Dinner Party

We were invited to a dinner party at Harold’s apartment the other Sunday for a non-birthday party. We have never been to a dinner party, so did not know what to expect. We have gone to other people’s houses for dinner and had people to our house, but it was never classified as a “dinner party”. It was always, “want to come over for dinner?” I instantly had images of the 1950’s with proper table setting and martinis. Again my images of what a dinner party is was in need of help. Basically it was a group of people eating and talking around a table, just like we do every day and how we both grew up with our families.

Then menu was as an interesting blend of cultures as were the people at the table. There was homemade bread and salad with different dressings for the first course. Dinner was Eggplant curry over rice, which was a Turkish recipe. Dessert was a dish called, Kaiserschmarrn, which was a pancake like substance, ripped up and added to an egg based liquid. Fruit is added and the whole thing is cooked in a pan and served with ice cream and applesauce. This recipe was an Austrian dish.

Harold, who is German, and his girlfriend who is from Turkey, made all the food. Also in attendants were Marius-Norwegian, Simon-German, Zack- Polish, and Trenton-American, which made for the best part of the dinner, the conversation. Normally when I am with computer guys, the conversation is almost entirely about computers. This night however we had almost no discussion of work. Instead we talked about world politics, and customs. We discussed the German elections and the state of New Orleans. There were debates about policies the European government has on Turkey, and India. The conversation was light though, with jokes and stories every ones has had. We even discussed the different news sources including the Daily Show.

We have debates and conversations with each other, but we have never been able to discuss these topics with anyone else. We never lived close enough to work in America, to be able to hang out with intelligent people. And lets face it; the three year olds at my work have a limited understanding of the world’s movements. It was so refreshing to be able to discuss topics with people who have a better understanding of the European markets and culture. To be able to have intelligent debates and informed conversation was a refreshing change to be a part of.