Foodie Friday & "Hairspray"

Friday March 10, 2017

Tonight we decided to pop in to Giant Eagle to pick up some sushi for dinner and perhaps just do the rest of our weekly shopping since we didn’t have too long a list. Upon entering we saw lots of people with partially full wine glasses milling around – some with food, some with carts, some with both. I happened to see someone holding a card that said, “Foodie Friday.” Everyone looked like they were having so much fun and I wanted in on the action. Though Andrew seemed reluctant, he agreed, so we paid our $6@, got our punch cards, and wheeled over to Station #6 since it was the closest. The theme for this Friday was “Indian Food.”

Station #6 had a nice smooth red with rice pudding for dessert, which was okay, but a bit dry (which is what the lady told us who was serving it). Seemed an odd pairing since I always thought you paired white food with white wine, or at least a sweet dessert wine with dessert, but at least the red was quite nice.

Not sure about the rest of these, but I can tell you we probably had 3 glasses each of red/white.

Station #5 also had a red I think, and this station had a flavored Naan bread that was quite flavorful. I agreed with the girl serving it that a cheesy Naan is really the best. I also told her about the sweet Naan bread I once had at Aab India that was really good.

Station #4 had a red I think, not sure if this was the station where we tried some hummus, which I liked, but not enough to buy it and eat it with crackers or whatever all the time (I suppose it’s the healthy alternative to dip).

Station #3 had a white wine – probably Pinot Grigio, and little cups of seasoned vegetables. Since I couldn’t sample the meat dishes at the next two stations, Andrew let me have his veggies too. I liked the flavors. When we make curry at home we don’t tend to do side dishes, so this is something I only ever have when eating out.

Station #2 had a white wine – probably Pinot Grigio and some sort of a meat course.

Station #1 had a white wine – probably Pinot Grigio and some sort of a meat course.

I don’t know how many ounces each sample was, but probably somewhat close to ½ (measuring) cup at each station, so I’m sure I quite easily drank the equivalent of at least a half a bottle of wine. Yes, I was definitely in a pretty good mood by the time we were done. Andrew was amused by how chatty I was with each of the servers. I’m sure that was partially the wine talking, but I do also enjoy chatting with others, which was part of the reason for participating in this activity. Would I ever want to do this again? Yes, definitely, but perhaps not every weekend, and only with a designated driver and/or a bottle of water to sip from after each sampling.

Saturday March 11, 2017

This afternoon I slipped out and drove over to Acorn Books in Grandview. I would be lying if I said it was my favorite used bookstore, because, quite honestly, I visit Half Price Books more often than Acorn, though Amazon.com is still my number #1 source for used books (alongside the library).

I wanted to visit Acorn Books because I hadn’t had time on my most recent visit to properly browse the section all about Books & Bookselling, which included a book about collecting Bookends; another with a compilation of Bookplates. There was also a book on ‘How to Discuss Books You’ve Never Read.’ That would probably be useful if you were only in a book club for the free snacks and social hour. I also spied some of my favorites – 84 Charing Cross Road and The Bookman’s Tale, both of which I’ve read; only one of which I own.

books I passed on (for now)

After removing several volumes from each row and examining them one by one (and making various piles on the floor), I made my decision which books would come home with me and hopefully get read, instead of just getting dusty on another shelf. Either way, it’s a change of scenery for the books, and helps support an independent business, so it’s all good.

My Life Story!

In the evening I joined my sister and her family at the new Hilliard Arts Complex to see “Hairspray.” With community productions, one doesn’t always go in with high expectations. Well, whatever expectations I had, they were completely blown away by the caliber of the cast. There were some truly gifted actors in this cast that I hope to see again in future productions. Of particular note: Tracy, played by Amy Lang (perfect casting!), Edna played by Chris Johnson (I wonder what he looks like when he’s not in drag?), Link played by Jay Reid (what a cutie!), Little Inez played by Natalie Beasley (very deserving of an Outstanding Ingenue award), and Motormouth Maybelle played by Ellisa Coston (she was FAB FAB FABULOUS!!! How has Hollywood not discovered her yet?).

It’s my understanding that this production was an experiment and also the first play to be held in the new space. It’s only unfortunate that the risers didn’t arrive in time. Sitting in the back row it was difficult at times to see parts of scenes if anyone was on or near the stage floor. Also, a little more heat would have been nice (though sometimes auditoriums can be boiling either) due to the frigid temperature outside.

I think the new space will work fine for smaller productions, and perhaps some of the schools may want to utilize it as well. I think the important thing is the size of the production should fit the venue. We’ve seen many high school plays with probably the same amount of people in attendance, but 125 people in an auditorium that holds probably 500-600 people, looks practically empty. It’s also more cost efficient to hold smaller productions in a smaller facility.

Either way, I’m glad Hilliard has this facility and that there’s so much enthusiasm from the community to support it (incl. my niece, Ashley, who was a member of the stage crew). To Director and Board Member, Robin Brenneman, Keep up the Good Work!

Have a great week everyone!