My birthday is coming up. It's not yet ... it's not until a week from tomorrow. It falls on the Saturday after Thanksgiving this year. That meant my closest friend wanted to do something this week for me since I won't see her until November 29. So, yesterday, she and the claims processors who report to her planned a surprise luncheon for me. And yes, it was really a surprise. :::smile:::
The fun thing about the luncheon is that the area over there knows I have adopted a vegan diet. So, it was a real challenge for them to come up with something they thought I would eat. They finally settled on a baked potato lunch. This really touched me because not one of them is even a vegetarian much less a vegan and they seemed to be both fascinated and repulsed at the same time. :::crackin' up:::
The group provided chili without beans (only meat), dairy cheese, dairy sour cream, and ICBINB for the omnivores. For me (and truly it was ONLY for me because none of them touched it), they had Smart Balance Light (it's vegan) and Tofutti Sour Cream. Then there were some cross over items, like chunky salsa in mild and medium flavors and chives. I had a GREAT potato that hit the spot. The picture above is an actual potato from the bake. They were huge!
For dessert, they bought me a vegan chocolate cake. You'll have to excuse my poor picture as it dawned on me only tonight that I should take a picture. It is very good. When the group gave me the cake (with a lit candle on top), they all waited for me to take a piece of it and then they all watched me take a bite to see ... what?!?!? ... I don't know. A couple came up and took a very small piece of cake and the brave ones who did were questioned by the others if it was good, what it tasted like, etc. I explained that vegan only meant it didn't have dairy or eggs in it and it was just a regular cake, but because it's unfamiliar, they weren't convinced. I did bring it home and my son had a piece. It's very chocolaty!
So, I was touched that a group of people at work went way outside of their SAD food comfort zone to try and create a really nice vegan luncheon as a surprise for my birthday. It made me smile. And for no particular reason other than I want to share my absolutely beautiful dog's face and show you that dogs can and do express joy. Here is my Jordan, the Rottie/German Shepherd mix that I adopted from the shelter last year in July. She is a pure joy and I'm sure she was posing and looking so happy because she wanted cake. Normally, she hates having her picture taken. Enjoy!
How awesome! That cake looks great.
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