What's this curious dish? PV Boston Cardoni Closed

Arguably one of the best parts of the day was dinner. Every meal was an experience at Hogwarts, with a mixing pot of food options. Any food you could think of was most likely on the table, waiting to be eaten. Boston had put a pause on her homework to walk to the Great Hall with a few of her housemates, where they enjoyed a conversation about how flying brooms worked. Once they reached the Great Hall, they split up and found seats. Boston didn't sit anywhere specific, instead, she looked directly for the food she'd been missing and plopped down right in front of it next to a boy who appeared to be her age. She flashed a smile at him before turning to the food.

Before her eyes was an array of Mexican dishes, the smells hitting her nose in an overwhelming yet familiar sense. She could smell every spice, and she knew that these dishes were made right. Boston was picky when it came to eating Mexican dishes that were made by non-Mexicans. They never made it right. In most cases, they never used nearly enough spices. Boston had no clue who made this, but so far it smelled perfect. She pushed her glasses up on her nose before scooping herself several dishes. When it came to food, she had no limits. She had a bit of meat on her bones because of it.

She was just letting herself sit and enjoy her food when she heard a curious voice next to her ' What is this?' Boston quickly turned her head, so sharply that she hurt her neck a bit. She looked the boy up and down, then looked at the dish on his plate. How white did you have to be to not know what enchiladas were? But this boy clearly was not white. Perhaps he was just uncultured. Boston was already getting excited, she loved talking about her home with pride. This was the perfect opportunity to do so. She quickly swallowed her food and adjusted her glasses in a 'you're not ready for this' manner. "You're telling me you've never had enchiladas? Like ever?" She looked at him in pure shock, and then slowly shook her head. What were they feeding this kid? Surely not good food. Boston adjusted herself so she was facing the boy. "Dude.. you are missing out!" She waved her hand over the dishes in front of them.

She first pointed out a tray of breads. "THIS... is pan de muerto." She grabbed a bread and split it in half, giving herself a half and the boy a half. "It's literally just bread. But it's good bread." She took a bite of her half and smiled at him. "I hope you know I'm literally about to introduce you to real food. Like you're trapped now. Sorry not sorry." She laughed.

Dean's eyes widened a bit in surprise and amusement as a girl next to him, clearly passionate about the food, began her enthusiastic introduction to Mexican cuisine. Slightly taken aback, he paused, before finding himself completely immersed in whatever she said. He took the half of the pan de muerto she offered him, examining it with curiosity before taking a tentative bite. The bread was soft, slightly sweet, and unlike anything he'd ever tasted. His taste buds tingled with the new flavor, and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Enchiladas?" Dean echoed, his eyebrows raised in intrigue. "No, I've never had them before. My mum's cooking is great, but she's more about roast and mash than... this." He gestured to the colorful array of Mexican dishes. Dean's culinary experiences were limited to his mother's traditional British cooking and whatever his dad could whip up on a camp stove during their magical creature expeditions.

The Ravenclaw's excitement was infectious. Dean found himself leaning in, eager to learn more about this new world of flavors that had been unknown to him until now. "Pan de muerto is great," he said, still savoring the taste of the bread. "What else is good here?"

He listened intently as she described the dishes, her words painting a vivid picture of each one. Dean was struck by her knowledge and the way she spoke about this culture with such pride. He liked her enthusiasm, her voice clear and her tone confident.

As she waved her hand over the dishes, Dean's gaze followed. He was starting to realize that Hogwarts wasn't just a place to learn magic; it was also a place to discover new cultures and cuisines, things he'd never have experienced back in Newcastle. The Great Hall was like a small mix of the wider world, a place where different cultures mingled and shared a piece of themselves.

"Dude, I'm ready to try whatever you recommend," Dean said with a grin, his initial apprehension about the unfamiliar dishes replaced by a growing excitement. "Lead the way!"

His stomach growled and he grinned a little wider, following the girl's lead. However, he paused, his eyes snapping back to her. "You're getting me to try food and I don't even know your name! I'm Dean, nice to meet you!" He hummed happily, holding his hand out for her to shake, a little expectant. His father had always been a big believer of handshakes and he was ready t to step into the grown-up world with this meeting.

@Dean Saunders

Boston's excitement was met with enthusiasm, which made her happy. She loved talking, and loved when people listened to her ramble. She watched the boy keenly as he took a bite of the bread, and she grinned and wiggled her eyebrows. "Good right?" She knew what she was doing, and she loved when people agreed with her. Dean smiled back, and Boston knew he agreed.

Boston frowned. "I honestly can't believe you've never had enchiladas. They're like.. right next to tacos on the list of foods that non-mexicans eat to feel inclusive." She couldn't help but laugh. Watching white people make hispanic foods was hilarious to her, especially when they ate things like Puerto Rican foods and then called them Mexican. "Roast and mashed?" Her mom made that.. a few times. Never had it again. "No offence to your mom.. but like... those are really bland foods." She raised an eyebrow. "Don't you guys ever have spice?"

Boston finished her half of the bread and waited for the boy to do the same, and he agreed that it was great. She wiggled her shoulders. "Ahhh see? You can do no wrong with Mexican food." She surveyed the dishes in front of them. "Do you like spicy food? Or not too much?" She didn't want to assault his taste buds with food the first time he tried something, so she needed to know. Not all dishes were spicy, but most of them were. And she doubted that he was experienced with spicy food as apparently he ate mashed patotos a lot.

She thought for a moment before pointing to a plate. "Have you ever had tamales? They are-" She closed her eyes for added effect before pinching her fingers. "so good. These are chicken I believe." She put some on her plate and raised an eyebrow at the boy. "wanna try?"

Boston smiled and shook his hand. "I'm Boston!"

Dean's eyes sparkled with amusement at Boston's vibrant personality and her candid remarks about food. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and he found himself eager to dive into this new culinary adventure. "Good? It's brilliant!" he agreed wholeheartedly about the bread. Her eyebrow wiggle only added to the charm of the moment.

At her comment about enchiladas and tacos, Dean chuckled. "Yeah, I guess my food experience has been pretty limited. Newcastle isn't exactly a hotspot for Mexican cuisine," he admitted. "And as for spice, well, let's just say I don't have a ton of experience in it but I love Indian stuff!"

He watched as Boston surveyed the dishes with an expert eye, her question about his spice tolerance making him a bit apprehensive yet excited. "Spicy food? Can't say I've had much, but I'm willing to give it a try," Dean replied with a mixture of curiosity and slight caution. He'd never ventured into the realm of spicy foods before, but there was a first time for everything, especially at Hogwarts.

Boston's recommendation of tamales piqued his interest. "Tamales, huh? Never had them, but they sound amazing," Dean said as she described them. When she offered him to try, he nodded eagerly. "Yeah, I'd love to!"

As Boston placed some chicken tamales on her plate, Dean mirrored her actions, serving himself a portion. The aroma was inviting, and he couldn't wait to taste them. He took a small bite, savoring the combination of flavors and textures. The chicken was tender, and the masa was unlike anything he'd had before. It was a whole new world of taste, and Dean was all in for the experience. He hummed in delight, his grin widening. "This is good, what? No way you have so many good dishes honestly!"

When Boston introduced herself, Dean grinned and shook her hand in return. "Nice to meet you, Boston. I'm Dean. And thanks for introducing me to all this," he gestured to the array of dishes with a look of genuine gratitude. "It's like a whole new adventure on a plate! I'm like...Tarzan but with food!"

"Ooooh, Newcastle?" She didn't know why she was repeating that because she had no idea where that was. She wasn't good at geography unfortunately. "Alright, I guess that makes sense. I grew up in Mexico.. then new yorkk. Which has good food, honestly. I do miss America, but not as much as Mexico." She smiled to herself. The pizza in New York were amazing, but she could never compare them to all the dishes in Mexico. She really did miss Mexico. She missed the colors and the kids running around outside, all the festivals her family attended, her family, everything. "Jeez, I rambled a bit my badd." She brushed this off with a laugh then raised her eyebrows. "I've never tried Indian food, is it any good?" She made an odd face. "Sorry, obviously it's good. I'd love to try it though!

She watched eagerly as Dean took a bite of the tamale. Tamales were one of her favorite dishes, and she was almost positive Dean would share her enthusiasm. She clasped her hands together in excitement and tilted her head down as if encouraging Dean to give his opinion.

She grinned ear to ear and clapped for two seconds and nodded. "Gosh, I know right! I literally love tamales so much. Back in Mexico, before we moved, our neighbors came over and brought us home made dishes and this one neighbor of ours made the best tamales ever."

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I love Tarzan! Are you a muggle born too? Most kids here don't understand half the muggle references I make." She realized now that she wanted Dean as a friend. He matched her energy well and they possibly both came from muggle families. And he could introduce her to Indian dishes. Boston really loved food.

His mouth burstingwith flavours, Dean grinned, happiness dancing through his body. He chewed, then swallowed, and then chewed some more until his place was empty and clean. "You've travelled so much, that's really cool," he hummed as he dabbed his lips with a napkin, reminding his mother's teachings about etiquette and all of that.

Nodding, he served himself some more tamales, his stomach growling with anticipation. "Wow, really? Everyone knows Tarzan though! It's crazy, people here don't know the good stuff," he giggled before nodding once more. "Yeah, I'm a halfie! My mom's a muggle, she's a librarian. And my dad's a wizard. It's quite nice I think. I got to grow up with all the cartoons. Can't believe literally no one here knows anything, even music! Like what do you mean you don't know...I don't know...Billie Eillish or something. I don't love her stuff but it's always playing on the radio when mom works," he went on before shoving a serving of food into his mouth.

He chewed quickly, doing his best to not choke. Once he'd swallowed it all, he gulped some water down. "What's your favourite cartoon? Or like...animated stuff. Do you like anime? Or maybe shows...I don't know, all I watch are animes and cartoons on the TV," he said with a small laugh. He nudged Boston before toying with his scarf. "I also read a bit but that's only because of my mum. But anyways! What kind of stuff are you into? We can chat all day if you want! Especially if no one gets your references, I mean that sucks for them obviously."

Reducio

Sorry for the small reply! Let me know if you'd like to keep this thread going or if you wanna finish it soon