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We all sat at a long table near the kitchen. The waitress filled our water glasses and took drink orders (beer and wine). We ordered a couple of appetizers to share which consisted of small meat and spinach pies with stuffed grape leaves and humus dipping sauce.
We then ordered the entree. Most got the Combination Plate which had skewers of steak, chicken and lamb with side of roasted vegetables. Joe P. ordered the Steak Tips at first and then changed his mind to the Combo Plate. However, the waitress brought him the Steak Tips which were in a sauce that he thought too spicy. The combo plate was very good with the meats done just right. The beer and wine offerings were a little more expensive than usual.
We later had a dessert and coffee with spoons to
share. The meal was good but the
conversation was better.
The combo plate included Kabobs on a skewer. Kabobs with meat on a skewer are called Shish Kabobs from the eastern Mediterranean. From Europe kabobs on bread rolls are called Doner Kabobs. The kabob can have roasted chunks of fish, meat or vegetables. The meat is normally served with a dipping sauce of Humus, Tahini or Baba Ganush. Humus is made by mashing chick peas in a blender with olive oil and seasonings. Tanini dipping sauce is made by roasting sesame seeds and blending them with olive oil and seasonings. Baba Ganush is made by baking eggplant and mixing the inner meat with olive oil, chick peas and tahini in a blender with other seasonings. Each of these dips was served with the appetizers and entrees and were super tasty.
As we ate and drank we talked about a variety of items.
The weather was the main topic. Joe L. said he ran out of oil on a Sunday and
had to pay extra for an emergency delivery.
Joe P. talked about looking into buying a new car as his
approaches 100,000 miles. My 2004 Tahoe
has 103,000 and is still running great. The only bad side for an eight cylinder
is the gas mileage. I’m lucky to get 15 mpg. However, I do have a 2013 Chevy
Equinox that gets about 30 mpg and use it mostly for long trips up north.
We then talked a little about the situation in Ukraine
and Crimea. Joe P. said he would like to
take a trip to Turkey. Both Joe L. and Jim T. commented that they had been there
and the scenery was beautiful.
Ed D. mentioned all the emails regarding the NSTA
convention and related publisher breakfast invitations. Sean Musselman from
NSSSA has also sent out info. John Papadonis from Cambridge College has an invite to the Aquarium Reception.
Checkout the emails from NSSSA.
Jim T. said he would miss the NSSSA end of year dinner on
May 1st at the Danversport YC
since he was planning a trip to Key West, FL.
We all added some info about trips that we had made in the past to Key
West and all the attractions.
Jim said he was still busy with the Salem State
Collaborative, planning teacher workshops and events. He mentioned that they
recently had the WISE program (Women in Science and Engineering). They again
had meteorologist Danielle Niles from WBZ-TV as the keynote speaker who always does a great job.
We then discussed some restaurants for next time. Joe P. mentioned a few he had been to lately
and we decided on the Bonefish Grill in Burlington. Jim will send out info in
another email.
