Birthday Dinner

I was invited to dinner at another teacher’s house this week, but found out on the morning of that it was her birthday! I felt very bad that she was preparing to host me on her birthday, but knowing that my protesting would come to naught I asked my host brother to go into town with me to buy a cake for her.

There were no prepared cakes available, but they were selling triangular slices of decorated cake by the slice. I knew of seven people that would be coming to dinner, but knowing that more always show up I thought I would buy 10 pieces at a total cost of less than $5. My host brother told me that it was too much cake and was able to talk me down to buying only 8 slices. After that we went to buy a card from the stationary store and went home.

Later that evening we walked over to the teacher’s house, cake in hand. She was very surprised and was both happy and embarrassed by the gesture. She put it away and went to finish cooking, leaving me, my host brother, and her three kids to sit awkwardly in silence in her living room. I never thought I’d be grateful for a power outage, but when the lights went out 5 minutes later it did wonders to break the ice. They brought out candles and a torch (better known by Americans as a flashlight) and we started eating.

For dinner we ate rice with a tomato-based sauce, cabbage, and fried chicken. I get very nervous with no one talking while eating their food, and tend to plow right through whatever I’m eating before looking up to see that no one else has even made a dent in their food. I then start talking to myself in my head, cursing at my neighbor for not eating fast enough and encouraging the person across from me to take bigger bites at the same time as I start limiting myself to two or three grains of rice per spoonful.

By the time I had finished everything on my plate that required a spoon, I got to work on my drumstick. The meat was tougher than anything I’ve ever eaten before and proved to be quite the opponent. However, my struggle to pick it apart allowed me to catch up with everyone else in the race to be the last one finished.

After dinner came sodas, and then cake. The teacher pulled out only 2 of the 8 pieces I had purchased and began cutting them in half again, and again, and again, until she had about twenty itty-bitty pieces. After butchering the lovely cakes I had bought for her, she stuck toothpicks in them and then began feeding all of her guests (Luckily I had had this experience once before at a local graduation, so I knew what was going on). We took pictures as she stuffed our faces with cake on toothpicks, and when it came to be my turn to be fed I found myself more than relieved that I would only be asked to eat the tiny piece of cardboard a toothpick.

I spent the rest of the evenings playing handclapping games with her eight year old daughter and snapping a few final pictures. Everyone had a great evening and was sad to have it end when my host father came to pick me up. Happy Birthday Zuleah!