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TSIIGEHTCHIC/ARCTIC RED RIVER - Residents of Tsiigehtchic got a taste out of the ordinary when they were recently treated to a dinner that contained no meat at all.

The feast was part of a wellness weekend held in the community. Organizer Jamie North invited former Tsiigehtchic resident Gadi Katz to prepare falafel and other Middle-Eastern dishes for everyone in the community.

"Falafel is a Middle Eastern food you see around Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt," said Katz, who is originally from Israel. He and his siblings now all live north of 60.

Falafel's main ingredients, chickpeas and potatoes, are mashed into a paste with spices. These are formed into balls, which are deep-fried. Falafel is usually served on pita bread with vegetables and hummus.

Although it contained some hard to find ingredients, Katz's dinner was made entirely from scratch and much of what he needed was even purchased in Inuvik. He brought his own spices.

"Normally there are all kinds of side dishes and spices you can add to it but this is very basic," said Katz.

Along with the falafel, he made several side dishes including a salad of rice, lentils and pine nuts.

When people first walked into the Tsiigehtchic learning center, they were greeted by the smell of spices and falafel frying. Many wanted to know what was cooking.

"The smell is deceiving," said Katz. He said he often sells his falafel at the Whitehorse Market. People will approach him to ask what sort of meat he is cooking. They are often surprised when he tells them it's not meat.

"Half of the people will go away after that. They don't even try it," he said.

People in Tsiigehtchic seemed a bit more open minded. Residents loaded up their plates with falafel, pita bread, and the many salads Katz made.

As with anything new, reactions were mixed.

The dinner was "OK," said Shane Van Loon. "It didn't have much taste to it."

"It was very filling and very different I think for most people," said Alistine Andre, who enjoyed it a bit more than Van Loon.

The meal was deceptively filling because chickpeas are a good source of protein.

To be fair, the dinner wasn't quite 100-per cent vegetarian. At the last minute, someone brought in some dry fish and placed it next to the other dishes. But nobody seemed to mind and the spirit of the feast was not lost.