Cold Avocado Corn Soup with Cilantro Oil (Page 84)

• Date: Sunday, August 6, 2006 - 8pm
• Location: Somerville, MA
• Kitchen: My Aparment
• Fellow Chef: Mike
• Dining Companions: Vigleik, Shihchi, Haynes, Tim, and Juli
• Recipe Rating: B

I picked this soup because I wanted to have a soup course for our dinner on Sunday, but a hot soup didn't seem like a good idea given how warm my apartment gets in the the summer! This soup was pretty good. It was visually very appealing, and I liked that it had multiple components. The texture was smooth, but as Haynes pointed out, a little gelatinous. The flavors were also too strong for some people -- in particular some found the cilantro oil overwhelming. I agreed that the flavors were strong, but thought that the strong flavors worked well. I really enjoyed eating the first few bites, but then was tired of it. I think it would make a perfect amuse-bouche, but the thick texture makes a whole bowl of it a little overwhelming.

I flew to California last night, which in light of today's security threats, was probably very lucky. It wasn't the greatest flying experience though. The guy next to me on my second flight seemed a little drunk when he boarded and then proceeded to drink 6 (or 7? I lost count) vodkas during the flight. He was, apparently, terrified of flying and didn't think he could make it through the flight unless he was completely trashed. On the one hand, I empathize with his fear, but on the other hand I felt quite uncomfortable being stuck in such close proximity to someone so drunk, especially on an airplane. In my life, I don't think I have ever seen anyone so scared about anything. He was so visibly terrified that I couldn't help but wonder if he knew something that I didn't know. Generally, it is mechanical failure that I worry about on planes and not terrorism, but this guy had me concerned. He just seemed so sure that he was going to die. Eventually I realized that his teenage son was also on board the plane and was playing video games and wearing a t-shirt that said something like "Expert Slacker." Then I felt slightly less threatened. In any event, I am grateful that I am here and safe, expecially after reading the news this morning...