Tuesday was another one of our productive days where we mostly worked and made a grocery list consisting of ingredients we would need for making a curry and couscous dinner for our friends the following night.
Ivan already knew the taste of curry as he had traveled to the UK in the past so when he discovered that I can cook Indian food, he requested me to prepare some at his place. He wanted to invite all the teachers at the school for dinner and have something that they don’t usually get to eat as Indian food is not easy to find in Salamanca. We also told him about the magical concoction of Moroccan-inspired vegetables and couscous that is the specialty of our favourite biker and happens to go really well with curry so Ivan was happy to have us cook up a storm in his kitchen.
On Wednesday, before class, we went shopping for the ingredients and were fortunate to find most of what we needed for the dinner. Unfortunately, finding semolina for the couscous proved to be as difficult as finding a polar bear in Mexico so we had to resort to rice after our failed attempts. We also had to find substitutes for some of the ingredients in the vegetables as everything from the original recipe was not available.
After class, we headed straight to Ivan’s place to start preparing dinner. The other teachers got off at 9:00 PM and arrived shortly afterwards. We all had a late dinner together and everyone enjoyed the food. The curry was a hit with everyone. Ivan commented that Phil got Mexicans to eat vegetables so you know that was good too.
It was wonderful and somewhat humbling to see how open everyone was to trying something different from a culture they’re not very familiar with. I know of numerous people, especially in developed countries, who wouldn’t dare go near something that looks or even smells different. Maybe Mexico’s neighbour to the North could learn a thing or two 😉
Pre-cooking Jam Session
The couscous dinner we intended to make
The improvised dinner we actually made
Good food and good company… what more do you need?
After class on Thursday, we joined Dolores and Isaias at a nearby restaurant for a delicious dinner consisting of pozole (traditional Mexican soup) and some sopes (tiny open-faced sandwiches made with traditional Mexican ingredients) before heading to the La Cabaña Irish Pub for some drinks and live music.
The Band
The Party Squad
Photo by: MeetGto
Isaias ordered more food for the four of us at the pub because where’s the fun in not feeling stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey when you go out for a good time? The band was really good and they played dance-worthy music, but the crowd didn’t seem so interested in dancing 😐
