Pichon

I was never really allowed to be picky about food when growing up, so I learned to eat all sorts of things. My parents still made our favorite dishes, but they also allowed no room for whining about what was on the dinner table. Whether we liked it or not, we would eat what was served. It's a habit that has come in handy surprisingly often over the years, but it also leads to a surprising amount of hilarity.

In this case, it's relevant that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law aren't quite so willing to eat other foods. In fact, it's become something of a running gag for us. In both Peruvian and Chinese cooking, you will occasionally be served something that I grew up calling "pichon." The English term for this, as I've discovered, is squab. However, neither of them is particularly fond of that food item, so they usually avoid the squab if it is served. We have all noticed this, so we frequently joke about having pichon for dinner if we want to needle them just a tad (everyone's got jokes in my family).

Now, as the first link pointed out, the Mild Fiancée eats more or less like I do. Basically, she'll eat darn near anything. Not surprisingly, she and I will have some fairly adventurous meals. She has a preferred tripe dish, for example. So, when we decided to try out a few Chinese restaurants (to see if their food was good enough for a wedding banquet), we decided to try a few of the more interesting items.

At one particular restaurant, they had a set menu that included squab. Well, hell. We wanted to try their set menu anyway, so why not give it a go? As it turned out, it was the best squab I have ever eaten in my life. It wasn't just me, either; the Mild Fiancée also really enjoyed that dish. They did a really good job of seasoning the food, because it had a really good flavor. What's more, the chef cooked it well, so the meat wasn't super tough or dry. It almost tasted like duck. That's how good a job they did with it: they made it taste like another bird that is notoriously fatty.

The rest of the meal was also flavorful, but at the end of the day, we mostly remembered that squab. That's the dish that will keep us coming back. You know how people have a favorite place to get pizza or burgers? Well, we have a squab spot. Of course, given all of the gags about squab and my in-laws, the Mild Fiancée both walked out of there laughing our heads off. We're going to have to invite them out for the best squab of their lives.