Last night we convened at a friend's house for the second installment of our dinner party circuit, and it was another wonderful evening! There were 7 of us, all connected in various ways, from professional to personal, and in the setting of the large, bohemian cyprus house, it was as though we'd all been friends for years.

The evening started with wine, cheeses and crackers from whole foods; the spotlight on the bleu cheese and chardonnay crackers, but i can't overlook the spanish almonds in honey and the pecorino, either. huddled in the kitchen, we each took turns weaving in and out of one another to nosh at the platter on the counter, until someone had the bright idea to break out plates, which allowed us greater movement around the room, but with the added benefit of taking our delights with us.

we moved to the long wooden table, laden with moroccan stew, couscous, spiced kale, organic salad and yuzu beans, more wine, and lots of raucous conversation. it all started innocently enough, with discussion about the upcoming weddings of some of the women, the best parts of our week and ingredients of the dishes, but once the strawberry pie and homemade whipped cream hit the table, we were soon on the topic of gender studies, pornography, women's exploitation, strippers, sex drives and testosterone. everyone had an opinion, voices were climbing on top of one another, and h was the table-pounder. while there was no conclusive end to the discussion, shortly after 11 we all packed up and moved into the rainy night.