One of the many highlights of returning to Chicago is getting together again with our group of teacher friends. My dearest friend, Gerri emails me months in advance to lock in a date for our outing.
I believe we've had lunches or dinners together at least once a month for over two decades. It's one of the things I miss now that I've moved to Hawaii.
Gerri selected this restaurant for our special day because one of our group is still a youngster and not retired. The restaurant was located near her school. It was an Asian fusion restaurant.
I ordered the pad thai which I really loved. The triangle pieces are fried tofu which I brought home for my granddaughter who loves tofu.
We did have one funny incident. Ummm... well... it wasn't funny for Fran... but... this is what happened.
Several teachers were not familiar with Asian food so she (who will remain nameless) offered what she thought was a lump of guacamole (sitting next to her California roll which she'd never tried before) to Fran. Poor Fran stuck the entire lump into her mouth and nearly spit it across the table. I didn't know what was going on, but was aghast when I learned what had happened.
For those of you who don't know, wasabi is like horseradish, a very STRONG horseradish. You are supposed to dilute a little bit with soy sauce and then dip your sushi or sashimi into it.
Poor Fran... I hope she could taste the rest of her food after that.
I have a feeling we'll be going back to Ruby Tuesdays next time.
I believe we've had lunches or dinners together at least once a month for over two decades. It's one of the things I miss now that I've moved to Hawaii.
Gerri selected this restaurant for our special day because one of our group is still a youngster and not retired. The restaurant was located near her school. It was an Asian fusion restaurant.
I ordered the pad thai which I really loved. The triangle pieces are fried tofu which I brought home for my granddaughter who loves tofu.
We did have one funny incident. Ummm... well... it wasn't funny for Fran... but... this is what happened.
Several teachers were not familiar with Asian food so she (who will remain nameless) offered what she thought was a lump of guacamole (sitting next to her California roll which she'd never tried before) to Fran. Poor Fran stuck the entire lump into her mouth and nearly spit it across the table. I didn't know what was going on, but was aghast when I learned what had happened.
For those of you who don't know, wasabi is like horseradish, a very STRONG horseradish. You are supposed to dilute a little bit with soy sauce and then dip your sushi or sashimi into it.
Poor Fran... I hope she could taste the rest of her food after that.
I have a feeling we'll be going back to Ruby Tuesdays next time.


Oh, wow! I KNOW how hot that wasabi had to have been. I would have been without taste buds for days after something like that! Good thing she spit it out and she didn't swallow it. Yikes! :-)
ReplyDeleteNo one told me to dilute it my first time either. LOL Boy, that was something. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness Kay, poor lady! And nobody is to blame in this case!
ReplyDeletemy husband did the same thing on one of our first dates though he swallowed it!
ReplyDeleteHe swallowed it??? Oh my gosh!
Deletehow fun, our church group goes to lunch once a month-different restaurants-we have from 30-35 come-lots of talking and getting to know each other better.
DeleteOh, dear. I feel kind of bad for laughing. I can imagine tears running down her eyes. That really was taking fusion to an extreme--guacamole on a California roll.
ReplyDeleteI've been taken by surprise like that. It's awful.
ReplyDeleteIt's always great to have lunch with former colleagues. I don't like hot foods .
ReplyDeleteI imagine that your friend will be very cautious the next time she has guacamole.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are feeling better. I like horseradish, but I would not like a heavy dose of it. No matter the food, being with friends like teacher friends is the best.
ReplyDeleteI Am not very familiar with Asian food either. I would need a guide to help me out, and hopefully warn me about the hot stuff.
ReplyDeleteI hope the incident did not put your friend off Asian-fusion food forever.
ReplyDeleteI figured it would have been wasabi
ReplyDeleteI can see how she would mistake wasabi for guacamole! Funny story!
ReplyDeleteI never use the wasabi because I always thought it was too strong, but I never knew one was supposed to thin it with soy sauce. Perhaps I will give it another try! OTH, I am practically addicted to pickled ginger.
ReplyDeleteGuacamole as an Asian condiment? I bet that bite of wasabi cleared her sinuses! Growing up next to Chinatown in San Francisco, I was lucky enough to be introduced to Chinese food at an early age. I am thankful to have had exposure to lots of different foods in my life since then, and I tried to raise my kids to be courageous in that regard as well.
ReplyDeleteLooks very cozy. Have a great day!
ReplyDelete