More Food (Mis)Adventures

Ya'll will probably be hearing a lot about my food misadventures-at least until the end of August when I will return to the comfort of southern food and then begin experimenting with recipes I've been collecting this summer.

Saturday night a group of us went to dinner. We had some type of pork (sim something), that is very similar to bacon and almost as deliscious. At this dinner, I was taught a new way to hold and use chopsticks and suprinsingly, it worked- unllike the 82 other methods I'd been shown. Try, try, try again. We had the pork and with it they served many side dishes. Mr. Groom  coerced me into trying the octopus side dish. The taste wasn't bad but it was too chewy for my liking. After dinner we were served some type of drink that ended in the "qua" sound and was quite yummy. It was sort of like drinking cold apple cider, with honey but a bit thicker.

After dinner we headed home to  meet two more friends to watch the World Cup. Well, they had not had dinner yet and brought Japanese take out with them. And offered to share. Lucky us. Mr. Groom explained to me before, that refusing food was equal to a social slap in the face. So I took a bite. And then our guests announced what we were eating. Cuttle fish. Look it up. Its a squidy type fish. It had been made into meatball shaped  pieces along with very slimy bread. The texture was too much to handle. It sloshed around in my mouth as I tried to swallow it. Half of it down and I felt my gag reflex kicking in. Have mercy, I can't reject their dinner like this. At this time, a soccer player  tripped and our guests raised thier hands to their mouths in laughter. I raised mine, in kind. But I was keeping my dinner from spewing across the apartment. Luckily, I was able to swallow it and then hopped up for some water. I made a comment about being so full from dinner and THANK THE HEAVENS our male guest asked me if, since I was full, his girlfriend could finish mine. I could have kissed him.

Sunday, we went to Pizza Etang for our usual Sunday afternoon pizzas. I've become fond of their pineapple pizza. Sunday night, I braved the ferocious fire spitting gas oven and made scrambled eggs with peppers and cheese. I've cooked with gas before, but this stovetop seemed to either be full flame or no heat. I managed to cook Mr. Grooms eggs in a scalding 5 seconds, did mine in 6 and ended up with burnt bits.

Tonight- I mastered the flame. I was able to coerce the stove into giving me a smaller flame. I heated hot dog weenies and peppers and topped  them off with cheese and mustard. Mmmm.

And I'll likely be back at the grocery store tomorrow. Wish me luck

Oh and I promise that E is for.... will be coming up soon