"May the Odds Be Ever in Your Favor!"

So, I just spent the last month reading The Hunger Games trilogy... guilty.  Therefore, in the spirit of competition, I named this post after my latest obsession.  A depressing series, but still worth reading (book 1 is the best).  That is all I will say...

Now, on to the competition!  Our friend, Eric, and his family have had an annual cooking competition for the past few years and this year they were kind enough to invite Nate & I to join in on the fun.  And if you think "Oh, how fun!  A little friendly, family cooking competition!" you are mistaken, my friend.  There are prizes.  There are score cards.  There are rules.  And hearts will be broken.

This year, we were lucky enough to be apart of the International Cuisine Cooking Competition.  Such an exciting/terrifying topic to have as our rookie year!  In total, there were nine competitors (which means, nine dishes, ranging from appetizers all the way to dessert).  Each person had been assigned two countries... one "easy" country and one more difficult.  If you chose the easy country, you automatically had 1 point and if you chose your more difficult country, you automatically were rewarded with 2 points.  I was fortunate enough the get 1. Japan and 2. Brazil.  Two excellent choices (some others weren't so lucky, like Val with 1. Italy and 2. Middle East)!  Needless to say, Val chose Italy.  Nate ended up getting 1. France and 2. India.... we chose France.  Now, after choosing a country, we had to take into account that our dish would be scored on taste (obviously), presentation, and relevance to the country.  I also had to take into account that Eric's mom is a pescatarian.  Japan it was, then.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of my actual dish, which ended up being a seared tuna steak with a honey soy sauce glaze over a bed of sushi rice and a shot of unfiltered sake.  Oops.  So, I will share the other beautiful dishes we enjoyed!  Results to be posted at the end...

Chilean King Crab (Chile)

Baked Brie with Rhubarb Raspberry Jam (France)

Baked Potato Soup (Ireland)

Chicken Empanadas with an Avocado Sour Cream Sauce (Mexico)

Handmade Lobster Ravioli (Italy)

Lamb Gyro Sliders with Tzatziki Sauce

Nanaimo Bar (Canada)- I think that's what this was called..

Flan (Spain)

Drumroll please......

The winner for Best Taste was Tyler with the Chicken Empanadas and his prize was a giant slinky. So jealous.

The winner for Best Presentation was Eric with the Lamb Gyro Sliders.  I must say, it was pretty fancy with the mirror plate.  And the prize?  A remote control car!

The winner for Relevance to Country was me!  Whoop! Whoop!  Pretty good for my rookie year.  My prize was... 2 lbs of chocolate!  Ooooh, yes please!

And the OVERALL winner was.....ERIC, with a 3-peat!  Next year....I will get you next year.