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Discolor Online

Weblog of the sweetest person you never want to piss off.

 

The Headache Game

Friday Kate had a Zookids thing to go to during the day, since the kids were out of school for Veteran's Day. While she was at the zoo, I popped over to Whole Foods and unabashedly bought whatever I wanted for my dinner party and beyond. Ah, delicious, budget-obliterating Whole Foods...

Saturday I was bitchy as hell for no reason I could put my finger on. It was like my emotions decided to explode in anticipation of my head exploding later that night. I pulled it together and joined the usual suspects at Ray and Christine's for a November Birthday Girls celebration. Food and wine as is customary at Chez Pominger. Bill and Chris smoked some Copper River salmon and beef and the meal was divine. Received unexpected gifts: Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook.



A sample of what Jaques Pepin calls Bourdain's "witty, irreverent style", from the Introduction:


This book aims to be a field manual to strategy and tactics, which means that in the following pages, I will take you by the hand and walk you through the process in much the same way--and in the same caring, sensitive, diplomatic tone--as I would a new recruit in my restaurant kitchen. Which means that if, from time to time, I refer to you as a "useless screwhead," I will expect you to understand--and to not take it personally.


John and Jenny got me the most decadent gift, a little jar of truffle salt similar to this that I can't wait to break in.



Sadly, I wilted under a withering headache that I can only speculate was brought on by red wine (in spite of my general moderation) and finally crawled up out of the darkened downstairs to whimper pathetically for a ride home around 2:30am. To my dismay, even sleep did not put a dent in the headache and I was worried that I might be wrecked for my own dinner party when I awoke and was still blinded by pain in the morning, but thankfully a second application of Canada's finest 222s and some caffeine did the trick and I was able to perk up before guests arrived.

Last night's dinner party was fun and the food generally came out to my satisfaction, though I wouldn't have planned beef tenderloin if I'd known one of our guests didn't eat red meat. I'd also forgotten Rick skips vegetables as a rule, so the salad and side-vegetables were no good for him. Ah well, my party, my menu! I'll update my recipe pages over the next few days with the good stuff.

Tonight, it's Alexander McCall Smith thanks to Seattle Arts and Lectures.

 

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