International lunch (Or: My company is eeeeeeevil!)

[thistlechaser]

For some unknown reason, Halloween is by far the most celebrated holiday here at my company. We're currently in the middle of a "pot luck lunch". The company provides breads, cheeses, and meats, and anyone else can bring in other stuff. While it's not required that you offer something when you attend, it seems like at least half the people do. That's about 100 people providing something, and seeing how most of our people are from elsewhere, that gives us a ton of variety to the food. (And nicely, there's a ton of non-meat choices.)

I've eaten a number of new things, though I have no idea what they're called. An Indian dough pouch thing, like a giant fried dumpling, full of potatoes and other vegetables. While it was more spicy than I'd usually like, I enjoyed it. Also not exactly new, but I had only once before, rice with saffron. Mmmm. I think of it as Middle Eastern (the place I had it before was a Persian place), but I don't know if it really is or not. And these cookies, I think they're German, that are like two thin layers of lacy, crunchy cookie, with chocolate in the middle. The last new thing is something I know the name of, but I bet I'll spell wrong. Bak-la-va? The Greek dessert thing.

Add onto those things all the normal/old things I tried, and you get one full Thistle!

Oh, and mostly to shock and dismay quasilemur, I've discovered that I like mustard! I know I've tried it before in my life, but only a couple times and mostly I was really "blech!" about it. But when eating just cheese on a piece of bread, it does a whole ton to spice it up! Mmm. Piece of bread, mustard, piece of cheese. Might be my new favorite sandwich.

Hm, sounds like they're judging the costumes now, but I'm safe and hidden here at my desk. Heh. I made the rounds to be social (twice!), but I can't take being in a room with a couple hundred people for too long, and I'm very glad I could come back to eat at my desk.

Oh, this Bak-la-vah thing is odd. I had it on my plate but hadn't tried it until now. I don't think I like it, it's oddly flavored and sticky. Yuck.

There now. A whole post of me babbling about food. I hope you all have eaten and aren't being made hungry by this!

Happy Halloween!

Comments

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, now I need to go shopping at the place with the gourmet cheese. Cheeeeeeeeese...

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Mmm, cheese is so good. I *think* this was munster (white and round without holes in it), but I'm not too sure. Creamy and mild. Mmm.

[juliansinger.livejournal.com]

The Indian thing is a samosa, I'm fairly sure. They're good.

[quasilemur.livejournal.com]

Baklava is correct, yes. Much love to the philo dough. And I'm also pretty sure that the indian dealie you liked was a samosa. Those are fantastic.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

Oh, Samosa sounds right. Someone told me the name of it, and I recall thinking it rhymed with some breakfast-type alcoholic drink. Mmm, was very large, but yummy (without the sause, it has some kind of dark dipping sauce that was too odd for me to use).

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I think you're right! Someone told me the name, but I couldn't recall it. That sounds right though.

[metron-ariston.livejournal.com]

Since you are in California, I'd guess that your rice is of Mexican or Central or South American origin. I loooooove Spanish-style rice when made right. My cousin's stepmother made awesome rice with saffron and lentils.

Samosas are fabulous! But sometimes they'll have lamb or something inside, so make sure if you buy them from a restaurant they're vegetarian..

The cookies sound like a type of Pepperidge Farm cookie, which I guess could be based on a traditional cookie.

Man, I looooooove baklava. Honey and nuts and pastry oh my! If you don't like honey, though... I can see how the sticky sweetness would turn some people off.

[thistle-chaser.livejournal.com]

I wasn't sure if Mexican or South American rice would have saffron in it or not. Mmm, was very yummy.

Since I hadn't had one before, I poked the samosa apart pretty well before eating it. It seemed to have mostly potato and peas in it. The outside was the best though, nice and flaky.

The cookies sound like a type of Pepperidge Farm cookie, which I guess could be based on a traditional cookie.

I think they make a version of it, yeah. I remember going to some (German?) bakery when I was a kid, and my father bought them all the time. Really crispy and sweet.

On the baklava, I do like honey, but these were really odd. It's almost like they were swimming in corn syrup or some water-ish form of sweetner. Odd.