Bon appétit!

Friday night, David’s school had a party at a Muslim restaurant. In addition to a chance to have fun and meet some of Dave’s classmates, the evening was an exercise in culinary experimentation. Each class made a dish together beforehand and added it to the restaurant’s cuisine to make the meal a wonderful combination of Asian potluck and Muslim delicacies. David’s class cooked a curried chicken soup dish, and then at the restaurant everyone tried their hand at making jaozi (“jowdza”)--a local favorite. The teacher showed everyone how to place the meat and veggie mixture into a dough shell and pinch the edges to form a dumpling, which was boiled in broth to bring about the final product.

When everything was ready, we enjoyed a variety of dishes and flavors, including sushi, rice noodles, spicy tofu, roti, and sticky rice. I must say, though, that the unrivaled culmination was the baked duck—head and all. While eating something that stares back at you is not so appetizing to some, Caleb found it both tasty and amusing, and of course enjoyed his turn playing with it among the other children.


After the meal, we enjoyed some entertainment--a man playing traditional Asian music on a very tiny, high pitched instrument. I don't know what was more entertaining, though--the music, or Caleb's dancing! It was certainly an enjoyable evening, and we're looking forward to the next opportunity to increase our culinary skills and expand our palatal experiences.