Waiting for Nat

I spent most of yesterday cooking for my students. Here's what I made:

chocolate/peanut butter chip cookies
apple crisp
quesadillas
that layered dip people like, including homemade guacamole
homemade salsa
potato latkes*
and homemade applesauce

I didn't actually think my students would show up in great numbers. I have parties for my students at the end of every semester I teach, and the attendence is usually about 30%.

But that was always in Washington, DC. Here in ye olde midwest, apparently there's nothing better to do than actually attend your nutty professor's party and every single one of them showed up. They showed up wearing a combination of formal wear and drag. Some of them actually went thrifting just for the occasion! They descended upon the food like a swarm of locusts, devoured it lustily and then mingled around my house, asking intelligent questions about our art and saying complimentary things about our decorating. Four them stayed until I pushed them, physically, out the door at TWO A.M.

But not before they bestowed upon me, the following: a group photo of them in tee-shirts made up with the course title and signed around the matte, two bags of flour, a bag of yeast and...

a bread machine!

I was speechless. I mean, I've gotten cards from students. I've gotten photos of the class. I've gotten bookstore gift certificates and sweet notes. But thus far in my teaching career? No appliances.

So after a day of cleaning up (that I just couldn't bring myself to do at 2 am), we're now working on our very first loaf of "oatmeal whole wheat."

And they say teaching is a thankless profession!




* I credit Elswhere for the idea, but I admit I used a Manischewitz mix, and they were pretty lame compared to the real thing. My all not-Jewish class didn't know the difference, fortunately. They gobbled them down, but said they'd be better with ketchup. Sorry, I think maybe I ruined them for appreciation of actual, real, tasty latkes...