On Thursday night, I joined the Magellan Society of Young Professionals through the World Affairs Council of Charlotte at Deejai Thai. I have just recently been introduced to Thai food, and am learning the menu. Thailand is known for its peppers. Following the lead of two other ladies, one from Malaysia, I ordered drunken noodles. I ordered my meal and the server asked me what level of hot: 1 through 5. I told her I was new to this eating, so 1 or 2? "1! Definitely 1!" she told me. The girl next to me, Charlotte, asked for a 5. The server whipped her head around so fast, "5?! You sure you want 5? Maybe 3?" My dish was wonderful, flavorful, and a touch of spicy. Charlotte's dish of 5 was red, while mine was more brown, and I was impressed that she did not even break a sweat. I think I could eat some more Thai...
On Friday, a parent of one of my students came to talk to our class about Peru (more on that later). Mrs. Carrasco showed the children pictures of food from Peru. She talked about the hot sauces. She told me I need to order the green sauce, that is all I will be able to handle. (After Thursday night, I'm beginning to get a complex!) Mrs. Carrasco said Peruvians eat a lot of seafood, pesto, pasta, and rice, and cheese. Yum! The children were excited about the food and licking their lips. Then she put up her last slide, a picture of a meat kabob. My students were jumping up and down by this point, yelling, "Steak! I love steak!"
"This..." said Mrs. Carrasco, "is the heart of a cow." My sweet, quiet, well-behaved Abby, drops her jaw to her desk, and emphatically shakes her head while saying, "Oh no! Never mind, I don't think I want to try THAT!" Heehee.
I'm trying to prepare myself; who knows what I will be asked to eat. People keep joking and saying I'm going to h
ave to try guinea pig. They say it tastes gamey like rabbit. I don't know if I can handle that, out of respect for my childhood pet guinea pig, Oreo, and my rabbit nephew, Mazie.www.gotpetsonline.com
On Saturday, my neighborhood hosted an Indian food night. We have a large Indian population here, and the community asked them to showcase their cuisine. My friends cajoled me into going to the dinner (I have never been a fan of curry or Indian food). I realized that much of their food is vegetarian, which is good for me. I was a big girl and tried everything on my plate! I actually enjoyed my meal; there is something to be said for eating with the cook. I even went back for a second helping. My favorite was the black lentils that I mixed with rice...a bit spicy...but amazing!
Today, our Spanish teacher, Sra. Kolarska, invited me to her home for lunch. She is from Bulgaria, but has traveled much of Europe and speaks 5 different languages. I was served gazpacho from Spain, quiche from France, meatballs from Bulgaria, Spinach salad, homemade Bulgarian yogurt, and a marshmallow cake. What a mix of flavors and colors!
I love food. What a great weekend! I'm excited to try everything in Peru. Well, almost everything...
