Food Glorious Food

Funny how food brings people together. Sunday night we went to a dinner party in Philly. A friend of ours from Houston was in town. There were 11 people in attendance. People from all different backgrounds and all walks of life. These people were diverse and ecclectic. Something that I realized gets my creative juices flowing.
Upon entering the house, I was told that we were going to indulge in Mexican fare for the evening. I was in my glory as the cook is Mexican! I knew that I would taste things that were beyond my wildest imagination. I must divulge the fact, that Mexican food is quickly becoming my favorite cuisine, although I have never truly had "authentic" Mexican food.....until Sunday night.
We started with home-made guacamole and salsa dips along with chips. Now this guacamole was unlike any I had ever eaten. It was smooth and sensual with a display of sliced tomatoes on top accompanied by a sprig of cilantro. The salsa had fresh tomatoes and onions and was just fabulous. I had to pace myself...I started getting full just from the dips.
We then moved onto salad that had a most intense and delicious dressing. The dressing was made from cilantro and jalepeno peppers. It really spiced up the romaine lettuce. We also had a sort of black bean patty that was surrounding a surprise in the middle..goat cheese! This was set atop a crunchy piece of baggette bread. Black beans have never tasted so good.
The main meal consisted of chili rellenos which were stuffed with either cheese or shrimp. We were able to have our choice and everyone chose to try both. We also had fried rice with carrots and zucchini mixed in, and chicken mole' that we were instructed to put into the warm tortillas. I absolutely loved every bit of this meal.
During the coarse of the meal we were all mixing and mingling and the stories being told were fascinating. We touched on several topics, but the one that remains in my mind is the one about the hairdresser that was present. It remains because the hairdresser was there with her girlfriend and come to find out several people had been to a party that the hairdresser had given, not knowing that it was the same lady. The story about the party was being told and they mentioned a nickname of the lady and she perked up and said, "hey, that's me." Well, the people erupted! They could not believe it was her. And the friend that she came with stated that she could not believe she knew this lady before she actually "knew" her. Funny how small the world is. I was speaking to a teacher who went to see the Gates exhibit with her husband in Central Park. I would loved to have gone to see such an incredible thing.
To top it all off we had home-made flan for dessert with mango slices and raspberries. This really did send the whole evening overboard. Everything was so delicious and superbly prepared. I left there feeling full in more ways than one....my stomach was full of great food and my mind was full of new ideas and an eagerness to take life and run with it. To coin a phrase from one of the guests...the night truly was a "hoot and a holler."