Global Dinner Party

I read Rita Golden Gelman's first book "Tales of a Female Nomad - Living at Large in the World"... and my whole world expanded...

After I checked out her website, I found out she had another book out, a facebook page and an event that was planned - 'The Global Dinner Party' that I just had to be a part of...

Rita's first book was about breaking free of the confines of our existing lives, broadening our horizons, connecting with other people and following your heart's desires, I, naturally, loved it...
My husband saw me reading it and just said -  "It would be impossible to expect you to not love a book that has a title like that..."  He knows me so well.
It wasn't just the nomadic existence that appealed to me so much though, it was the fact that she was doing something I had always longed to do - meeting new people in different cultures, living amongst them, entering their worlds and touching their lives in some way.  And, she made it seem so easy...

I immediately bought her second book and got to work...
"Female Nomad and Friends - Breaking Free and Breaking Bread Around the World" is a collection of little stories, written by women, who have traveled the world and connected on some level with people from different cultures.  The book also contains recipes, from all over the world; one of the main ways Rita connects with people is by cooking with them, another one of my passions.

So, last night I had a little dinner party of my own, as a part of Rita's grand plan...
"The Global Dinner Party" took place for a period of 24 hours, all over the world, where people connected over food.  I took this opportunity to meet my neighbors and invited them over to get to know them better.
It turned out that it was only four of us, including my son, but I think it was more intimate and I feel that I have made some dear friends.

Naturally, I had to add my own flair to the party and decided that it wasn't enough to just cook an all Turkish menu, it also had to have a connection to the women in my own life who had left me with memories, recipes and affected my life in a significant way.

I will be posting the details of the party along with recipes, I hope, this weekend...

Meanwhile, here is a preview of the menu...

"Fallen Woman's Kebap" from my grandmother, Ulker Yavasca
"Pilav with chick peas" my own specialty
"Spinach borek" from my aunt, Vuslat Yavasca
"Eggplant salad" from my mother, Nukhet Uygur (Nuko)
"Circassian Chicken" from my sister-in-laws mother, Aymis
"Green beans in olive oil" from my husband's aunt, Turkan Yucesan (Tuku)
"Kisir" from my great aunt, Sabiha Pinar
"Black and White Pudding" from my mother-in-law, Yezdan Piker (Yezdos)
"Pudding with Fruit topping" from my sister-in-law, Duygu Piker

There are many stories behind most of these, so keep watching...