Rachel's in Germany!: Tonight was a CLASSIC!

Today wasn't terribly exciting: went to class, basically. But tonight was definitely fun! We had a cooking night for the international students, and the food theme was Mexican. Hendrik, one of the HAW tutors who ran the Welcome Week, hosted it at his student housing, which is over on the west side of the lake. They have a slightly bigger kitchen and sitting area than our housing does, but it was still pretty crowded because there must have been 60 people total!

I met Hendrik early and we went to the store to get stuff for guacamole. He, being German, had never made guacamole before, so on Facebook when we were planning things to bring, he asked me if I would help him. We got the stuff at the store and then walked to his housing. It was probably about 6 when we got there, and everyone else was coming at 6:30, so that gave me time to make my Mexican rice (I still had ingredients left over from when we had that potluck!) while the kitchen was still empty. We finished up the guacamole just as everyone was arriving. For a while it was just busy in the kitchen, and then by 7:00 it was utter chaos! Lexi, one of my fellow CSULB students, had an enormous batch of carne asada going in 3 different pans at once, and Laura and Sam (from Spain and Australia) were helping her cut up each batch as it cooked. Lexi spent probably an hour just cooking meat. She was in nothing but a tank top and leggings because it was so hot, and there was grease for a 1-foot radius around the entire stove area. There was chopped onion, avocados, limes, lemons, herbs, and spices all over one counter, and the other counter was full of dishes and utensils and cutting boards and plates of food. Both stovetops were completely full with pots and pans; both ovens were being used to make 5 different kinds of nachos; Elisha (from Virginia) permanently stationed herself at the sink to wash dishes; the kitchen and the living room were both crammed full so that it was all you could do to maneuver through without somebody knocking your plate out of your hands. Food disappeared almost as fast as it was put on the table. Almost every dish was polished off within five minutes. Forks, cups, and plates ran out within the first 20 minutes of the feeding frenzy. (I had to wash a fork that I found in the pile in the sink because the plastic ones were gone, and I used a mini plant pot as a cup for the Mexican hot cocoa that Siru made.) We never even had napkins at all. Like I said, utter chaos, but it was still really fun! Definitely a classic college student party! Of course that meant tequila was included too . . . thankfully everyone was so busy eating at the beginning that they didn't have time to get too rowdy before I left at 9. It was just a super good time because by now we all know each other and have made friends, so it was like a big reunion. I haven't seen Ninni since Berlin, because her major is different and she goes to a different campus than I do. So it was a fun kind of chaotic! The one downside was feeling claustrophobic. I had to go out in the hallway once or twice just to get some fresh air to breathe, because it was so hot in there!

The "classic" award of the night goes to Dave, from England. He made friends with Petra and her friends, so he has been over to our apartment a couple of times. The first night he came, he and Petra made a cake with gummy candies inside. They didn't have a recipe and did the proportions all wrong, so it fell flat and was super dense. But even though it didn't come out right, it was still good. What I have learned about Dave since then is that he loves to make cakes--cakes with random things added into the batter. So tonight, when Dave showed up, he didn't bring anything Mexican. Nope, he brought cake. And this cake had in it--no joke--hot dogs.

Dave & friends with The Epic Hot Dog Cake

Everybody who tried it thought it was weird. But I tried it and, believe it or not, it was actually good! It tasted like a corn dog to me. I think I ate more of it than anybody else. Dave asked, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate it?"

I said, "9. It needs mustard."

Pretty sure everyone thought Dave was off his nut for making a hot dog cake, but I thought it was epic. Seriously, who thinks of putting hot dogs in a cake? Okay Keo, maybe you would think of it. :) But I sure wouldn't. Gotta give the guy points for creativity!

One other plus of the evening: I snagged a U2 poster of "The Joshua Tree" for my room! It was in the sitting area of Hendrik's housing and I said, "I LOVE THAT POSTER." And Hendrik said, "Really? I hate it! You can have it if you want." I said, "Really?" and he said, "Yes. I think it is ugly."

Imagine thinking a poster for such a good album is ugly . . . but I guess you've gotta be a fan to appreciate the black-and-white photo with the black bands on top and bottom and those gold letters that say THE JOSHUA TREE. U2 fans . . . you know what I'm talking about.

So . . . yeah. A greasy, sweaty kitchen packed to the gills with people, a total feeding frenzy, and a hot dog cake. I can only say one thing: College party.