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This is the final weekend of Jazz Fest in New Orleans, and while thousands of people are there to hear artists such as Jon Batiste and Tom Jones, other fest goers concentrate primarily on the food, enduring long lines to nab Crawfish Monica or a chicken empanada. In fact, food festivals abound across the United States as soon as the weather warms up, and they’ve become attractive ways to spend a few hours (or for some of us, the entire day).
But the choices can be daunting, and you might get stuck in a line for far longer than you think was worth it for a salad-sized plate of food. You might even end up meeting celebrity chefs and have no idea what to say to them. Never fear: I’m here to help you sort out the complexities of food festivals and help you navigate.