Breaking Bread with New Friends

Just wanted to blog about two more restaurants in Columbus, Ohio. Last week, Johnnie, George, Val, Tory, and I had dinner at the Blue Nile on High Street. We ordered a combination which included Doro Wat, Yebeg Wat, Lega Tibs, Kik Alicha.

Most of the dishes contained meat. Although I'm not vegetarian, I don't eat a lot of meat. This meal wasn't as good as the one we had at Lucy's Lair in Fresno, still I enjoyed the lamb dish and the company. Tory was especially cute as she flirted with Johnnie. George and Val told us that when she found out she would see Johnnie that particular night, she said, "Johnnie makes me happy." So cute. I really enjoyed seeing George's family again.

We also took some new (and old) friends to Japanese Oriental Restaurant. I'll spare you photos of another round of dishes that look quite similar to our previous visit. Here's our group, though, with food on the table.

I so enjoyed this evening with a group of academics who could also make good conversation. Talking with Lucilia about Portugal was lovely--she reminded me of some of the delicious food there, including canja (a chicken soup that I loved). I was also really happy to get to know Silvia and Roy better, as they both teach in Europe: Roy in Finland and Silvia in Austria. What a comfort to know that when I arrive in Norway, I will know at least two people on the continent. And it's always delightful to hang out with Samina, Amrijit, and Johnnie. It was also fun to watch Johnnie's pleasure when everyone enjoyed the food at his beloved JOR. As we were served plate after plate of divine food, a feeling of bonhomie pervaded my being.

I think we all left with full bellies and pleasant memories.