. 


It's actually impossible to stop at one small taste. I bet there have been studies that will back up my claim. No matter what I did to keep myself busy, I could not keep my mind from straying to the small box in the kitchen so, every so often, little Lucy would walk back and take another sneaky taste. Before long, all the little spoonfuls added up to a mighty chunk. By then, it was just too obvious so I had to eat it all (and then throw away the evidence). Might as well -they can't give it away now! Needless to say, they started hiding their gifts from me even though I swore I never saw any honeycomb in the fridge. 

I'm not a very good liar.

Slow Roasted Pork on Mustard Mash and a side of Apple Sauce -$10

By this time we were getting pretty hungry for something filling so we bypassed all the "icky" food stalls and headed for the slow roasted pork. It may not look like much in the photo, but man do I wish I could have another plate of it right now. I've just had lunch too! The pork was free range, tender, juicy and melt-in-your-mouth while the mustard mash was delightfully light and creamy. Mmm.. mustard mash is now my favourite kind of mash. I have promised myself to re-create this one day. The apple sauce was from a jar so I won't talk about it.

It's a Startled Worm! (Cafe)

Chocolate Covered Beetles -$4 each

 After the fairly "tame" stuff, it was time for more adventure and we managed to stumble into the tent with all the creepy crawlies. It's hard to believe that one of the main ingredients of your childhood mud pie would now pass as a delicacy at the Wildfoods festival!

Front to back: Worm and Red Bull Shots, Mini Worm Toast, Worm Truffle, Worm Sushi

Cheers! Worm Shots -$2

After carefully looking in each shot glass trying to find the smallest worm possible, we deduced that it probably wouldn't make a difference. To be perfectly honest, I didn't taste my worm at all and neither did Moen -I can't decide if I am disappointed or very very relieved. Asia, however, was not so lucky -the taste of worm remained with for most of the afternoon..


This is us with our grasshoppers..

Before: Grasshopper Satay -$5, Jelly Grasshopper -$4

After: Three people who may or may not regret their choices

The grasshoppers probably tie in first place (with the live Huhu grubs) for freakiest texture of the day. Being encased in jelly, my grasshopper was soggy and very chewy -at least the remaining jelly helped to wash it down. They boys were quite happy with their deep fried grasshoppers and the satay sauce was strong enough to mask any weird taste the grasshopper may have.

Garlic Butter Escargo -$10 for 6

Moen and Asia were quite hesitant, at first, to try these slimy mollusks that you'd find in your garden (and occasionally in my bathroom), but they have weak wills and are easily persuaded. It turns out, funnily enough, that they actually like them. Me? I was a little disappointed. Having been brought up with a variety of seafood, I had anticipated these garden snails to taste much like whelks, their cousins of the sea. I found that there wasn't much in the way of flavour (even the garlic butter was a little weak) while texture of the escargo was too soft. At least I can say I've had escargo now and pretend to be real fancy!

Ostrich Pies -$5 each

If you know me at all, you will know that I love pies. I'd go as far to say about 40% of my lunches during semester last year were made up of pies -mince and cheese, chicken and vegetable, weird orange pie from the uni cafe but NEVER have I had ostrich in a pie! On first bite, it tastes quite similar to your hearty beef mince pie but you get this wonderful gamey aftertaste which is quite nice in small amounts. I found myself being quite thankful that I split mine in 3 parts as I couldn't handle the gamey-ness for more than a few bites.

Here is an epic picture of a Whitebait Fritter -$5

"What's whitebait?" I hear as we walk past a group of American tourists. I cannot believe my ears until I realise that, with all the other awesome food in their country, they probably don't even have time to discover the awesomeness that is heaps of baby fish stuck together by egg and smothered in pepper. I urge them to try this very New Zealand treat and feel like I have done my part to spread the word.

Kangaroo and Crocodile Bites -$2 each

We were almost on our way out before I realised we had forgotten one of the stalls I marked on my map -The Aussie Stall! Our neighbours across the ditch sure know how to BBQ up some delicious morsels. Although I found the "bites" to be a little small for the price, I later discovered that they were the perfect size to have a taste without having to commit. Kangaroo tastes a little like beef while crocodile tastes like chicken. Tough chicken.

Colostrum Shots -$6 + loss of self worth each

Mountain Oysters

One brave woman

Though I am always up for trying wild and wonderful foods, there are just some things I'm not brave enough to touch. Pan fried cow udders and mountain oysters for example. I draw the line at horse semen.

Lego man!

Barbie and Ken

One of the greatest parts of the day was seeing how much effort everyone put into dressing up. Although not all fitted in with the theme "Where the Wildfoods are" they were all very creative. Among my favourites were the "Mail order Barbie and Ken" and the Lego man whom I almost mistook for a bin (he was sitting down OK?).

Tahr Curry -$5

Once we decided that we had tried almost everything the festival had to offer, we started the trek home and realised we hadn't made plans for dinner. Luckily, someone had come up with the brilliant idea of scanning out so we could scan our tickets in again later that afternoon. So it was settled -we were coming back for dinner! 

It turned that we had quite an early dinner as the festival ended at 5:30pm instead of 7:00pm like I had previously thought (yay for double and triple checking the itinerary!) and we were able to fill ourselves up on some curry and yummy strawberries and cream. It was quite nice to follow all the strange food with something slightly more normal..

Edible Potato Bowl

 ..Not too normal though. Our ice cream bowls were edible -they kind of tasted like polystyrene but became tastier and tastier with each bite. Hmmm..

So if you're ever unsure about how to spend the best summer weather in the South Island of New Zealand, why not give Hokitika a visit? Mark the 10th of March 2012 in your diaries now, all you adventurous people and start getting your costumes ready -there's a competition! I highly recommend this festival to everyone who loves to have fun. 

Except those with weak stomachs. And vegetarians. There's nothing for you here.