Day 9: Vegan Food Repeat

Chris and his cousin Nora, at my house!

There's a great essay in today's Washington Post about "friending" (Facebook-style) versus friendship. The author ends with a charming anecdote about her new Facebook friend dropping by her house; the two of them share a walk in the park.

My evening wasn't quite so poetic, but I still consider it a small victory. In an unprecedentedly bold act of social engagement on my part, at the end of last week's vegan potluck I suggested to my new acquaintance, Chris, that we get together for dinner again sometime. He had plans to be in my neck of the woods for a concert tonight, and was bold enough himself to suggest convening a meal beforehand.

That's how I ended up spending my afternoon cooking ratatouille and chickpeas and orange cake and cleaning up the house for almost-strangers.

I should have been nervous. This was kind of a big step -- having people in my home -- and often it takes a long time for a relationship to get there. But I stayed pretty relaxed about the whole thing. I can come up with two reasons for this:

1. The food. I'm a good cook, and I know it. This is especially true when the impending audience is sure to appreciate rather than be flummoxed by the fact that I don't use meat, eggs, or dairy. Cooking vegan food for vegan eaters is immensely satisfying and helps my self-worth. 
2. The time limit. Chris and Nora had tickets to a concert starting at 7, so they were only able to stay for about an hour and half. It didn't feel like an eat-and-run; rather, it took some of the pressure and potential awkwardness out of an evening and let it be short and sweet.

It was fun seeing Chris again -- we hugged at the door, both coming and going, and talked about possibly meeting up for rock climbing some time. 

As for his cousin Nora, she is a delightful human being.  She was funny and smart and had quirky but interesting opinions about things, especially movies. (Has anyone else in the world besides her noticed that there's a female rat in Ratatouille wearing lipstick?) She has great tattoos, including an octopus on her calf. We didn't exchange contact info, but I know I can reach her through Chris, and I would be very pleased to hang out with her again. 

In other exciting news, Sarah from the same vegan potluck emailed me today, to arrange further food-eating. She mentioned she'd be reading the blog, so when she sees this here, it might be creepy. Sarah, I'm sorry for that, and thanks for emailing.

Looking ahead, tomorrow marks the first day in a while I don't already have a meeting with someone planned (though we saw Friday that that's not always a sure bet). It's been taking a pretty sizable amount of time and energy to coordinate as full a social calendar as I've been trying to have, which clearly explains at least part of why I hadn't done many of these activities already. 

Yet while I have many holes in the month I'm trying to fill, there are people who've emailed me I haven't gotten back to. And I had to cancel a coffee date I'd set up yesterday in order to go on the hike. It's a delicate and intricate balance, and all I can say is thank goodness for Google Calenders, friends of friends, social networks, and most of all, kind people. Amen.