2nd April 2011

Friday Family Curry Night usually sees the whole clan gathered round the table, though ever since his move, Jamie’s appearances have been rarer than a polite driver on the M25. He’s never been a fan of curries, so he tends to pop in for a quick hello before heading off to eat something bland with friends or Harley.

However, this Friday was different. I decided to raise the stakes by turning dinner into a Guess the Curry Challenge. That morning, I whipped up three different varieties: a Balti, a Korma, and a Thai red. The rules were simple: taste, guess, and (hopefully) praise the chef.

They did well, though the Korma foxed them completely. I’d used a Christmas gift from Jamie, a jar of Korma paste which, it turned out, had a ferocity absent from the British supermarket version. I suspect it was more authentic to the Indian subcontinent, and our delicate European taste buds simply weren’t prepared for the ambush.

After the feast, Sue, Charlotte, and Sarah headed off to the local cinema club to see a film which, I was assured, was “definitely not my sort of thing.” Lucas and I opted for a double bill on the lounge Media Centre, Lost in Space, followed by Shrek 3. Meanwhile, Suraj and Ellis commandeered the sofa, where they promptly fell asleep and stayed that way until the girls returned.

They came back in high spirits, clearly having enjoyed both the film and a few liquid refreshments. The verdict? Definitely a chick flick, attended almost exclusively by “females of the species.” I was smugly satisfied with my decision to stay home; the evening had been free from both plot holes and prolonged sighing over actors I’ve never heard of.