A group of us expats gathered for a friend's first try at paella, because what says Happy Birthday America more than a Patriotic Paella Party? We even had sangria, a salad with strawberries, blueberries and mozzarella cheese (arranged in a patriotic manner) and vanilla ice cream with strawberries and blueberries as well as chocolate mochi for dessert.
From so far away, it seems that in some ways we are learning or relearning for ourselves, for the first time, what it means to be an American. In the absence of its saturation, its qualities, characteristics, and the ways that it has shaped us are perhaps more poignant than when we were living within its borders. It feels good to gather together in a small little bubble and appreciate that place from which we came. Americakara desu. I am from America.
A postmodern birthday, a melting pot, a salad bowl, an okonomiyaki of the American Dream.
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| paella with mussels and shrimp (completely stove-top, made by an incredibly talented oboe player) |
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