Success?

Ok. It wasn't a failure at least...

Kurds are very picky about their food and most really hate to try anything new. A group of basketball players that went to the U.S.A. were most traumatized by the food out of all the cultural differences. We like flavors, spices, variety. Kurds like greasy rice and chicken cooked in tomato paste water.

We made baked chicken with egg, salt, basil, oregano, and bread crumbs. (Light on the spices.) We also made spaghetti (which they do occasionally eat here) and that was mostly tomatoes, tomato paste, some onion, garlic, and just a little basil and oregano. We also had bread, a cucumber/tomato salad, tirshiat (a red pickled cabbage and cucumber dish), and some sauteed peppers and zucchini.

It worked. They didn't love the food... but they did eat it. We almost had a tea crisis because I struggle with making Kurdish tea, but they seemed to like it and had seconds. And our pudding with a digestive cracker crust had the 3rd grader coming for seconds.

The best part was after they left and we pulled the dishes (we hadn't been able to wash all of them before the guests arrived) out of the laundry rooom and had a chance to sit down and laugh about all the silly things we'd done to try to pull off this feat. And all in all we felt pretty good about it. We have Dutch company tonight... Thanksgiving at our house tomorrow. Company!