Fried Green Bananas

My first official event was a casual dinner party at the original Banana Leaf on Broadway. I chose this event because I knew the restaurant, the area and it fit into my comfort zone. I wanted to start with something where I already had a familiarity.

I arrived a little early and met with our host, who made me feel instantly at ease. She was easy to talk to, even for an introvert like me, and all smiles. She introduced me to each member, as they arrived, which was nice.

One of the first things I noticed was the ratio of woman to men swung in favour of the gentlemen;  Of the twelve members that attended, seven were women and five were men. I guessed that around a third of the members were also within five years of my age.

I'm not an overly chatty person and I tend not to go up to random people in bars or clubs and start conversations, so I was a little worried it would be difficult to engage - Not the case. 

Other members started most conversations. That was really cool. Everyone there was super friendly and interested in having a good time.

The food was served 'family style' and each dish was passed around the table. I liked this approach. It wasn't like we each picked our own dish and waited for it to arrive. We were sharing - not only the food, but our opinions on each dish.

The crab course afforded the most entertainment. I worked at my claw for about five minutes using the crabbing tools provided. My yield was low, so I eventually abandoned them and went with my hands. I was relieved to see that other members had already adopted this method. By the end of the crab round, at least five people in our party were now wearing part of the meal - six if you include me.

I definitely noticed that out of all the tables in the restaurant, ours laughed the most. I thought that said a lot…

By the time we paid our bills, I had had conversations with four different girls, devoured what seemed like a 12 course meal and had chosen my next event.