Cooking for my brother and myself is one thing. Cooking for over fifty people is quite another, but that’s exactly what I helped to do over the weekend. One of Mum’s friends is going to India very shortly. She wanted to have a going away dinner and asked Mum if she would cook some Indian food. Mum, of course, duly obliged. Nigel, Dad and I were also roped in somehow. So our Sunday was spent cooking an Indian feast of around eight different dishes: chicken curry, pumpkin curry, aloo gobi, dhal, raita, tomato chutney, rice and puri. Everyone was supposed to come dressed in Indian garb, but Mother neglected to pass on this minor detail to Nigel and I. I swear one guy came looking like one of the three wise men. It was a very enjoyable party, and all the more satisfying because people were going back for second and third helpings of the food! Having said that, I don’t think I would like to help cook for that number of people again anytime soon, and next time I head up to Caloundra, my time will definitely be spent at the beach and not in the kitchen!
On Saturday, Mum took us to see Seabiscuit. In hindsight, I’ve come to see this as a massive bribe. :) Anyway, that movie was fantastic. And as the advertisement for the film says, you can’t help but leave with a lump in your throat. The acting was great. The plot was enjoyable and uplifting. I highly recommend this film.
Of course, Saturday night was spent watching Australia versus New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup. I can’t believe the result. Both teams seem to have a complete form reversal: Australia played far better than at any other stage in the tournament so far and New Zealand gave a miserable performance. But that doesn’t give credit to Australia’s rock solid defence. 22-10 was a fair reflection of the match, but perhaps not a reflection on how the two teams have performed overall in the tournament. Sunday night saw the clash between France and England, which England won 24-7, thanks largely to the boot of Jonny Wilkinson. Of course, this game was played during our Indian dinner but that didn’t stop many of the guests from sneaking into the bedroom to take a peak at the score from time to time. So, Australia and England in the final. England have to be the favourites, but if the Wallabies play as well and with as much spirit as they did against the Kiwis, then I don’t think even England can stop them.
