An Evening that was Out of This World

Potatoes were the dinner fare for our meeting to discuss "The Martian".  Debbie G laid out a wonderful "stuff your own baked potato" bar - Idaho potatoes, of course, as there were no Martian potatoes available.  Delicious!  Chris P provided dessert - a chocolate cake made with potato.  Bet our astronaut wish he'd had that recipe!

There was a bit of mixed reaction to this book.  Some of us enjoyed the concept of the story and also the humor throughout the book while others found it too hard to get through.  Were all the situations and also the solutions possible?  The author stated that this story was originally published on the web chapter by chapter.  He received comments from experts on the technical aspects of the story; what was and was not probable.  These experts also gave suggestions of what would really work, which Andy Wier incorporated into his story before it was published in book form.  The probability of this situation every happening and resolving as it did in this book are pretty small, and I certainly wouldn't want to eat potatoes as the mainstay of my diet for one and a half years, but it made for an interesting book and also a movie.

It's always a pleasure to gather together and enjoy friends, conversation and good food.  Thank you Debbie G for providing a lovely evening!