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MIDDLETOWN — Thousands of people flocked to Donham Plaza and the surrounding area to feast on a three-day smorgasbord of multiculturalism known as Middfest International.

Many attendees, including Monica Sellers of Hillsboro, got their first taste of the annual event on its last day, Sunday, Oct. 5, in a literal fashion, savoring complimentary samples of Mongolian Beef whipped up by Treyante Hill and Tandi Warmoth, two students of Butler Tech's culinary arts program.

"They don't know what it is, but they know that it smells great," Warmoth said.

Sellers agreed, asking for the recipe so she could re-create the dish at home for her husband Mark and their nine children, all of whom seemed to enjoy the dish.

"We enjoy seeing the different cultures and seeing how they do things and how life is different in different parts of the world," she said.

Merrell Wood, spokesman for Middfest, estimated more than 20,000 turned out over the course of the festival, which taught about Mongolia in a variety of ways — including music, art, religion and sport – and featured a petting zoo that included camels, wild boar and zebu.

Like years past, this year's offerings were not limited to one nation. It served up dance, music and food from an array of countries. Next year's installment of the event — started in 1981 — will feature Indonesia, Wood said.