As first-years searched for parents who had wandered astray and students delighted in the free food, the WHRB penguin danced to the beat of Simon and the Salamanders.

Welcome to FallFeast, the Undergraduate Council’s second annual Quad-based fall festival, which provided students with culinary and musical diversions from a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Instead of last year’s carnival flavored FallFeast, ethnic foods, booths from student groups and band performances were the main attraction’s of this fall’s celebration.

“The focus is on food now,” said Michael R. Blickstead ’05, the committee’s services chair.

New England, Italian and Asian feasts were served in the Cabot, Pforzheimer and Currier dining halls, respectively, offering goodies such as clam chowder, spaghetti and stir-fry.

‘They weren’t kidding when they said feast,” said Diana Adams, a parent of a first-year. “I’m pleased to see that Harvard students are doing this in addition to [studying]—I’m quite taken with their talent.”

Pfoho was the center of the celebration, housing the stage on which the three bands jammed and the booths hosted by the various student groups.

Groups submitted applications to the council and, if approved, were granted $100 to make or buy food for their table.

A crowd formed around the area occupied by the Automotive Society and Racing Team, which was dishing out hot pizza from Pinocchio’s.

WHRB’s limber mascot stood near a dispenser of hot apple cider and handed out stickers to entice listeners to tune in.

The AIDS Coalition used food as a lure to promote awareness of their cause. While students waited for their portion of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream to be served, they wrote letters to President Bush encouraging him to devote more effort to the fight against the global AIDS crisis.

“We have over 100 letters and everyone’s been really enthusiastic,” said Rene H. Shen ’05. The AIDS coalition table ran out of ice cream long before the end of the festivities.

FallFeast also served as a recruitment tactic, at least for the Canadian Club.

Minister of External Affairs Philippe Bouzaglou ’03 said their club served poutin, the national dish of Quebec, and hoped that the club’s exposure would give students a second chance to join.

“Poutin is french fries with cheese and gravy. The gravy is so hot that it melts the cheese. It’s like hamburgers to Americans,” he said.