On Friday, we went to the best picnic/cookout ever, thrown by the best cookout throwers that I know, P and E. Now, P and E are both from Eastern(ish) Europe. I was worried about eating too much at this picnic, but I was reminded, when we arrived, that a cookout with P and E was not a cookout in the US. In the US, the most important question at the beginning of the cookout is, 'How many hamburgers and/or hot dogs will you have?' After this, you will get your hamburger and/or hot dog in a white bun, then there will be American 'chips' (crisps in this country), potato salad, maybe some salad (with lots of dressing) if you're lucky, and a load of sweets at the end. There will be no vegetables on the grill.
P and E, on the other hand, had chicken (and like four hamburgers, but without buns), bread (cut small) and hummus (and a selection of soft cheeses), Turkish salad (parsley, barely, tomato, olive oil), and then vegetables on the grill. Tons of different ones. At the end, there was some cake for another friend who was having a birthday, but vegetables and more vegetables was the name of the game. With a focus, of course, on taste, not quantity (although there was still more than enough to eat). It was fabulous, particularly the Turkish salad and I left having eaten a lot, but kept my caloric intake well below what it needed to be. The aubergine in particular. It was great. It was greater than great.