Real wimps don't eat quiche

It's all out there.  Everyone knows my eating secrets now.  It's officially safe to tell you about the tuna and tomato quiche I ate several weeks ago.  I was invited to a new friend's house for dinner and didn't know quite how to tell her that I was a bit.........what do you call me.........fussy?  Picky?  Please don't say "demanding."  Anyway, I had decided to try to turn over a new leaf.  I couldn't believe myself.  And I hesitate to tell all of you this because I don't want you to think that I'll return and you can invite me to a dinner party without preparing my plain side of pasta or my special cheese pizza or all those wonderful things you do just for me.  Don't get any crazy ideas.  I'm still Tenley.

So, the first course was zucchini soup.  Um......dare I say.......I loved it.

The second course was the difficult one. It was the above-mentioned quiche.  What could I do?  I couldn't even try to mask the bites with other things from my plate, because there were no other things on my plate. A quiche is a quiche.  It's all inclusive.  You've got your meat, vegetables and bread all in one.  I don't know how I did it, but before too long, it was gone.  I could tell her 8-year old son was starving and dying for his next piece, but she had been making him wait until I had finished my first piece because she wanted me to have first dibs on the second round.  So, I decided in an attempt to make a new 8-year old boyfriend, that I'd offer to let him have my next piece of quiche if I could eat his leftover crust.  You've never seen such a smile.  He thought that was the best idea in the world and had no idea of the favor he was actually doing me!

More food adventures?  I was invited to another new friend's for dinner.  This time the "new leaf thing" wasn't seeming like such a good idea.  I sent an email saying that I would be completely happy with something simple like salad and bread because I was kind of a fussy eater.  When I arrived they had printed out the email and told me that they brought it home to ask their 16-year old son the definition of fussy.  This lovely host knew that I was a fan of Italy and went out on a limb and prepared TWO lasagnes---one veggie and one meat.  They thought that would cover the fussy issue.  It worked.  And this "kind of vegetarian" friend of yours that isn't really a vegetarian because she doesn't really even like vegetables, preferred the meat lasagne!

How 'bout dinner with Caroline my "half German, half French that grew up in Spain" student that invited me over for dinner?  We'd gone out once and she'd gathered from my selection of french fries and bread at a kebab place that I was a vegetarian.  So, she prepared sauteed vegetables.  Zucchini, red peppers and onions are actually really good with balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella.

Why the freedom to speak now?  Because I've seen the tomato and tuna quiche friend again and I told her everything and we've laughed about it.  I think I confessed to her the night we were at a restaurant  when my cheese arrived with a big glob of tomato in the center and she actually called it "tomato jell-o." Can that possibly sound good to any of you?   That's when I had the courage to tell her I wasn't about to eat tomato jell-o and that I never should have tried to eat a tomato and tuna quiche.  I'm afraid some leaves are better left unturned.