Chapter Spotlight: NetIP Dallas Dinner Circle
by Palvi Waghela, Cultural Awareness Pillar Chair, Network of Indian Professionals Dallas
What could be better then trying out a new restaurant while catching up with friends and making some new ones before the night is through? A recent NetIP Dallas dinner circle event provided all of the above and then some! This month NetIP Dallas decided to explore the exotic tastes of East Africa by sampling delicious Ethiopian cuisine at the Queen of Sheeba restaurant in Addison, Texas on February 23, 2010. The event had a capacity turnout of NetIP members as well as non-members (many attending a NetIP event for the first time).
The evening began with a networking segment giving everyone a chance to meet and get to know each other before they took their places at the table. About half an hour into the evening dinner was served and consisted of a range of items that reflected the heart of Ethopian cuisine.
One on the appetizers named ”Sambusas” were basically samosas, and consisted of spiced lentils in a crispy pastry wrapper. This was served with Sheba’s Salad made with tomato, onion, and jalapeno lightly spiced and dressed. Next came a spicy crepe like bread called Injera. For all you spicy food lovers this was a great pick! Our vegetarian members raved about these two starters.
During the course of appetizers and dinner, an icebreaker game was played as well. The icebreaker consisted of telling two truths about yourself and one lie, the group then made their guesses as to which fact was the lie. This was a fun way to get to know interesting facts about each attendee, for instance dinner guests learned who was a triplet and which guy cuts his own hair. It was a great way for people to make connections and learn the most random things from the attendees unique backgrounds.
The arrival of dinner brought with it an aroma of spices that made your mouth water. For the vegetarians there were a couple of dishes: Lentils, Cabbage, and Chickpeas gravy, which was served with their delicious bread Injera. For our meat lovers there were two wonderful dishes: Spicy Beef and Shredded Chicken, which were also served with Injera. A surprise for most members in attendance was that food was eaten by hand using the Injera in a way similar to naan.
The room’s pitch went from loud and boisterous to complete silence. This only meant one thing, the food was DELICIOUS and everyone was too busy stuffing his or her mouths to talk. After eating this wonderful meal no one had room for dessert! The night came to an end after two hours of networking, eating, laughing and just having a wonderful time with old friends and new.
This was a great value to members since they were able to sample the best and most interesting food Ethiopia has to offer for the mere price of $20 which included tax, tip and a non-alcoholic beverage! Dinner Circle at Queen of Sheeba was a huge success according to our members and non-members. Queen of Sheeba is strongly recommended if you have not been yet. Happy Eating!
To attend the next NetIP Dallas dinner circle or for more information about upcoming events please visit www.NetIP-Dallas.org or www.Facebook.com/NetIPDallas.
www.NetIP.org
Edited by Latha Nehru, VP of External Affairs, NetIP NA
