Cooking is fun

I decided to test out the car ready for the trip across to Iran, still hoping for the visa to come through... so off I set for Agva further along the way across the Black sea coast. The MG drove well and the petrol problem from before must have cleared itself... it was one of the most beautiful drives of the trip so far. A steady 60km hour cruising along with the soft spring of a 1967 classic car with the sun streaming through the trees that lined the road, the comfort of the leather upholstery bringing the luxury of sitting at a gentlemans club in a chesterfield suite, the only thing that was missing was a brandy glass filled with Henessy cognac.
I arrived to take in the beauty of this extraordinery coastline and stopped for a bite to eat...it was a day trip so I had packed only a few necessarys for the beach.
I returned late at the campsite and was ready to turn in for the night when I was asked to play the mandolin (a souvenir that I purchased in TAXIM)...well I couldnt say no but then I couldnt really play either, I cobbled together 3 chords and attempted to make it sound like 5, by the time I had finished I knew there would be no more dog attacks that evening for me...they had all left the building, so had the audience, but 1 came back and said for me to bring my mandolin with me...we jumped into his pickup truck (it was 1130pm by now) and off we set to lord only knows where in the pitch black and off onto a dirt track road...actually I had a vague idea that he knew someone who could play and was going to let me have a chance to hear how it was done. We arrived at a gypsy camp and after 5 minutes had assembled a band of dark skinned veterans...they jumped into the back of the van and got changed into traditional clothing, then off we set again into the wild. When we finally arrived at a house in the forest I didnt know what to think.
We all jumped out the pickup truck and Salim(the truck driver) woke the owner up... he looked the same as Peter Ustinov....exactly even the smile.....he was pleased to see us even though by now it was gone midnight and assembled glasses and Rakii and some beer for the Gypsies, a toast was made in this house decorated with old antique pictures and a singer sewing machine....windup record players and rifles on the wall...Ustinov and Salim were hunting partners from way back and the walls were covered in pelts and other such items in the wood and stone house.
A party was in the mix and when the Gypsies started playing their violins and drum and mandolin I wished I had brought along my video camera....but as the evening drew on, I was glad I hadn't because it would have intruded in a very special and intimate musical evening with some real characters... later we were joined by a military policeman and what I can only describe as some sort of mafia shipping specialist...although I can't be sure but he was well connected...this was truly local music, those guys could play alright...I was stunned by their brilliance...and we all danced!!!!!
It was a late night and a late morning for me and I had to cook moussaka for the friends I had made at the campsite...I would have to get some shopping in.....and I wanted to make a special thing of it after my gypsy evening...
Fortunately I was armed with a first class recipe from a greek cook I used to know...
the evening was fun 20 guests had turned up...and I did get complimented on my production of one of the local dishes (they say it's turkish the greeks say it's greek)...but hey I am an englishman living in New Zealand... isn't cookin fun!?