oregon = midwest

it turns out that when it comes to holiday snacks, oregon and the midwest are pretty much in line with each other. in other words, both here and at home, i am treated to strange combinations of food that probably come from cookbooks circa 1955, lean heavily towards the prepared and canned foods and almost always involve mayonaise and/or cheese. i am, incidentally, fantastic at making this stuff, myself, what with it being in my blood (third or fourth generation chicagoan). at last week's holiday party, the spread included Fish Eye Salad, which is actually tapoica, fruit cocktail, pasta, sugar and whip cream. it was fascinating.

today's culinary lesson of the day:

just because it brings together pineapples, ham AND cheese, doesn't mean it's gross.

i crashed the holiday party of another department and found myself face to face with a dish that consisted of ham, pineapple, bluecheese, mayonaise, shaped into a lovely mold and coated with almonds. my initial reaction was one of fear, uncertainty and confusion. but i am an adventurous eater and after a few triscuits, my mouth was dry, so i decided to dig in. so, well, hey, it was good! it was great! the sweetness of the pineapple mingled rather nicely with the blue cheese and salty ham. so, if the person who made the dish is reading this (and i should hope not, really), rest assured that i left a happy camper, and would've stuck around, had the idea of eating the entire thing not struck me as tacky.

i still long for the opportunity to have a Midwest-style potluck...and, well, now i could extend it to include oregon delights. think of it: tuna casserole, jello, this pineapple thing. what a feast!