@Ian-And-Anne-Marie0 @Cathie19 @Cormac0
How wonderful that they cooked for you! You being their guest for dinner undoubtedly gave them so much joy and pride!
I prefer to use the term new and different, rather than strange, and to savor the experience of being introduced to something new in the vast realm of edibles. We are strangers only for a brief time, then we are family.
I love cultures and their foods. If you've read my bio you already know that I have a passion for Cultural Anthropology and travel to places off the beaten track. I have learned so much from all of my international guests, and my hosts while traveling. I always prefer to go "off pavement" when I can. I've been taken into many kinds of homes for food and refreshment while hiking in mountains, farmlands and rainforests, in so many lands. You can imagine how eager and thrilled I am to do so!
I'm honored when any guest cooks in my kitchen. What is a kitchen for, anyway? It is a collection of tools for making joy, love, sharing and nourishment. Complaining about a well- used kitchen is, to me, like grumbling about worn soles on shoes, or a dirty windshield on the car.
Isn't it wonderful when we get to share our homes with all these amazing fellow humans? Our riches, our vast wealth is in our diversity. What a reason to celebrate!