By Shane Burrell |Sports Editor|
On Oct. 18, my boyfriend Peter Luu and I, made our way over to the Pomona Fairplex where Oktoberfest was held.
To our amazing discovery, we found out that the Ramen Festival was held at the same time and one building over from where Oktoberfest was taking place.
So we made the decision that we would stop by the Ramen Festival and have something to eat before enjoying all the beer that Oktoberfest has to offer.
The Ramen Festival entry fee was $5 and only $8 per bowl of Ramen, altogether $13 for each of us. We both also got a box of Pocky, a biscuit stick like cookie dipped in chocolate.
When we entered the building, we first came into contact with rows of booths filled with different things that you were able to buy, such as clothes, trinkets and anime/manga items.
I made sure that we passed this section the fastest, because Peter loves to look at anything relating to anime/manga. I immediately made my way outside where all of the vendors were.
I smelled the delicious broth being made, bubbling and boiling, mixing with all the broths of the other vendors, creating an alluring enticement for everyone outside.
As we stepped outside, we joined the majority of the people at the event. They were standing in groups, taking pictures, finding places to sit down and enjoy their ramen or other snacks.
We made our first round outside, looking at all the vendors and what they provided, with the different types of broths and meats that would come with each ramen bowl.
We decided that we would choose different ramen bowls, so that we can taste each others. Before we bought our ramen, we stopped by the ever coveted takoyaki.
Takoyaki is a Japanese favorite, a fried battered octopus, that sounds gross at first, but the sauce and Japanese mayo with squid shavings make the dish completely delicious.
After finishing our takoyaki, we went to the vendors that sold the ramen we wanted most. Peter got a black seaweed broth and I got the miso broth.
After finishing our ramen, it was time for some beer. We left the building with full ramen and takoyaki bellies, and got in line for our tickets to get into Oktoberfest.
We immediately made our way to the beer stand. We enjoyed the seasonal Oktoberfest beer from Shedan.
After waiting in a line for about 20 minutes, we were finally able to get our beer. After which, we decided to find the main stage where classic rock was playing and carnival games were being played.
We decided that we would find a seat next to the stage and listen to the music playing while we finished our beers.
The band was playing hits from the 70’s and 80’s and a mosh-pit was going on, with people bashing against each other and beer flying in the air.
After we finished our first beer, we decided that we wanted another, already feeling very happy.
While we were standing in line we decided to start a conversation with the people in front of us and the ones that were behind us.
We got into a conversation with a man from Denmark and another couple. Neither had been to Oktoberfest and had interesting stories to tell about what they saw during their time at the festival.
The festival ran from 6 p.m. to midnight so we decided that we would leave before midnight to avoid the traffic.
In Germany, Oktoberfest only happens once a year but in Pomona it happens every weekend during the month of October.
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