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Lena Celeiro sat at a table in one of the few shady spots at Friday’s Tucson Meet Yourself, a plate of a half-eaten shish-ka-bob in front of her.

“Oh, I come here every year,” she explained, her New York accent still with her after six years in the Old Pueblo.

“I like the Filipino food, and I like the Vietnamese students’ food, and the Buddhist Temple. I like the Jamaican,” she said with a laugh, stopping herself before she listed every food booth at the annual festival.

“I come every day, and I make sure I go to each food booth,” she added before chomping into the vegetable and chicken stick again. “I want to give them all a taste.”

That’s how we felt as four Star reporters spread out over the festival Friday to indulge in the food for this report.

We didn’t hit them all — some weren’t open yet, others popped up in our view long after we couldn’t eat another thing.

But we tried plenty. And here’s what we found:

What we sampled: Aebleskiver.

What it cost: $2.50 for three.

What we thought: Oh my. These round, fried balls, dusted with powdered sugar and served with a dollop of jam, are a warm, tender indulgence. They taste like buttermilk pancakes, only better. They have a pinch of cardamom to give them a very subtle spicy-sweet edge. And they make them there on the spot — check the cool looking aebleskiver pans on the south side of the booth.

What we sampled: Italian sausage sandwich.

What it cost: $3.50. What we thought: Mmmm. A mild pork sausage seasoned with salt, pepper and a shake of fennel. So simple. So good. Heaped on top of this were red and green bell peppers (those Italians are proud of their colors), all stuffed into a hard roll.

What we sampled: Chicken satay.

What it cost: $2 a stick.

What we thought: It wouldn’t be right to go to Tucson Meet Yourself without trying a satay stick. Or without trying one from the Thriratana booth, for that matter. These are crispy from the outdoor grilling (a little bit too much grilling, but we forgive such mishaps at this fest). The chicken was obviously marinated in a sauce that had a whisper of a spice — chile maybe? — and something sweet (ginger, probably). Quite delectable.

What we sampled: Chicken adobo.

What it cost: $2.50.

What we thought: This is a whole lot of food for $2.50. A big pile of rice topped by a chicken thigh. The chicken in this tradition Filipino dish was tender and mildly spiced in its marinade of soy sauce and vinegar. We were asked if we wanted extra sauce. Did we ever; we love that stuff. This dish was a little underseasoned for our tastes, and we struggled with eating it as we received only a fork to pull the meat off the bones with. But that’s kinda quibbling — it’s adobo, for goodness sake. What’s not to like?

What we sampled: Chicken shish-ka-bob.

What it cost: $2.

What we thought: This is an extra long shish-ka-bob. While it only had two chunks of chicken, it was also loaded with onion, green pepper and carrots before it was grilled to a crispy condition. What really made this dish a wow was the chili sauce, made by the students, they promised. It’s hot, very hot, but whoo-ee was it good. Happily, there’s a water booth right next to this one.

What we sampled: Combination plate No. 5.

What it cost: $5.

What we thought: This meal wins for the most items fit onto one plate. Five bucks gets you garbanzo beans bathed in a spicy curry, a slice of naan flatbread, a plump samosa full of peas and potato, some rather plain Basmati rice and a pappad, a thin and crispy, lentil-based chip as big as a tortilla. The samosa was bursting with spices and the naan gave an alternative to using a fork for the beans and rice.

What we sampled: The Meatball Plate and the rice pudding with raspberry jam.

What it cost: $3.50, meatball plate; $1.50, rice pudding.

What we thought: The best part of this booth is its location. It has one of the longest associations with Tucson Meet Yourself, according to VASA member Ann-Marie Kinnison and therefore has a regular spot under the shade of a few trees on the Northwest side of the event. Oh, and the food is good, too. The meatball plate comes with all the makings of a tasty Swedish meatball sandwich: sweet red cabbage, a tiny piece of rye bread, three mildly spicy meatballs as well as a gingersnap cookie. The rice pudding tasted heavenly with the raspberry jam but became kind of bland once the jam was gone.

What we sampled: A mini pizza and baklava.

What it cost: $3, mini pizza; baklava, $1.

What we thought: Napkins are a necessity for this booth. The mini pizza, which ended up essentially being ground thyme and sesame in a pita, was tasty but good luck trying to eat that sucker without half of it ending up on your lap. The baklava was bite-sized but very sweet, a delicious mix of pistachios, honey and phyllo dough.

What we sampled: Chicken on a stick and beef on a stick.

What it cost: $2 a stick.

What we thought: Unfortunately, nothing really jumped out with these items. Especially not at an event with more meat on a stick than you can...well...shake a stick at. Meat portions were small and while the chicken had some flavor, the beef was kind of rubbery.

What we sampled: A gyro and some baklava.

What it cost: $5, gyro; $2 baklava.

What we thought: Welcome to the land of plenty. Plenty of flavor. Plenty of large portions. Plenty of people waiting in line. OK, so the last one isn’t really a plus. Especially, since the India booth with the fantastic food had no lines and was five feet away. Still, you can’t beat a good gyro and these babies were nothing to mess with. Served in a cardboard holder to catch any dripping tzatziki sauce, the pita came stuffed with slices of tomato, onions and several strips of tasty meat. The baklava was also a thing of beauty, dripping with honey and served in portions as big as a toddler’s fist.

What we sampled: Fry bread with beans.

What it cost: $3.50

What we thought: Despite its simplicity, or maybe because of it, this is a fantastic snack. The refried beans are slightly salty and the bread is airy and chewy. Be warned: eat this dish quickly — the longer it sits, the greasier it gets.

What we sampled: Corn tamale, lemonade.

What it cost: $2.50, tamale; $2 lemonade.

What we thought: The corn tamale was warm and sweet, like corn pudding. Green chilies added a spicy kick. The beverage vendor said the secret to his drinks was all-natural ingredients, but the lemonade’s complete lack of sourness seemed decidedly unnatural.

What we sampled: Pierogi.

What it cost: $2.

What we thought: The three pierogi came stuffed with your choice of cabbage and mushrooms, or potatoes. They were garnished with sautéed onions and bacon, adding a sweet and smoky flavor. Served with a side dollop of sour cream. Oily, but good.

What we sampled: Vegetable stir-fry and egg roll.

What it cost: $3, stir-fry; $1, egg roll.

What we thought: The stir-fry vegetables included broccoli, tofu, baby corn, carrots and cabbage, and despite the salty soy sauce used to flavor them, remained sweet. The egg roll was extremely hot, but once it cooled down it went fast (try it with the chili sauce).

What we sampled: A snack plate with two samosas, mint chutney, tamarind chutney and pappads. Also had “rose water,” a drink concocted of rose flavored syrup mixed with water and ice.

What it cost: $2 snack plate; $1 rose water.

What we thought: Delicious. The two samosas — fried triangle-shaped pastries — were stuffed with mushed peas and tamarind chutney. The crispy pappads — thin, wafer-like crackers — were perfect with the dollops of mint chutney. The rose water was so sweet, we went for seconds.

What we sampled: Jerk chicken plate with steamed rice, peas and steamed broccoli and cabbage.

What it cost: $5.

What we thought: Holy moley, save room in your tummy! The mounds of grilled, jerk chicken were moist with the right amount of seasoning to give an authentic flavor of Jamaica. Beware of bones though. The rice and peas were mixed together and made a perfect side. The steamed veggies were a nice touch to this tasty dish.

What we sampled: An ear of corn.

What it cost: $3.

What we thought: I heart the roast corn. With or without butter, each roast ear can be sprinkled with several seasonings, salts, powders and peppers, including cayenne, garlic or ranch. Try the lemon pepper for a tasty treat.

What we sampled: Catfish bowl.

What it cost: $5.

What we thought: A bit salty. If you love catfish though, stop by for the breaded pieces and beware of the small bones.

What we sampled: Sweet potato pie.

What it cost: $1.50 a slice.

What we thought: Tasty. The homemade pie had the right amount of cinnamon and nutmeg. A good choice for dessert if you’re hankering for a slice of the South.

By Kathleen Allen, Gerald M. Gay, Levi Long, Coley Ward