This was probably the best meal I ever remember having. All the food was hot, delicious, attractively presented and a joy to eat! I don't know how the caterer managed to keep everything warm and serve all the people (probably 3 to 400) nearly simultaneously, but they did.
When I remembered to snap the photo, I had already eaten two of the tiny tomatoes, which had been grilled (I think), and they were exactly how a tomato should taste!
Starting from the rare beef at 4:00, and going clockwise, the beef rested on a bed of julienne potatoes, which were crispy and perfect, cod fish with a capered sauce, done to perfection, a cake of sweetened polenta topped with what I think were pomegranate seeds, roasted asparagus (al dente) and the aforementioned tiny tomatoes (both yellow and red.)
Mr. kenju told me 48 and 1/2 years ago that he doesn't eat fish. He will eat boiled shrimp and lobster, but that is the extent of his seafood diet. And except for the one time I tried to pass off an albacore tuna casserole as chicken, he has never even tasted fish. His theory was that because his mom force-fed him cod-liver-oil as a child, he could not stand the taste of fish. I have tried to tell him many times that not all fish tastes that way, but he was adamant.
So, fast-forward to last Friday evening at The Library of Congress dinner, where I noticed about 1/3 of the way into the meal that mr. kenju was eating the fish. Imagine my surprise and also delight.....lol. I mentioned to my other seatmate that I was going to watch and see if he ate the whole serving before saying anything, so she watched too. Our daughter, seated on the other side of the table, was oblivious to this - and oh, how I longed to tell her!!
When the meal was over, I asked him how he liked the food. He answered that it was all very good (and that was evident, since his plate was almost licked clean.) I said..."What did you think of the fish?" and he looked at me with such perplexed eyes and said..."What fish?" I told him that he had not only eaten it, but did so with relish, as far as I could tell. He was completely unbelieving - but it was proven by our table mates, who all got a big kick out of it, but not as much as our daughter and I did. She could hardly wait to text our other two children and tell them about Daddy's big fish adventure.....He will never live this down, of course. The trouble is, he now says he will not ever do it again. Go figure.
12 comments:
This made me smile. Is he still grumbling about it? :)
That is too much...great!
Judy,
Great story about Mr. K and the fish.
When my kids were little I used to tell them that Gorton's Cod Fish Cakes were chicken and they loved it.
When they were all late teen agers I finally told them the truth and that was the very last time they ever ate it.
Do you have a picture of yourself at the dinner at the Library Of Congress? We would love to see it...
How amazing! Maybe you will have to disguise it the way it was disguised on the plate at the Library---Along with Steak and such...lol! That dinner plate looked so delicious...!
I used to fry fish when I was a teen for work and I stayed away from that food for years.
Once you find a nice restaurant that fixes the fish correctly - you are in heaven.
Funny story.
How funny. Like Naomi said, just slip it in with a nice red meat and he will never know.
What a yummy looking meal.
My mother made the most delicious "beef" sandwiches. The beef was cow tongue. Once I learned what it was I never ate it again. My husband loves cow tongue and used to fix it for my mom and for my sister. It was easy to get from the butcher shop cheap before it could be thrown out. Now it is a delicacy and much more expensive. Sad for hubby but glad for me:) Just think of all the inexpensive fish Jim could have enjoyed before sea fish became popular.
My cousin hated a certain vegetable (can't remember what it was) and had dinner with us one day. The hated food was in a stew and he thought it was something else. He complimented my mom on how delicious it was. My sister then said, I thought you didn't like (whatever the offending food was) and he said he didn't. She pointed out to him that he had been eating it. He pushed his plate away and said, "I knew there was something wrong with it." and didn't eat another bite. Go figure.
A great fishy story! I was drooling just looking that that meal!
Sounds like a great time. I'm behind on my blog reading so went back a bit on yours. How exciting for you.
Yes I guessed what his reaction would be when he learned the truth. MEN!
And back here, Goan kitchens almost always smell of fish to an extent that Ganesh Chaturthi, a religious festival where fish is eschewed for the duration the deity is hosted in the house, and eating of non vegetarian food is forbidden, it's considered a feat by Goans to get through the days without eating fish :-)
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