Dinner Around the World

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8

Our latest adventure was the product of creative thinking and hard work. My daughter’s choir, the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio, had a silent auction last February and when I thought about how I could contribute, I decided I didn’t have lots of money or any particularly valuable items to donate, but I do have time and an ability to cook. So on the auction table went a Dinner Around the World for 8 people, including 5 courses with two dishes at each course and each dish from a different country or region of the world, to be prepared and served by the Isler Academy of Home Learning Adventures. The menu was:

Appetizers: Egyptian Melon Bowl Egypt
Garlic Pita Chips with Hummus Greece

Breads: Honey Wheatberry
Italian Herb

Salads: Bastille Salad France
Bean and Egg Salad Caribbean

Soups: Tortellini Soup Italy
Egg Drop Soup China

Main Dishes: Pork Adobo Philippines
Chicken Curry India

Desserts: German Apple Pie Germany
Cinnamon-Coconut-Swirl Ice Cream Africa

I watched as the bids mounted and topped out at $200, the highest bidder being the owner of a long-established music store in town.

After a few months, we finally coordinated our schedules and arranged to serve the dinner on Nov 7 in the home of the winning bidders, Mr. and Mrs. Flores. My girls and I shopped on Friday and began cooking that night. I spent the entire day Saturday preparing the meal, and there were many great learning experiences along the way.

We learned how to make rose water from our own roses, and we combined it with lemon juice, honey, and crushed mint leaves to pour over the fruit in the melon bowls. The added flavor gave the fruit a zing that was pleasing and refreshing, and so different from anything I’d ever had before!

We used food and herbs we had grown for some of the dishes – watermelon for the melon bowls, basil we had harvested earlier and dried for the Italian Herb bread, mint from the neighbor’s potted herb garden, and rose petals from Erin’s rose bush.

Hannah put her creative touch on the melon bowls, zig-zagging the edges of the melons to create a pleasing pattern.

All of us dressed in clothes from India – borrowed from a friend to add authenticity to our Dinner Around the World.

When we arrived at he Flores’ house, we went to work putting final touches on the dishes we’d been preparing all day. Mrs. Flores had a beautifully set table and fresh flowers were everywhere. I put the loaves in the oven to bake, filling the home with the irresistible smell of fresh-baked bread. I also assembled the German apple pie so it would release its enticing aroma as it baked.

When the guests arrived, they were served the melon bowl and pita chips with hummus on the patio. It was the perfect fall evening in San Antonio for enjoying the outdoors. As they chatted, the girls and I arranged the two salads on the salad plates and invited the guests inside for the remainder of the meal. We finished the Tortellini Soup and starting the Egg Drop Soup. Meanwhile, Pork Adobo was simmering in the Crock pot. Once the salads and then the soups were served, I cooked the Chicken Curry and the rice, and we arranged the main entrée plates with rice down the middle, the tangy reddish-brown adobo on one side, and the sweet and spicy creamy-yellow chicken curry on the other side. As the guests enjoyed the main course, we sliced and plated the still-warm pie and scooped up the cinnamon-coconut-swirl ice cream as its companion. Dessert was served with coffee, of course.

Amazingly, the evening went seamlessly from one course to another. The girls were delightful and charming, and the Dinner Around the world was a big hit around the Flores’ table. The Lord gave me the strength and stamina I needed to spend the entire day cooking and serving, and it was a true pleasure to serve alongside my sweet girls.