Potluuuucks

I'd been thinking about doing something like this for a couple of months, but was always too lazy to put it together.  I finally got my backside in gear (at the suggestion of several pals :) ) and began hosting a weekly potluck for all of my foreign pals in the Gwangj.

Last week didn't have a theme since it was the first one.  I did, however, learn that I have some seriously culinarily talented pals.  Desiree made some of the most fantastic mashed potatoes I've ever tasted, Scott made an amazing dumpling soup (Korean name: mandu guk), Diane made some fantastic kimchi fried rice (kimchi bo-kum-bap) and Kim made brains.  Yep - brains.  In a jar.  The brains (cubes of cake, a berry jam of some sort and buttermilk frosting squeezed to resemble a human brain) were in honor of Halloween (which was about as Halloweeny as I got this year...)  It was so, so fun to get everyone together and share some great homemade food.  I. LOVE. POTLUCKS.

This week, the theme was colors.  Everyone had to prepare something of a certain color.  We had deviled eggs, homemade pork cutlet, tuna noodle casserole, carrot soup, (blue!) vanilla bean rice pudding, banana pudding, a beautiful green salad, a chocolate wafer brittle cake and peach juice.  Oh my wow, people.  Words cannot describe how beautiful this food was and how much fun we had making and consuming it.  Not only did we thoroughly enjoy sharing our food with one another, but the time we all spent together was so fun.  It's such a great feeling to have built such a supportive, interesting, adventurous community of people with which to spend my time.  Awesome.

And, Scott and Dionne brought their adorable dog Lucy to last night's 'luck.  It was so fun to be around such an adorable dog.  I miss Snickers the Wonderdog!  Amid the fantastic conversation was a little knitting party too.  Such creative friends I have :)

Next week's theme: Breakfast for Dinner.  My mouth is already watering.