American food!

I need some help. Next Tuesday I am cooking an "American meal" for all of the sensei who live in the dorm with me (in repayment for the meal they cooked me, and also just because I want to and I think it will be fun). So right now all I know I am making is:
1. Philly Cheesesteak sandwich
2. Chocolate chip cookies
These are the only things I could think of that were "American" and that, more importantly, it would actually be POSSIBLE to make in Japan. And the cookies gave me hell until one of the Elementary school teachers introduced me to a lady who is the baking queen, and she actually has an oven (most Japanese DO NOT).

But anyways, I need to think of something else to make for the entree. I want to give people options. But it needs to be something relatively easy for me to re-create in Japan, but still something that these people probably haven't eaten before (okay, to be fair there are chocolate chip cookies in Japan... or at least cookies that POSE as chocolate chip... but I need to make some real ones).

Any ideas of something simple that I won't have to go on a treasure hunt for the ingredients to? Entrees and side dishes are good. Onegaishimasu! (Please!)

lololololololol.

Ooookay, so yesterday was kind of crazy. It actually started out good, the kendo teacher took me around the town a bit to show me stuff, and I am definitely going to do kendo once it starts because it looks awesooome. Then he and my supervisor took me to the top of this huge mountain, it is famous in my village apparently and we went on a walk in the woods even though I was wearing a skirt and work shoes. Actually it was super fun and I'm glad it happened.

As for the night... I went home after work to get ready, because the lady who sits across from me at the office, let's just call her JM, invited me to a BBQ. So JM was all like, do you want to come over to my house and have a BBQ with me, my daughter, and my daughter's friend? And of course I said yes, because it sounded fun, right. Well JM comes to get me and then explains to me that actually its going to be her daughter, her daughter's 2 friends, and all of their boyfriends. So that is 6 young (my age) people I don't know, who I can't really talk to, who all are couples. Then JM is like, I'm going to stay in the house because you all are young and I think they will be embarrassed. By this point I wanted to be like, I can just stay home, but of course that would be rude so I just smiled and said it's okay and follow her over there in my car.

The eating part was okay, I guess, but I still felt awkward and it just wasn't very fun. It gets better though. When we were about to head inside one of the girls stepped on a bee. By this point JM had left and gone to her other house (wtf?) and everyone starts freaking out. JM Daughter gets on the phone and calls the hospital and explains what is going on, and the bee-sting girl's boyfriend carries her out of the house to a car. But wait, there's more! I got in the car to drive back to my apartment, bewildered at what I had just witnessed and on the way out an ambulance passes me. An ambulance. I know she didn't have any allergies because she spoke English (goes to school in South Dakota) and I asked her if she was allergic when she got stung. No, it was all these theatrics over a normal bee sting. At least it gave me an excuse to leave.

Later JM came over to my apartment and told me she was sorry, and that the girl was fine and all they did at the hospital was put ointment on her and send her home. Of course, this was a real shock to me. Not.

So, this is how it is.

The program I am doing sends assistant language teachers (from here on out, ALTs) to different areas in Japan. The vast majority of people are in or pretty close to cities... suburbs... The vast majority of ALTs work at schools where the teachers have seen ALT after ALT come through. The vast majority of people do not have to drive to do their job.

My situation is not like that of the vast majority of people.

I live in the inaka (country). My village is surrounded by mountains. The closest grocery store is about an hour away. The closest train station is about an hour away. I am the first person to ever work as an ALT here.

I am definitely in stage 1 of culture shock, because I am in love with my life.

address!

It doesn't matter who you are, if you are reading this and you write to me, I will write you back. =)

Nara-ken, Yoshino-gun
Kamikitayama-mura 564-2
Kyouin-ryou 201 goushitsu
JAPAN

メジですか？！

I'm exhausted, but 2 things before I sleep:

1) I have internet already! (duh?)

2) I teach at 2 schools and I have 36 students. Total.

That is all.