The Mounted Police invited a Peruvian architect who was in his German class over for dinner. It’s hard to know exactly what someone will eat in a situation like this. He’d also invited another person from the class but it turned out that she was vegan and he’d uninvited her. Or something. So I felt I needed to tread carefully.
I ascertained that she was not vegetarian and I made chicken and mushroom lasagna, seemed neutral enough, and somehow there was enough for an army. Usually I don’t really think too much about how much I’m making. I can eat it for lunch or give it away. But this was overkill even by my standards and then the issue becomes how do you offer someone you don’t really know leftovers? Generally speaking, the mounted police do not eat leftovers so I asked him before hand if we could give her leftovers, his eyes about bulged out of his head in dismay. (Ultimately I totally knew that I’d have eaten all of the leftovers cold standing at the refrigerator with the door open but just at that moment I didn’t want to seem gluttonous).
I made the lasagna, there was salad and of course key lime pie, it’s very unlike anything they eat here (or anywhere, practically). Maria arrived and was lovely, and fun to talk to, lived and worked in France (and spoke fluent French!) before moving to Germany. During the meal that included martinis (not for me) and 72 bottles of wine she admitted that she hated cooking and was always happy for a home cooked meal. Boy, I hopped on that right away. Of course she’d take leftovers!!
