How many locals have had mititel or, in English, “meat fingers?” If you asked a week ago, probably few. However, thanks to a group of Romanian workers, many got the chance. A crowd of people came to Southport General Store Sept. 21 for a Romanian dinner in appreciation of the summer workers and international food. 

Southport General Store has had seasonal workers for several years as part of the J1 visa program, according to store manager Nancy Long. She said they have been a pleasure to work with and they bring with them their culture and a great attitude.  

“The customers love them. They're personable,” she said. “They never seem to have a bad day. If they have a bad day, they don't show it. They are here to work and serve the community, and they do a great job.”  

One of the employees, Paula Roșca, said even though they love Maine, she and the others missed home and decided to bring a taste of Romania to Southport. They picked the food they missed the most, was relatively simple to make, and what they could find ingredients for, which was a bit of a challenge. Eventually, they settled on 10 dishes including sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls, eggplant spread, potato chicken salad, and a selection of sweet treats. 

“We miss the food so much,” said Edina Fulop. Fulop said Romanian food is less sweet and more savory than American. “Food here is also amazing, but you guys are eating a lot of seafood, and you don't eat enough soups. So, we just missed the Romanian food and we wanted to give something back to the community because everyone just was so nice to us.” 

Roșca said the group put together the dinner with help from the general store chef, who encouraged them, as well as their parents. “Most of the food, when we made it, we did call our parents to look at what we're making," she said. “When I was making the dough, I called my parents and I was like, ‘Does the dough look right? Is it OK? Does it look like home?’” 

This is Roșca’s third year working at the store. She said she keeps coming back because she loves the “vibe,” the team, and how kind and welcoming the community is. Roșca loves it so much she convinced some friends, including Fulop, to come this year. Both live in Cluj-Napoca, Romania’s second largest city, and look forward to returning.  

Roșca recently graduated with a degree in graphic design and will try to begin a career when she gets back. Fulop just earned a master’s degree in diplomacy in international relations and is looking forward to returning home to start a community garden, but she may try to come back to Southport again.