The Emperor Has No Clothes - Squid

OK, OK, we tried it, and calamari (squid with an upscale name) tastes like - not much - and chews like - rubber. The slaw was tasty but not worth the trouble and the calamari was ... rubbery. I had a lot of trouble with the fire this evening so it was not really a fair test. It may have been better had it been on high heat for 3-4 minutes instead of on low heat for 5 minutes and then no heat for 10 minutes then sort of high heat for another 5 minutes than no heat for 15 minutes then high heat for 5 minutes. All I can say is, we got through it and there are no leftovers. I really think that 99% of Americans who say they "love calamari" mean they love drinking beer or their favorite beverage, talking with friends and eating whatever deep fat fried thing is put in front of them dipped in ketchup or other sauces. When truly confronted with the rubbery texture of pure calamari, I think most would have to admit that they do not LOVE it. They may be able to get it down like we did last night, but love? I don't know, maybe I'm just more stingy with my emotions than others.

Luckily our friends, Mark and Jayne were over for dinner and Jayne saved the evening with a delicious lamb dish that made up for the calamari fiasco. Jayne also made two wonderful desserts. I will let her comment with the recipes if she likes. They were yum.

We also had the butternut squash soup with spicy peanuts. That is a huge hit and not too difficult to make.

As usual, we had lots of fun and good conversation. Ten people for dinner on a Saturday night. What could be better than that? (hint: not calamari)

- Mark