Is three people a fest?

[OneCentStamp]

If it's three intelligent, witty, and good-looking people, then yes.

artifex and I met Hatshepsut for dinner at a nice tapas bar in Rice Village this evening. A good time was had by all. Hattie confessed that this was the first time she had met internet people in person; hopefully we didn't scare her off of doing it again in the future. (artifex and I, having met each other on the internet in the first place, are old hands at this.)

Among the topics discussed:
- Indonesia
- eyeball surgery
- love/hate relationships with moms
- doing vanity searches on the SnarkPit
- whether or not fish sauce is good on spaghetti
- whether it's even really spaghetti if you're eating fish sauce-enhanced marinara over rice noodles

Needless to say, a good time was had by all.

The picture is blurry, but the best of a bad bunch. This is what you get when you hand your iPhone to the party at the next table in a dimly lit restaurant and ask them to snap away.

[Sarahfeena]

How, cool! Sounds like you had a good time.

[Zuul]

Awesome! Sounds like it was fun. I'm glad Hatshepsut got to meet up with you guys. And I am left curious about fish sauce on spaghetti now.

[OtakuLoki]

Woohoo! Glad to hear you had a great time!

BTW, what was the conclusion about whether fish sauce enhanced marinara over rice noodles could be called spaghetti?

[Hatshepsut]

Yes, it was loads of fun. One Cent Stamp and artifex make a great couple. Also the food was good and the evening was a nice break from mom-care for me.

(While the picture is a bit blurry, you can see that all 3 of us look just like our avatars!)

[OneCentStamp]

I'll leave Hatshepsut to give the final word on marinara alla nuoc mam, since she's the one who's actually tried it, but I can't get my brain around the idea. Ecccch.

[What Exit?]

Sounds like a fun night. I'm still up in the air about hosting a Fest this year myself but I will be meeting a few Mellophanters and Dopers in Boston in a few weeks.

[Inner Stickler]

*Burns up with jealousy*

[Hatshepsut]

Okay, here's the nuoc mam low-down: as incredible as it seems, an American-style spaghetti sauce (tomato paste, ground beef, chopped onion, oregano - the usual) laced with a generous splash of fish sauce and served over rice noodles is surprisingly delicious, if you approach it with an open mind.

Why do I know this? As I told OCS and artifex: in a moment of stupidity, I hired a cook. Or rather, I hired someone who WANTS to be a cook, as opposed to someone who already understands cuisine. And when my Vietnamese friend left Jakarta and bequeathed all her supplies to me, I got lots of rice noodles, which I told my cook wannabe to use up. So when she grabbed a packet of rice noodles and said she'd make them for dinner, I assumed we'd have a tasty SE Asian dish of some kind, and responded, "Great - and in case you hadn't seen it, here's where you can find fish sauce in our kitchen cabinets. We like it, so don't hesitate to use it."

Alas, she made spaghetti bolognese (Indonesians have this strange idea that Westerners all LOVE it! - all the backpacker haunts throughout the country unfailingly serve it).

So that's why I know that spaghetti sauce with nuoc mam is not too bad.

I'm getting rid of the cook, though, as soon as I find her another job. I have no idea what I was thinking when I consented to let someone else run my kitchen. Even without the nuoc mam-bolognese incident, it was a huge mistake.

[OtakuLoki]

Okay, here's the nuoc mam low-down: as incredible as it seems, an American-style spaghetti sauce (tomato paste, ground beef, chopped onion, oregano - the usual) laced with a generous splash of fish sauce and served over rice noodles is surprisingly delicious, if you approach it with an open mind.

It actually does sound appealing to me. But I have a tendency to enjoy cuisine that ends up being a fusion of several traditions. It is certainly not something I'd have come up with on my own: nuoc mam and other fish sauces tend to be something I don't think of all that readily.

But it sounds like it could be pretty good. Especially when you're giving it a positive review.

[OneCentStamp]

But it sounds like it could be pretty good. Especially when you're giving it a positive review.

If you can call any review that contains "Well, I was going to fire this cook anyway" truly positive...

[beebs]

but I will be meeting a few Mellophanters and Dopers in Boston in a few weeks.

Isn't it just three people for us too so far?

Anyways, glad you kids had a good time. It sounds like you had fun.

[What Exit?]

Isn't it just three people for us too so far?

I think so, I will wait until it is closer to bump both thread.