Freebie pens are common at Mennonite conventions, but freebie spatulas?

The keepers of the Mennonite Mission Network booth are increasing both the number of Mennonite spatula owners and the understanding of mission ministries.

The free pocket-size spatulas are only part of the Mennonite Mission Network’s offerings this week.  Three times a day a cooking show is presented, which includes a sampling of the prepared dishes.

The cooking show will provide eight different recipes from eight different parts of the world where Mennonite Mission Network has service workers.

“Each show is focused on a different ministry that Mennonite Mission Network  is partnered with around the world,” said Hannah Heinzekehr, one of the chief cooks.

The recipes were chosen by the Mennonite volunteer units based on what they believed best symbolized their experience. For example, huevos rancheros with green chilies was selected by Albuquerque volunteers who are often asked “red or green” when entering a restaurant.

After they had collected the recipes, staff members had a food sampling party to decide which dishes would make the tastiness cut.

The Mennonite Mission Network cooking show debuted at Columbus 2009. The agency wanted to combine a taste of the different cultures in which MMN serves and a welcoming environment.

“When Mennonites think welcoming, they think food,” says Heinzekehr.

The most popular treat may be Inuit ice cream, a delightful dessert that calls for sugar, berries and a cup of either vegetable shortening or seal blubber.

The favorite dish among the Mennonite Mission Network staff is the South African curry prepared by Stanley Green, the executive director of the agency, and his wife, Ursula.

The South African curry is referred to as “bunny chow” and has already been prepared once this week but will make a second appearance on Thursday night. According to Heinzekehr, Green makes a mammoth dish of his famous curry once a year as a gift to the whole staff.

The MMN booth is proving very popular.  At each cooking show they give away 60 to 70 samples, running out of food every time. Cooking show times are listed at the booth.