A few ladies enjoyed the opportunity to have lunch at the Boston College Club, only open to non-members during Restaurant Week. The food was excellent and the view of the city, stunning.

In March at the Brookline Public Library, Sara gave a fascinating presentation about chocolate, its history, and its journey from plantation to our table. Thank you, Sara, for sharing your knowledge and passion, we appreciate much more now when we eat chocolate in its many variations.

Twelve members gathered for coffee at Barnes and Noble in the Prudential Center for lively conversations and laughs.

“International Crafts Show and Tell”

Once again, our past-president Brigitte opened her lovely home to IWCB members for the annual Holiday Party. On December 14 a snow storm was predicted, but its arrival did not dampen the spirits of the party goers. Arrangements were made to start the party an hour early so that attendees could safely drive home before the worst of the weather arrived.

The Holiday potluck was, as usual, an impressive collection of traditional foods, both international and American, vegetarian and non-veg. Spouses, partners and special friends were welcome to come as guests, and that always makes for interesting conversation.

Thanks so much to our hostess Brigitte, and to those whose efforts went into planning this event.

The Book Club met at Eileen’s house in November to discuss “Kosher Chinese” by Michael Levy, an American Peace Corps Volunteer who spent two years in rural China. There were nine members in attendance and the discussion of the book led to many interesting detours. We shared stories about wedding customs, language learning, aging parents, China’s one child policy; two members present also told of their travels in China. As usual, when a group of IWCB women get together, there were good stories.

There will be no Book Club meeting in December. In January, we will discuss “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton. Please join us!

On October 24th, a group of ladies attended a private tour of a working winery.

Cultural Exchange November 2013

It is always a treat when an IWCB Alumna returns to Boston and pays a visit; all the more so when the visitor is Charlotte, the very first president of the Club. Charlotte arrived in time to attend our November Cultural Exchange, the theme of which was Thanksgiving. We learned that Harvest Festivals are common in countries where there is a distinct harvest season, as in the temperate zones of Europe and North America. Ines shared with us that in Venezuela, where something is always being harvested, there is no specific season to celebrate.

Jane also reminded us of the similarities and differences between Thanksgiving celebrations in Canada and the U.S. As Canada is farther north than most of States, their harvest is earlier and therefore they celebrate Thanksgiving in mid-October rather than late November. Mary P. reminded us that in New England, the celebration was more about having enough of foods that would store well (corn, beans, squash) to last through the winter.

It may be difficult to relate to such scarcity in these times. We can also be thankful for our friends, old and new, who enrich our lives. We are especially thankful for the “Founding Mothers” of the IWCB, such as Charlotte. Without her perseverance and creativity there might not be a club like this.

IWCB’s past presidents

On a beautiful autumn day IWCB members gathered at the home of Françoise for the first meeting of the cooking club. The class was attended by nine ladies, a good mix of new members and seasoned veterans.

The theme of the class was “Cooking with Squash”. As usual, everything was well organized by our Cooking Chair, Françoise, helped by co-chairs Joann and Tania.

First we made a pumpkin mousse, which required chilling in the refrigerator.

The rest of the meal was a squash soup, and a squash and spinach salad with toasted almond vinaigrette.

An additional Japanese style squash dish was brought ready made by Joann, who learned to make the dish several years ago with the help of Takako (club alumna) and Iko. The results were delicious! Feast your eyes on the pictures.