Perestroika ....It's for Dinner!

I saw the word "Perestroika" and felt it...blushing, red-faced, sweating! I recall my most humiliating moment:

I was in college...began at age 35. I went full-time, worked full-time (all night at a children's home) and was responsible for my two teen boys. Needless to say, I did not watch tv or read the newspaper. Seriously..for several years.

My 4th year in..I got a job that required me to leave Wichita for a 6 week internship. My professors allowed me to send my work in...and this was pre-computer time. Not many people had one then....1989.

So, I get home and actually go to class. I was exhausted..my brain was fuzzy at best. It was a night class called "World Peace". It was in one of those classroom theatres..300 students, etc.

So the professor keeps going on about "Perestroika" this and Perestroika that. I fade in and out. Finally...I raise my little alligator-like arm and ask "what is perestroika?" You could have heard a pin drop. The professor stands there with his mouth gaping like a bat cave...all of the students around me just stare at me...as if they were looking at Elephant Man. I then say, "I've been out of town." Suddenly, the room erupts in laughter. I mean, it was thundering... followed by applause. The stares turned into looks of admiration. The professor went on with his lecture and I kept my mouth shut.

After class...several students came up and slapped me on the back.."that was a good one!" I just smiled and thanked them...pretending to be smug.

I slithered home and called a friend to ask what perestroika was! I'll never forget it as long as I live. I try to keep up with what is going on in the world. I would like to have it for dinner tonight. I imagine it to be a goulashy dish.