Curiocity: No Tasting At Twin Cities Originals

Unless you're the type of person who enjoys being so close to complete strangers that you can smell what type of body wash they use – or in some cases, didn't use – than the Taste of Twin Cities Originals is probably not for you.

To sum it up simply, it was awful, emphasis on the full.

And not full as in, "I'm so full, I can't eat another bite," but full as in, "Seriously, whose elbow is this and why is it pressed firmly against my eye socket?"

Really, we should've known. By 6:10 p.m., the line was already reaching beyond the circumference of the International Market Square building, stretching down the street, around the corner and then some. There may have been people waiting on the entrance ramp to 394, I wouldn't be surprised.

Still, we, like everyone else, had high hopes thinking, "Once we get inside it'll be fine. We just have to get inside."

Obviously, this was not the case.

It's never good for an event if people prefer to be waiting outside than waiting in line inside. I mean, hey, at least outside there's fresh air and um, personal space.

And let me tell you, at the Taste of Twin Cities Originals, personal space was a huge luxury. Event goers were even lining the hallways, sitting outside the restrooms and scrambling towards any open space just to get some.

Point being, there was just way too many people. I don't know exactly how many were there but thanks to a two-for-one Groupon, I'd bet there were more than the organizers were banking on. Wine tables were giving out half samples (the equivalent of about a tablespoon) in the fear of running out – which some of them did anyway.

And even getting a glass, er, tablespoon of wine was as my boyfriend put it, like being at a house party in college, hoisting your glass into the air over the heads of others, near the keg, in the slim hopes that someone would see it and fill it.

In order to get any food, cheating and throwing elbows was essential. I hate line budgers. But I completely admit that I was one on Thursday night. I don't feel good about it but it was the only way to get anything to eat – and I was starting to feel faint.

The really sad thing about this whole night was that it was such a beautiful concept – local restaurants getting a chance to show off their food, talk with patrons and get folks to come to their restaurant.

This was completely lost. By the time people got to the food tables, they were so desperate for a morsel of food that they didn't pay attention to what restaurant it was coming from, who was serving it or really, what it even tasted like.

The first few tables we stopped at, I honestly couldn't tell you what I had just eaten because 1. I was so hungry that I likely ate it without chewing and 2. being in such a cramped space, I was so afraid that someone was going to bump my food off my plate that I had to play defensive devouring – which is a tad distracting when you're trying to focus on flavors.

Not to mention, it's not so appetizing when there's garbage on the floor – I had half a slider stuck to my shoe – food being stuffed into foliage due to a lack of waste bins and you're sweating more than just the meat sweats.

That being said, there was some great food out there -- it was just completely downplayed by the chaotic nature of the evening. And many of the tables ran out of food before we could even get there, which was a huge bummer.

Another big bummer was the mood of the evening. It seems that we weren't alone in our frustrations as nearly every conversation was about how crazy it all was – but a tad more colorfully worded. That's very disappointing when this, no doubt, was an event that a lot of people, myself included, were eagerly anticipating.

Probably not a compliment, but once enough people started to give up on the event, it actually was decent in there. You could move around. The wine pourers became more generous and the cooks were doing everything they could to try and please the patrons still left.

I've heard that previous events weren't even close to this in terms of pandemonium. Still, I'm sure everyone who was there Thursday night will be looking for some major changes (i.e. fire code enforcement and maximum capacity regulations) before even thinking of hitting up next year's event.

Sara Boyd is a web producer and columnist at WCCO.COM.