A Last Supper

Ridiculous, really.

We had a great meal Saturday night. I had long had the idea to orchestrate a wine-paired meal at Jaleo in Washington, DC, but never had anyone given me the green light... so I gave it to myself. This was an event six years in the making, attended by five close friends and myself. We did it right.

First Course paired with 1+1=3 Cava from Penedes:
Spanish "Pan de Cristal" tomato bread
Escalivada Catalana - chilled roasted eggplant, peppers, onions
Gambas con Gabardina - beer-battered fried shrimp w caper mayonaise
Huevo con Caviar - organic fried egg w American sturgeon caviar

Second Course paired with Esencia Divina Albarino from Rias Baixas:
Vieiras - seared scallops with mojo verde and hazelnut-almond romesco
Judias Verdes - warm green beans salad with apples, grapes, apricots
Pulpo a la Gallega - boiled octopus and baby potatoes with pimenton
Pan con Tomate - tomato bread with Pasamontes Manchego cheese

Third Course paired with Neo from Ribera del Duero:
Arroz con Butifarra - rice with artichokes, pork sausage, and mojo alioli
Setas al Ajillo - sauteed garlicky mushrooms with herbs
Garbanzos con Espinacas - moorish chickpea and spinach stew

Fourth Course paired with San Roman from Toro:
Tortilla de Setas - Spanish omelette with mushrooms and goat cheese
Lomo de Iberico Bellota - seared acorn-fed Iberico pork loin

Dessert Course paired with Lustau East India from Jerez:
Flan al Estilo de Mama Marisa

After-Dinner Beverages:
Estrella Inedit
First Fruit Cidra


... fue un buen jaleo.

May Day

As with any victory comes a sense of pride of accomplishment, team unity, and relief from the threat of failure. We got that last night. Naturally, the winning team will celebrate, and rightly so. Taunting, on the other hand, is generally considered bad form. Perhaps it is a slippery slope, which is why sports have rules against such behavior as "excessive celebration." We have to be taught sportsmanship, because emotions need to be trained to not overpower our moral compass.

It is important to be mindful of the distinction between revenge and justice. To be right, as a people, we must seek justice. Celebration of success should not lead us to a delight of causing defeat. The world is a better place today, but the path that follows remains to be seen. We can be proud of justice today, and we can be proud of the people we are trying to be. We've been down, and it feels good to be back up. However, pride is a unique attribute that can be equally uplifting or destructive depending upon which side of the blurry line one resides. So, to be proud of America today is appropriate. Justice has been served. But, instead of gloating politically against ourselves or "excessively" to the rest of the world, we would be better off remembering the victims of that evil man while finding a way to tomorrow be better than we are today.

"Do not let evil defeat you, but defeat evil by doing good."
- Romans 12:21

Special Relationship

If you care to wonder why you should care about the Royal Wedding today, I bet you're not alone. Shirley, (yeah, I did) there are many who either don't care at all, do care and are enchanted, or (like my friend Phil Rice) have no idea who's getting married. It's kind of a big deal: William will be king one day, the monarchy has a long tradition, Kate is passing up on the opportunity to one day be "First Lady Katie" Porter... etcetera, ya know. I get it. Aside from all of that, why should we Americans care about who gets married in that family? Seriously.

Marriage is at the heart (went there too) of a great many discussions and debates in our own country. We talk about gay marriage, tax breaks, immigrant status and green cards, tying the knot, infidelity, rights and roles of spouses, next of kin, and money. Marriage is very much about the people getting married, wouldn't you say? You might even go as far as to say that much of the idea of marriage has become about what two people want, rather than a union that benefits a community.

Huh?

Yeah, I like to add my own commentary. But, isn't that how it used to be? Families, churches, and tribes would consent to an appropriate match. All of those people in the community were invited to join in that special day not as party guests, but as witnesses and grantors of legitimacy. What we are seeing in London today is exactly that. By many of today's standards, there is little reason for the fairly tale that endures across the pond. Why should a nation of democrats choose to pay for unelected aristocrats to live, uncontested, as kings? They may just be giving their consent to a family that exists to be caretaker of its people. Consider William - I remember him for most of his life - who has known since the concept was first able to be grasped that one day he would be king. His life was never his, but from birth a gift to his country. What a profound concept to rise every morning with the knowledge that each day is preparation for service - duty to his people; indeed duty to the world. Today he joins in holy matrimony with the woman who is the next piece of the puzzle that is British Royalty. As nature often grants, she will be the mother of the proceding monarch... and so it goes. The Royal Wedding is a commemoration of public consent.

Again, why should we care (over here)? Suppose we re-look at marriage as a foundation for society. Suppose we hold our relationships to, not just our own standards, but to higher ones. What if we looked at each day as preparation and at those with whom we picked to spend our lives as pieces to a broader puzzle? Sounds noble.

Congratulations to Prince William and Princess Catherine.

Love Me If You Can - In Memory of Don Bachelier

One way or another, we all get together to celebrate Don's birthday. Every April - always a party. It might have even qualified as one of Jaleo's "festivals" at some point. And, it always brought everyone together - managers, bussers, servers, hosts... Austin Grill... At a Don's Birthday Party, there was always dancing; we even had a dance contest one year that Lou and I commentated. There was always singing. There was always a good time had by all. That's all Don wanted for his birthday. Actually, that's not true; I remember him soliciting gifts one year. However, he genuinely enjoyed everybody getting together and not having to work. Those were the days when that was a priority. Shouldn't it always be? Good times.

Rest in peace, our friend. We'll try to keep the music down... maybe.

Cheers.

Taxing

My friend TY prefers to read my travel writings that document when I'm actually traveling. Well, guess what? SO DO I! But, we'll just make do, shall we? Life's a journey, anyway. We'll just pretend this Mickey D's 2-for-a-dollar apple pie is a fresh strudel, and I'm making my way through Bavaria in search of an old castle with a weary, yet lovely Parisian mademoiselle who doesn't speak a lick of english.

Yeah. So, this time of year about 1978 years ago, we were wrapping up the prelude to the first Easter. The thought of fasting in solitary, eshewing temptation, in preparation for a painful end seems a taxing prospect. However, the Lenten struggle does not exist to tear us down, and it's certainly not a silly game or an afterthought; it is a preparation.

Friends will go. Co-workers disappear one by one. People move on, and things disappear. A cruel game, perhaps. Taxing, for sure. But, is it preparation for a better day? One would hope. The goal is that we become stronger. Deprivation can be an injustice or it can be what it is to the vine - the process by which we find the yield of the best grapes... and with great care, the best wine.

C'est manifique!

Almost there.

The Lord's Work

We've all heard it. Someone, somewhere, has proclaimed ever so casually, to your disbelief, "you're doing the Lord's Work."

Really?! And, how would they know, exactly? It's quite puzzling, actually, if you care to think about it. Do people say that simply to commend someone for doing a task they, themselves, would never do? Do they actually find divine inspiration in arduous labor? Are they merely giving you a verbal high-five for a good deed? Or, is it something else?

Literally, if we're talking about Jesus, "the Lord's Work" could be broken down into several categories, including teaching, preaching, and healing. Carpentry seems a little too obvious. There could be a case made for feeding, though; we do have Him on record as assisting the catering of a wedding. Therefore, teachers, priests, doctors... and restaurant professionals are all doing the Lord's Work. If you work for the IRS, you are automatically disqualified. I'm not sure where that leaves Judas Priest.

Now, if we're talking about God's Work... well, that's a bit broader. Just to brainstorm a bit, that was creating the earth and all life on it, the oceans, the mountains, the sun, the moon, night and day, and man... and woman. He is essentially the CEO of all of that. So, where on God's green earth (ha-ha) would you find someone actually doing His job?

Hmmm...

To quote a famous line, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That must be it - the Lord's will is the Lord's Work! Why isn't this any clearer?

I heard the following the other day - "You already know what God wants you to do." We already know; that's something to think about. If we work from that assumption, perhaps the whole "Lord's Work" idea will present itself. It gives everyone a shot, anyway; even the tax collector.

A Little Too Fabulous

Aaaaahhh! There are three things that give me the heebee-jeebees in television and cinema: graphic violent mutilation, gay love scenes, and actors breaking into song for no apparent reason. There was that Bollywood movie... and Richard Gere in Chicago (I know it was a Broadway musical), and now that ill-advised demonstration of lip-sync/dubbing by the cast and crew of the Grey's Anatomy show. And, I know something about lip-syncing (haha). Sorry; it's not them, it's me.
So, I'm just relaxing this evening after a long week of work and weekend of my new role of artist-vendor. No, I'm not actually selling artists, I'm selling my photos. Today, I sold a photo of the dimming blue sky over Cartagena, Colombia, was interviewed by a journalism student from American University, and impressed some ladies from The Smithsonian. Yes, it was a pretty good day. However, I am looking forward to tommorrow - a day off - and I'll be cooking... but, God-willing, no creepy musicals. Let the showtunes stay where they belong - the theater and in gay bars. Regia!