Scheme to Overthrow Euro-African Culinary Sensibilities

Today was our monthly prayer, praise, and potluck event. I was on the worship team. Fortunately I was the quieter of two guitars and I am fairly certain that nobody  heard me playing. It was better that way!

As for the potluck, I splurged yesterday and bought some special ingredients that I don't usually get - cheese and sliced turkey. The goal was to make a dish that I learned in France. I'm pretty sure it would have been great too except that I accidentally bought sweetened vanilla- flavored curdled milk when I thought I was just getting the plain stuff. The result was vanilla-flavored cheesy potatoes.

I was sitting just down the table from a couple of coworkers as they discussed it, not knowing that I was the one who had baked the wonder dish.

"I think it would be good," said one, "but it violates the categories in my mind."
The other one agreed "Yeah, I just wasn't expecting it..."

I had to laugh. I will admit that vanilla is not what I would expect out of a cheesy potato dish either, but if it's good, why not roll with it? Americans are blessed with a culinary ability that entirely escapes Europeans. You know that amazing flavor that you get when orange jello mixes with beef hotdish on your plate at a potluck? Yeah... Europeans  don't know about that. They would never EVER put jello on a plate along with something "savory" (unsweet). Nor would they defile their "savory" plate with cookies. Or banana bread. Or cornbread. Or fruit. That's right, fruit either. Fruit is dessert and must never, under any condition, be mixed with non-dessert items. All the non-sweet food gets eaten first, then the desert.

*sigh* Ah, cultural differences. But they admitted that it was good anyway! I may have to keep making it deliberately until they get used to it ;-)