The Cucumber Shark: Part III

Keeping it simple. One does not have to have elaborate and difficult dinners and events to make an impact. I feel that Alexandre Dumas ( author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo) says,

"Dinner is the principal act of the day that can only be carried out in a worthy manner by people of wit and humor; for it is not sufficient just to eat at dinner. One has to talk with a calm and discreet gaiety. The conversation must sparkle like the rubies in the entremets wines, it must be delightfully suave with the sweetmeats of the dessert, and become very profound with the coffee."

That being said, one of my favorite things is our gatherings around our birthdays. There are ten of us who all share birthdays in February. So, instead of gifts, I would rather get everyone together for a day of fun. The usual menu consists of very simple dishes that each of us do really well. Shannon's gumbo, fried catfish, hushpuppies and fries, Mom's coleslaw and tartar sauce, Sherry's egg rolls, my mussels and anything that Jeanne (especially beans) and Laura make are amazing. All the kids are invited, the fire pit lit, fryers cranked up and off we go. The day usually ends with several Super Bowl like games of Madden ( forget calm and discreet gaiety from the above quote, it gets loud as there is actually cheering and trash talking going on) on the big screen and maybe some drag racing or drifting (on the big screen also). What it all boils down to is getting together, spending time, having fun and sharing the things we do well. In the end we all have a great time and can't wait for the next one.

Robert