Would you like me to seduce you?

Sharon persuaded me to go to a cookery class last night in the Mediterranean Food Warehouse .
I didn't bother to enquire what they were cooking and as it turned out that was a bit of a mistake. When you arrive you get three recipes and a glass of wine and some pizza.

I arrived at 6.30 pm and found the place more or less full. There was about 60 people there all together. I sat at the back and wondered how I was going to see and while I waited for the class to kick off I perused the recipes. First dish, Crapmeat Tortellini! Not a good start, I don't eat seafood and it was in a tomato sauce which had a Crayfish stock as the main ingredient. I began to think I was a right idiot not to have checked what there were cooking.

The second recipe was more to my liking, Porcini Mushroom Risotto. The last item was desert consisting of home made Almond and Apricot Parfait. (That's ice cream to you and me, as I was about to find out.)

Our hosts took a fairly active part and enquired halfway through the first course whether there was anyone who didn't eat seafood. I looked around and as I was the only one who didn't, kept my hands down to avoid general humiliation. After they cook a course they pass around the chefs finished ensemble and then dish out a sample for everybody to try. I accepted the Tortellini, and wondered what to do next. I offered it to the girl beside me who said she didn't really eat fish/ seafood. No joy there, so I turned to the people behind me, who also confessed to having a general dislike towards seafood too. It seems I wasn't the only one keeping my hands down. I eventually managed to pawn it off on the people in front, and as he was thanking me I said it was my pleasure but that he wouldn't be getting my risotto! When I was offering my plate around some other non seafood eater wished that they would tell you in advance what they were cooking. I might have been an idiot not to check, but as it would turn out it wouldn't have done me much good!

The class was interesting and they had a screen and projector so the people at the back could see. They also gave the chef a "Britney Spears" type microphone which he eventually took off in frustration.

So what else have we been doing since we have been back from Australia? Well one of our ambitions while in NZ is to make the most of the fact that we are living in the capital city and take full advantage of the many theatres, plays, musicals that are on in the city at any given time.

We went to hear Bruckner's Symphony No. 8 at the Michael Fowler Centre on the 31st March 07. It was the conductor's debut performance and he conducted the entire symphony from memory.

After that we went to see The Graduate about a fortnight ago in the Downstage Theatre . (Hence the name of the blog post.) I actually got the play mixed up with the film The Freshman for some reason, and was somewhat relieved when Sharon explained that I had it all wrong. In my defense, I don't think I have seen the original movie.

We have also been to Karori Wildlife Sanctuary which is an urban wildlife park here in Welly. We hope to do a night walk soon and maybe if we are really lucky, spot a Kiwi.

Last weekend we went to Wellington Zoo and saw among other things a chameleon and our first Kiwi. Not only was it our first Kiwi but our first, and probably last, one legged Kiwi. The other leg having been left behind in a snare. They even made him a prosthesis but he decided he could manage without it.

So that's really it for the moment, we are off to Havelock North tomorrow with our tennis club. It's in an area known as Hawke's Bay which is a very well respected wine growing area. Yippee!!!!

Cathal