Memphis, Tennessee, is one of those All-American cities and every year hosts the Memphis in May International Festival which honors one nation, its culture and food. This year the festival nation was Chile and although great food was offered and 60,000 students learned about Chilean society, and despite generating over $20 million for the town the MIM was in the red by $200,000 due to bad weather that dampened crowds.

2010 will honor the North African nation of Tunisia. Due to this year’s bad weather, MIM executive vice president Diane Hampton jokes that “we’re going to keep picking desert countries until we have a dry Memphis in May.”

Why Tunisia, a nation most American have never even heard of?

“It has a Mediterranean feel, an Arabic feel, and it’s also in Africa,” Ms. Hampton stated.

Thus the country presents great opportunity for culture and culinary diversity at the festival.

Silky Sullivan, a local bar owner and MIM barbecue team member stated: “I think Tunisia is going to be a great country. I’ll be working on my camel ribs.”

I’ am Tunisian and I have yet to have camel ribs.