Our friend Az arrived with a string of chili pepper xmas lights to our amusement but wariness of the ideological implications. It was a holiday party with the 2 y.o. vegan-family. Because of their kid’s severe kid allergies, we were allowed also no rice, dairy, peanuts, fish, and a lot of other food types. And big eaters we all were, 7 adults and noisily awake kid. I count 5 carnivores a vegetarian and two vegans and a baby vegan. Wariness of experimental vegan meal was in the air, along with the chili pepper ornamentage.

I picked up 12 oz. (3 packs) of seitan (praise be) and 2 bags (24 oz total a lot) of soy balls (“italian style”) and 1 lb. of local spinach at the co-op. Menu: seitan in chinese black bean sauce with a lot of cilantro and scallions, soy keftas with chili paste and cumin on roasted red peppers and liberal parsley garnish. Carbo course was 1.5 lb. of angel hair with spinach pine nut pesto (economical - One lb. would have been plenty for 7). I also oven dried strips of firm tofu at 280 degrees for 2.5 hrs, served with nayonaise (soy mayonaise) - chili sauce as an aperitif. A 16 oz pkg disappeared; hyperallegenic kid ate many strips. They looked like spongy french fries. I wonder what I should call them? Fruit plate from store for dessert.

It was all eaten except for a lot of excess pasta. 5 bottles of red wine consumed with a bit of Metaxa. Kid did somersaults around the living room floor but kept the unfrench unfrites down. By my reckoning, the carnivores ate double to make up for their theoretical lack.