S'mores!

After making rice krispie treats with questionable marshmallows last week, I decided on my next trip to a foreign grocery store to splurge on a big bag of REAL marshmallows. I was talking with my Korean friends about the joys of marshmallows when one of them asked me what was going on in pictures and movies she's seen of kids sticking marshmallows in campfires. It occurred to me that s'mores are one of the finer points of American culture, and I'd be doing my Korean friends a huge disservice by not sharing it with them.

Originally, I was just going to have Joy, Catherine, and Joy's middle-school-aged daughter Chloe come over after school for a snack. However, we're now teaching until 9:00 every night, and by the time we're finished, we're ready for dinner, not marshmallows. This morning I made a huge pot of minestrone soup and invited everyone over for dinner tonight. They always like it when I make Western food--or at least they're really polite, eat it, and say they like it. The soup turned out pretty well, but the s'mores were the highlight of the evening. (Since I know several children read my blog, I just have to say this: Kids, don't do this without your parents in the kitchen!)

Joy, Chloe, and Catherine concentrate on toasting the marshmallows to perfection:
Yours Truly expertly pieces the s'mores together while leaving the gas range unattended in the background: Based on the smiles, I'd say s'mores were a hit.
Joy took this cool reflection shot of her, Chloe, and me with the city out the window.Good friends. Good food. Good fun.