Thursday Night Dinners

Permanent Members Dr. Afra Zomorodian (founder) Daniel Russel Niloy Mitra (master of reservations) Natasha Gelfand (webmaster) Erika Chuang Dr. James Davis Francois-Marie Lefevere Kostadis Roussos Recent Visitors Anne Collins Thomas Ada Glucksman Kekoa Proudfoot Dr. Jason Fan Prof. Leo Guibas Ren Ng Rus Belikov Giles Hooker Prof. Guenter Rote Dr. Brad Johanson Dr. Cindy Chen Prof. Ileana Streinu Stephanie Stoan Serkan Apaydin Francois-Marie Lefevere (upgraded to permanent member) Significant Others Kostadis Roussos (upgraded to permanent member) Chiu-Ki Chan Sophie Dumont Why? Original TND email Email list: tnd at cs dot stanford dot edu

Afra, our leader.

Francois, our mascot. For previous mascot picture click here.

Dinners

October 3

Restaurant: Straits Cafe (Singaporean) Absent permanent members: Niloy (sick) Visitors: none Significant others: none Damage: $19 Topics of conversation: Caustics from candle holders; diamonds Resolutions passed: James added to Permanent Members

October 10

Restaurant: Sundance Steak House (American)
Absent permanent members: Erika, James (in China)
Visitors: Francois
Significant others: Kostadis
Damage: $40
Topics of conversation: Differences between Turks, Greeks, and Italians; types of tiramisu
Resolutions passed: Kostadis passes significant other review
Quotes:

Kostadis: I'm not a significant other, I am a fiance!
Afra: This means you are no longer significant
Kostadis: You, sir, are an astute observer.

October 17

Restaurant: Rangoon (Burmese) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Serkan Significant others: Kostadis, Stephanie Damage: $11 Topics of conversation: Favourite childhood desserts; IMAX; bacon Resolutions passed: Steph passes review; Daniel and Niloy commended on choice of menu Quotes: I'd go to hell for bacon! -Afra

October 24

Restaurant: Osteria (Italian) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Francois Significant others: Stephanie, Kostadis, Chiu-Ki Damage: $25 Topics of conversation: Guns; significant other evaluation stories; French kissing; creme caramel vs. flan Resolutions passed: Chiu-ki passes review Quotes: Don't mess with me, I can shoot a gun. -Afra Francois: They put an "e" at the end of "Grand Marnier"! Natasha: The difference is lost on me Afra: It's like the diffence between Francois and Francoise Natasha: The difference is still lost on me. Francois: Believe me, there is a big difference. Afra: He just does not want to show you right now. The reason you have so many quotes on the webpage, Afra, is because you do 90% of the talking. -James

October 31

Restaurant: Tomi Sushi (Japanese) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Ileana, Francois Significant others: Kostadis, Sophie, Chiu-Ki Damage: $25 Topics of conversation: Daniel's Halloween costume Resolutions passed: none Quotes: none

Restaurant: The Fish Market (seafood) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Ileana, Francois Significant others: Kostadis Damage: $27 Topics of conversation: methods for rescuing hostages Resolutions passed: Sophie retroactively passes review Quotes: "We need some quiet people to balance off Afra and Kostadis here." James about Sophie

Bonus photos

Mmm, oysters...

Niloy is unafraid

Erika ready to attack the crab

November 12 (Tuesday)

Restaurant: Dish Dash (Eastern Mediterranean) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Francois Significant others: none Damage: $18 Topics of conversation: Monkeyluv Resolutions passed: compiled list of people's birthdays; compiled list of future restaurants to visit; begin discussion of granting Kostadis and Francois permanent member status Quotes: Monkeyluv got to be this horrible disgusting compilation. It was wonderful! -Afra Most of the stuff you guys eat can go on monkeyluv. -Afra to Erika I'm a submissive Chinese female. -Erika It sucks getting old. You don't get to do any fun stuff anymore. -Afra

Bonus photos:

Niloy aiming for the mascot photo.

November 21

Restaurant: Mango Cafe (Caribbean) Absent permanent members: Erika (in NYC) Visitors: Cindy, Francois Significant others: Kostadis, Chiu-Ki Damage: $17 Topics of conversation: TND t-shirt Resolutions passed: Niloy appointed master of reservations; continue discussion of granting Kostadis and Francois permanent member status Quotes: Nothing I say can elevate to the level of quotable. -Kostadis

Bonus photos:

That's a really big glass!

Cheers!

November 26 (Tuesday)

Restaurant: Cafe Brioche (French) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Francois Significant others: Sophie Damage: $37 Topics of conversation: various randmon stuff Resolutions passed: Kostadis and Francois granted permanent member status. Francois commended on choice of restaurant. Niloy appointed master of reservations. Quotes: none Note: The reason there are no quotes or topics of conversation is because of the webmaster slacking off. Official reprimand to the webmaster follows at the next meeting.

Bonus Photos

Excellent food!

Founder Afra Z. congratulates Francois on receiving permanent member status.

Founder Afra Z. congratulates Kostadis on receiving permanent member status.

December 12 (10th TND!)

Restaurant: Fanny and Alexander ("the premier nightspot in the Bay Area") Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Ileana Significant others: Chiu-Ki, Sophie Damage: $40 (voted worst price to calorie ratio) Topics of conversation: breasts; alcohol consumption Resolutions passed: Webmaster reprimands the webmaster for poor webpage maintanence. New mascot photo chosen. Quotes: "The only beer that's worth drinking is Belgian beer or Guinness. Everything else is..." -Kostadis "... a waste of liver." -Natasha

Bonus Photos:

Celebrating the 10th meeting of TND.

Supreme leader Afra Z. blesses his people.

His inspiration.

Or maybe this...

Restaurant: St. Stephen's Green (Irish) Absent permanent members: Daniel (in New Jersey), Francois (in Argentina) Visitors: none Significant others: none Damage: $20 Topics of conversation: Hooters; Islam; condoms; renouncing American citizenship; patent applications Resolutions passed: none Quotes: "We can go to McDonald's for TND... once." -Afra Mixed grill order. Natasha competing with Niloy's bid for the mascot photo

Restaurant: Flavors of India (Niloy-approved Indian) Absent permanent members: Francois (in Argentina) Visitors: Brad Significant others: none Damage: $17 Topics of conversation: speeding tickets; languages; offensive hand signals in different countries; counting using fingers in different countries; Resolutions passed: none Quotes: "Dont's mess with me, I wrote 30,000 lines of code." -Afra (this complements the quote of Oct 24)

Restaurant: Palo Alto Sol (Mexican) Absent permanent members: James (SIGGRAPH deadline) Visitors: Guenter Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $17 Topics of conversation: copius gossip Resolutions passed: Permanent members absent from a dinner for reasons such a travel or paper deadlines have to do a presentation at the next dinner with the results of what they were doing. Quotes: I'm moving into Mafia now. -Afra

Restaurant: Bangkok Palace (Thai) Absent permanent members: James (got lost) Visitors: Guenter Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $25 Topics of conversation: belly dancing; happy people; Niloy's woman; skiing Resolutions passed: eat cheap the next two weeks to save up for a trip to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Quotes: From the discussion of driving directions Erika: Somebody was a complete idiot here. Niloy: That would be me. There are only two ways you can be that happy: get a lobotomy or be that dumb to begin with. -Afra

Really impressive menus!

House curry.

And then there was Niloy...

...and his driving directions.

Typing in "Saratoga, CA" instead of the full address in MapBlast, Niloy directed a large part of the group to a dark residential neighborhood in the middle of Saratoga, with no restaurant in sight. While the starving TND'ers were driving around Saratoga in search of Bangkok Palace, the other half of the group were waiting in the restaurant, getting more and more hungry and annoyed. In the meantime, James, who did not have any directions at all, was just driving around Saratoga on his own, hoping to stumble onto the restaurant.

In the end, thanks to Afra's clever use of the Yellow Pages and Guenter and Daniel's perserverance, most of the group was reunited at the restaurant. Everyone except James, who finally gave up and went home.

End result: Niloy will never be the master of directions.

January 30

Restaurant: Applewoods (Pizza) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: none Significant others: Chiu-Ki, Sophie Damage: $8 Topics of conversation: stealing Kostadis' wallet Resolutions passed: Begin planning to visit Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Quotes:

February 6

Restaurant: Price of Wales Pub (Home of the Habanero Hamburger) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: none Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $10 Topics of conversation: spicy food :) Resolutions passed: Set date for Ruth's Chris Steakhouse to Saturday, February 22 Quotes: I wouldn't want to have one of these. The habanero pickle was enough for me. -James

Bonus Photos

The sign says it all.

The habanero hamburger is a regular burger with a layer of habanero relish on top.

Niloy is ready to eat. Movie: Niloy starting. The audience chants "Eat, eat, eat..."

Niloy's well-trained Indian tastebuds were mostly unaffected by the scorching sauce. Or maybe he just does not have any tastebuds. Movie: Niloy laughing and even adding more sauce to his burger by dunking it into the drippings on the plate.

After a few minutes he was done. Quite anti-climactic. Movie: Niloy calmply taking a sip of beer. Movie: Niloy finishes his burger.

Not to be outdone, Kostadis ordered one too. This was to be a lot more entertaining. Movie: Kostadis starting to eat. Notice him flinch after the first few bites.

Unlike Niloy's experience, the pain started after the first few bites.

Kostadis feels the full wrath of the burger. Notice the sweat dripping from his head. Movie: Kostadis suffering.

However, he did manage to survive the experience. Movie: Kostadis really suffering.

But just barely. Movie: Natasha wipes the sweat from Kostadis's forehead

The two brave souls.

Restaurant: Spice Islands (Malaysian and Indonesian) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: none Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $20 Topics of conversation: Afra's plans for Valentine's day; relationships Resolutions passed: Move Ruth's Chris date to indeterminate future. Quotes: Whipped! -Afra about other male mebmers of TND Erika: I need to learn how to ... (air whips James) James: Yeah, you wanna do that tomorrow?

Bonus photos

Daniel and Kostadis are deeply engrossed in choosing food.

Their work yielded great results.

Restaurant: Palermo's (Italian) Absent permanent members: Natasha Visitors: none Significant others: Sophie, Chiu-Ki Damage:

Restaurant: L'Amie Donia (Californian) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Giles, Rus Significant others: Sophie, Chiu-Ki Damage: $40 Topics of conversation: Daniel, of course! Resolutions passed: Quotes: She's stuck in a section with creamy stuff that women use. -James about Erika Natasha: Okay, everyone, look like you are from Princeton. Giles: Sorry, my nose does not go up that high.

Bonus photos

Many, many Daniels!

Preppies

Daniel-headed Afra.

Many, many Daniels and one Francois.

Okay, this is just too weird for a caption!	Daniel unwraps his present as more Daniels look on.	Sophie assembles the birthday cookie.	Daniel ponders a wish.
Daniel makes a wish.

Restaurant: Pho Hoa (Vietnamese) Absent permanent members: none Visitors: Ren Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $10 Topics of conversation: whatever Ren thought was interesting Quotes: Resolutions passed:

Restaurant: Kabul (Afgan) Absent permanent members: Afra Visitors: none Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $25 Topics of conversation: lots of geek stuff (since Afra wasn't there) Resolutions passed: Quotes:

Restaurant: Three Seasons (Fancy Vietnamese) Absent permanent members: Erika, James (other priorities) Visitors: none Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $23 Topics of conversation: Resolutions passed: Quotes:

Restaurant: The Rose and Crown (British) Absent permanent members: James (in New York) Visitors: none Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $17 Topics of conversation: Pink Floyd; Playboy Resolutions passed: Quotes: "I should have drank it all!" -Erika about beer "One hand is for eating, the other is for wiping ass." -Erika

Bonus Photos

Group hug!

What's with all the hugging? Must be the beer...

Restaurant: Estampas Peruanas (Peruvian) Absent permanent members: Francois (in Hawaii) Visitors: Leo Significant others: none Damage: $21 Topics of conversation: stereo algorithms; Tin Tin; pornography Resolutions passed: Quotes: "She's my pimp now." -Afra about Erika "Art is basically pornography for rich people." -James

Bonus Photos

James needs help eating this thing.

Restaurant: Elbe (German) Absent permanent members: Francois (in Hawaii), Kostadis (in India) Visitors: Cindy, Jason Significant others: none Damage: $26 Topics of conversation: gossip Resolutions passed: Quotes: I'll make a toast at your wedding. -Cindy to James I think that could be dangerous. -Erika

Restaurant: Gaesung House Of Tofu (Korean (not BBQ)) Absent permanent members: Francois (still in Hawaii), Kostadis (still in India), James (cranky) Visitors: Ada, Thomas, Kekoa Significant others: none Damage: $30 Topics of conversation: Thomas's homework Resolutions passed: Quotes:

Bonus Photos

Lots of little appetizers.

Natasha, Daniel, and lots of seafood.

Restaurant: Mandarin Gourment (Chinese) Absent permanent members: Francois (still in Hawaii) Visitors: Anne Significant others: none Damage: $27 Topics of conversation: I can't seem to remember, but probably geek stuff Resolutions passed: Quotes:

Restaurant: Ols's Corner (African of sorts) Absent permanent members: Niloy (missed the ride) Visitors: Marcin Significant others: Chiu-Ki Damage: $39 Topics of conversation: Resolutions passed: Quotes: Wow, meat that tastes like cheese! I'm in heaven. -Kostadis about moose stew

Marcin and Kostadis bravely try the rocky mountain oysters.

"Happy birthday" sung in some weird language

Birthday cake

Restaurant: Yakko Sushi (Better than sex!) Absent permanent members: Francois (now he's camping), Niloy (other dinner) Visitors: none Significant others: none Damage: $32 Topics of conversation: Resolutions passed: Quotes:

Restaurant: Ken Zeman (Mideterranean) Absent permanent members: Francois (where is this guy?) Visitors: none Significant others: Sophie Damage: $19 Topics of conversation: Matrix Reloaded; French Canadians Resolutions passed: Quotes: We've been having dinner together for 8 months? That's pretty disturbing, cause I don't think I've accomplished anything else in 8 months. -James

Lemon ice cream dessert.

Coconut ice cream dessert.

TND Resources

• Ethiopian
• Persian
• German
• Hong Kong Flower Lounge
• Uzbek
• Malaysian
• Cuban (on Cal Ave)

Members' Birthdays
Protocol for celebrating a member's birthday will be established at future meetings.

• Daniel: February 27
  
• Natasha: May 14
  
• Afra: June 6
  
• Niloy: July 10
  
• Francois: August 19
  
• James: September 13
  
• Kostadis: December 10
  
• Erika: December 15

Members' Personality types

• Afra: INTJ
• Erika: INFP
• James: INFP
• Natasha: INFJ
• Kostadis: ENFJ
• Niloy: ISTJ
• Daniel: INTP
• Francois: INTP