The Perfect Holiday Gift!

Have you been wondering what to get a friend or business associate for New Year's? What about a Nationalities Council of Indiana calendar for 2011!

It's filled with photos of the ethnic organizations that make up the council (and stage the annual International Festival in the Indiana State Fairgrounds).

If one of them represents your ethnic heritage, great! If not, it's a reminder of the world in Indiana!

Groups featured are:
January: Barangay Club of Indiana (Filipino)
February: ATA-IN (Turkish)
March: Italian Heritage Society of Indiana
April: Indiana Partners of the Americas (Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)
May: Estonian Society of Indianapolis
June: American Indian Center of Indiana (Native American)
July: Society for the Promotion of Persian Culture (Iranian)
August: Indiana State Association of Middle Eastern Teachers and Dancers
September: Indianapolis Latvian Community Center
October: Circle City Lodge of Sons of Norway
November: Czech and Slovak Society of Indiana
December: Taiwanese American Association of Indianapolis

(Yes, there are more than 30 other groups -- those selected for the 2011 calendar were drawn in a lottery!)

There are a few calendars left for holiday giving! Just send a check for $12 (payable to the Nationalities Council of Indiana) to NCI, PO Box 1623, Indianapolis, IN 46206, and we'll wing one out to you -- or to whomever you'd prefer it be delivered! If you enclose a gift card, we'll send that on as well.

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A Weekend with Antonio Rocha

Antonio Rocha, a native of Brazil, comes to Indianapolis for two performances in the Basile Theater at the Indiana Historical Society, 450 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis.

The first, "Jungle Tales" is 7 p.m. 21 January. Rocha draws from his repertoire of animal tales with an ecological theme and a myriad of fantastic sound effects. Tickets are $5 for children 5-12, and $10 for adults. The second, "Brazilian Extravaganza", is 7:30 p.m. 22 January. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

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Brazilian Summerfest 2010

Indiana Partners of the Americas and the Brazilian Mothers of Indiana have joined forces to draw Elizabeth and her Ipanema band out of their sabbatical and back onto the stage at the Rathskeller, 401 East Michigan Street, Indianapolis, for a summer party in the beer garden on 22 August.

Ipanema performs from 5-3:30 p.m. From 7-9 p.m., music will be by the Tides.

Special Brazilian snacks and other food items are available for purchase along with chopp, caipirinha, and other drinks. Tickets at the door are $5.

Note: due to alcohol sales, those under 21 will not be allowed in the beer garden.

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Indy's International Film Festival is Underway

Continuing through Saturday, the Indianapolis International Film Festival presents films that "inform, enlighten, and educate the community by providing a vivid reflection of the rich cultural diversity of Indianapolis and the world beyond its doors".

Now in its fifth year, the Film Festival "has expanded significantly, extending itself, and taking root in the Indianapolis filmscape".

Check out the schedule remaining and get thee to a screening!

The closing party will be Friday (2 May) at the Brazilian Grill Steakhouse, 2654 Lake Circle Drive, Indianapolis.

The Star Recognizes Immigration to Indiana!

There must have been something in the water at The Indianapolis Star over the weekend: three feature articles about Indy's immigrants in just two days!

The first, yesterday, was on the Chin (an ethnic group from Burma). Today, it's the Chinese (The Star's photo, at left) and the Brazilians!

Who knows what tomorrow will bring....

Indy's International Cuisine

As Terry Kirts reports in the 25 July issue of NUVO Newsweekly, the best reason to get out your world atlas: new international cuisines:

"A good number of the recently opened eateries both downtown and elsewhere have been offering food from countries not already represented in the pantheon of Indy’s international restaurants. No longer are we just a city of Italian, Mexican and Chinese places. Alongside risotto and taquitos, we now have bacalao, churrascaria and pupusas. Besides BARcelona Tapas, Brazilian Grill on West 86th Street has introduced an entirely new concept of dining with its succulent grilled meats served tableside from giant rodzios. Latin American eateries like Guatelinda have come out from under the Mexican shadow to offer authentic dishes such as plantains stuffed with black beans, pupusas and tamales wrapped in banana leaves. More common cuisines, such as Indian, are turning up in some unusual settings, such as Tadkaa, which offers plenty of Bollywood and Indian pop, as well as vodka cocktails and a full range of Indian beers. With a Somali coffeehouse just east of the airport, Filipino food available in Beech Grove and a new Cuban café called TaTa’s planned for West Market downtown, you’ll want to rush your application for a passport so you can get it stamped all around this increasingly diverse city. Need some help navigating your way? The best local Web site for checking up on restaurants, both ethnic and otherwise, is still Indy Ethnic Food."