Holy goodness May, that's hilarious. Your kiddos are tiny little foodies.
I'm on the fence about truffles myself, I'm (sorry?) to say. I wish I liked them, but they're a tad strong for me. I don't liken them to offensive smells like your H does, but they're just not quite to my palate. I keep trying. And I haven't quite gotten there yet. I really want to like them (well...my wallet doesn't! Why am I trying to learn to like something so pricey??). Truffle butter tends to be okay, as the richness of the dairy mellows and balances the flavor in my mind.
I've never had Japanese mushroom rice - thanks for the suggestion! It sounds/looks delicious. There are a lot of regions of cooking I enjoy but I'm inexperienced in - Japanese is one of them - and perhaps I should spend some time focusing on other cultures' foods. It sounds like a fun challenge to do with friends.
I had forgotten, once upon a time I had wanted to do cultural dinner parties. Invite friends and friends-of-friends to a dinner party and everyone brings a surprise dish from a pre-determined culture. It ends in a mish-mash but at least you have a spread of a protein, a starch, a few veggies, an appetizer, a beverage, a dessert - or something to that effect. It sounds like a really fun way to meet new folks around a common goal and interest. Maybe I should bring this up to a few people and see if I can really get one off the ground.
