I enjoyed the drive over to India Palace in Eden Prairie for Book Club - the fall colors were out, some of the trees brilliant and right in their glory. It's been a spectacular fall!India Palace is a nondescript little restaurant in a strip mall, bigger than expected as you step inside and smell the rich Indian flavors, and hear the hand cymbals and strings of classic Indian music. The golden color of the dining room matched the fall vibe. Jarby awaited as I walked in. So glad to see her up and about after a bout of back pain. Well, she was actually seated but who's counting? Then Sandy appeared, jaunty as ever and ready to share her latest travel adventure to Ireland.
Marie was next up, beautiful and polished and looking ready for a nice relaxed evening. Louise and Cynthia also made it, looking fabulous and relaxed - with Mike bringing up the rear. Back pain seemed to be the scourge of the week, Cynthia also having been hit with it. But she was looking radiant and well, as she said, "happy to be here!"
Great to see everyone, but we missed our dear Rachel, who was off celebrating her recent nuptials. Congrats, Rachel and Vic!And, of course, we always miss our distant members - Janet & Amy. One day we will have a Book Club Reunion and we'll all be together again! Skype anyone?
The staff let us assemble without interference and to give us time to look at the vast menu. What a selection! Something for every taste and, really, everything sounded so delicious! I opted for the Vegetable Samosas (crispy pastry patties shaped like a giant Hershey kiss stuffed with spicy potatoes), Rogan Josh (lean cubed lamb cooked in a yogurt sauce with special spices) Along with naan and basmati rice, there was a lot of food! In the picture, you see my lunch the next day - which is certainly a whole serving of food in itself. So - portions are very generous. I would definitely recommend eating at India Palace again. The staff was courteous and helpful and like I say, can't beat the amount of food you are given.
We read the book The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and everybody expressed that they really enjoyed the book. The concept is that a man who is on the highly functioning scale of Asperger's decides he wants a wife. In his brain, it makes sense to form a questionnaire to eliminate all the women who he'd be incompatible with. The irony of the story is that the woman he falls for does not tick any of the boxes he thought he needed. It's a charming and lightly humorous read - very fast and also has a sequel called The Rosie Effect. Cynthia mentioned how the book even helped in dealing with a real life work scenario with someone that she knows. Cool!
Since it's been forever since we've read "self-help", we decided that I'm Ok, You're Ok by Thomas Harris might be a good choice. It's an older book in the Psychology genre, but still holds true in most concepts to this day. Keep an open mind! You should be able to find the book in any library, or for very cheap on amazon.com.
We will meet again after Thanksgiving - I think that's what we decided. I dunno, there had been some wine drunk by the time we got here. :) I think Louise sounded happy to host and we talked about possibly doing something on the East side - Everest on Grand is a Nepalese restaurant that Mike said was also fabulous. So - shall we try it??
Great to see everyone and swap stories about our summers. Too bad we seem to have had our last truly warm summer day, but Fall has it's pleasures as well. So curl up with that good book and a cup of tea and look forward to our next gathering.
Katie
