I hate to be the wet noodle at the pasta party, but I simply can’t compete with the news these days. I have neither grabbed nor texted anyone inappropriately in many years, and I do not know what a private email server would look like, let alone how to use one. I drank a bit too much at a wedding a few weeks ago and would have embarrassed myself were I capable of being embarrassed by that sort of thing.
I do not, in short, live the sort of life that would interest most of you. As a writer, I suppose this is not ideal; as a human, I am content to let others’ perfidy occupy your attention. It is enough for me that my wife will blush slightly because I not only used the word “perfidy,” but also (once she has edited this) used the correct possessive form of “others” in context.
I do not even mind that the bar for appropriate behavior continues to sink lower and lower as I age. In truth, that just makes it easier for me to look good to my friends, family and those colleagues who are not paying attention. My guess is that the next generation will rebel against the current regime by becoming moral and sanctimonious; that’s when I’ll start to worry. In the meantime, how about we discuss food?
First up, my friends at Nolavore are hosting a popup dinner on Thursday, Oct. 20, to help fund the purchase of an air conditioning unit for their kitchen. That seems like a worthy goal. Here’s an excerpt from the email I received:
It's been a long, hot summer over here – with only a window unit keeping us around 100F most days, we are thinking perhaps better air conditioning should be in our future. Hence the theme, ¡Cocina Calinete! We will be featuring food from around the equator, some a little on the spicy side, and have been fortunate enough to receive a donation of beer samples from Urban South Brewery to cool us down (please BYOB also; we can't expect free beer to last all evening). Proceeds will go into our AC fund for next summer
In addition to cuisine from our venue kitchen at Nolavore, we also have delightful flavors coming to us from Two Girls One Shuck Traveling Oyster Bar as well as Bonafried, New Orleans' premier fried chicken truck.
You can sign up for the event by clicking here, and that link will also let you look at the menu they have planned. These Nolavore kids are pretty cool, and I suspect it’ll be a good time. That you’ll be helping them keep the temperatures manageable in their kitchen is lagniappe. Hope to see you there.
Speaking of upcoming events, and we were; Press Street Gardens has a fundraiser on Sunday, Oct.16, from 3 to 7 p.m. You’ll be able to buy local products like sugar cane, pumpkins, pecans, sweet potatoes and citrus, as well as plants appropriate for your seasonal garden. I am informed (by following the same link I have provided, above) that there will also be lawn games, beverages and music on offer. Press Street Gardens is located at 7 Press Street, between Dauphine and Burgundy. (Aside: am I the only native to regularly pronounce “Burgundy” as it is pronounced when naming the region in France? Because I feel it’s a weakness on my part, and I’d feel better if I wasn’t alone.)
Anyway, those are two things coming up in the food world in the next week or two. I am hoping to attend both, and am further hoping that I will neither need to apologize thereafter for my behavior, nor seek a Presidential pardon. You’ll have to show up to know how that turns out, I guess.
