Chili and Cornbread

Last week, my friend Kara mentioned she had a box of cornbread mix she found at the store. Yesterday, it came up again, and somehow within 10 minutes we had organised a chili and cornbread night with us and another two people, both named Josh. Kara, Josh K. and I are Americans, and Josh B is Australian, but grew up in HK and spent seven years in Texas so we consider him one of us.

I borrowed a crock pot and made chili for the first time. It came out a little too spicy for me, but was still very tasty. Kara baked the cornbread, Josh B. made a tres leches cake (delicious!!!) and Josh K. brought the cheese and even Dr. Pepper (which oddly enough is available at the grocery store across the road - imported of course). We gathered around the wooden table outside my apartment, on the landing and dug into some delicious meat and bread. I hardly spend any time with Americans, let alone Texans, and it almost feels weird to talk about things like H-E-B or Rudy's BBQ because I never talk about those things that are so familiar because no one ever knows what I'm talking about. It felt so good to talk about cultural things, and have other people able to relate and recognise the names of places. We talked about the bizarro world of College Station, and subsequently how Texas takes its football seriously, Blue Bell ice cream, Austin, I-35, and so many other things I feel so disconnected from. It felt good to 'remember' my roots, and it was so fun to laugh about so many cultural anomalies.

We followed dinner with watching Remember the Titans which I'd actually never seen. And it was great! I feel my heart warmed.

I know I'll be back in the States soon enough, and can enjoy the 'real thing' when it comes to food and people and places. But somehow, it's more special and fun to experience these things when you have to make it your own, and try to adapt it to a new setting. I love these dinner nights with my fellow Americans, though infrequent, because they are times when we can chat about familiar things, and blend a little bit of home into our lives here.