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8 July 2007

Worry, a menu and crazy adventures

Everything changes. It's been a busy month, organizing payment of a security deposit on an apartment, getting my plane tickets, stating that I'm not a terrorist/drug baron/prostitute on a million visa application forms, determining my blood type (it's ORh+, folks), ordering a new power supply for my defunct flatbed scanner, trying to get my mother to come to grips with email as a viable form of communication (VoIP is pretty much a pipe dream at this stage), sucking at bowling, resigning at work, closing bank accounts, having copies of my thesis professionally bound (yes, it finally is truly over), worrying over what will become of my precious orchids, hoping that the new Recoil album will arrive in my mailbox in time to still listen to it before I leave, clearing out loads of old receipts/undergrad notes/bank statements, taking photographs of my hometown to potentially use in presentations, finishing up some labwork for my professor ...and planning a party.

I am not about to do full-on finger food for forty hungry people (don'tcha just love alliteration?) and so the ready-made everything aisle in Woolworths will be my salvation again. Do not despair though, as store-bought stuff is just ancillary and I have several culinary surprises up my sleeve. Like the chilli-spiced olives with slices of lime and fresh rosemary from the garden which I canned yesterday; or the feta cheese and sun-dried tomatoes I marinated in extra virgin olive oil laced with cracked black pepper and coriander seeds this morning. I'm planning a fusion food menu of sorts: bruschetta topped with grilled peppers, chicken satay skewers with spicy peanut sauce, cherry tomatoes topped with fresh pesto, stuffed chillies, meatballs according to the secret family recipe, spring rolls, tuna fritters with lemon mayonnaise, nachos with Mexican layered dip, delightful little rolled things, exquisite little goodies on sticks, aromatic dips, pungent spices. It's not meze, not tapas, not boerekos, not dim sum, perhaps not even proper fusion cooking, but I don't care as long as it's delicious. If the guests end up forgetting all about me when I'm gone, at least they won't forget the food.

This will be the first time that all the different people that I've met over the years will be together in the same space. My lab friends will meet my friends from the bookshop for the first time. Should I be worried? I have always had this irrational fear that they might actually get along better without me and then go off on crazy adventures without me. Irrational, see? Because I know full well that each set of friends goes off on crazy adventures without me all the time, anyway. Usually along the lines of them going: "Hey, Leon, why don't you come with us? We're going to hike the Fish River Canyon this weekend, then take in a concert by some band you've never heard of and probably wouldn't like. It'll be great!" My response: "Erm, well... I have this thesis-thing and need to fill my shifts at work this weekend..." Why should it matter if they get on well without me? Why should it matter if they go off on crazy adventures without me? Why? Because I want them to be miserable without me, that's why. Now I'm going off on my own crazy adventure, alone, and it's too late, much too late. At least we won't forget the food...

10 comments:

Wendy said...

It sounds so yummy! I wish I could be there - and not only for the food...

AristoNeeks said...

**drool**

sigh

good luck with the cooking!!

don't despair! i'm sure you'll meet interesting new people to go on crazy adventures with.

Karen Little said...

I wish i was going to your party :(

mike said...

See? All these people just want to be your friends now that you are throwing a party with lots of scrumptuous food (Robyn Poole, the SABC 3 presenter, used that word once. I love it! At the time I shouted at the screen: "It's either scumptious or sumptuous, but not scrumptuous, bitch!" But I got over it and now I think it's quite a fun word, much like funtastic and exumptly).

Anyway, yeah, I don't think your different groups of friends will run off into the sunset, because they'd have to do with bland food without you!

And you're going to meet a million awesome people in America (most of the really good ones probably won't be American), so despair not!

I hope it's a funtabulous party!

arcadia said...

oooh - dit klink fantasties. gaan jy steeds blog daar in die vreemde? sterkte met al die laaste detailtjies :-)

Anonymous said...

You probably now this by now, but last week or so, I read an article about a Ghost Orchid that was found in Florida. I thought about you when I read it. I also just recently visited an horticultural garden. I was in the arid section and found a bunch of really cool plants from S. Africa. I didn't catch the scientific name, but "living stones" and
"Toes" were there mass friendly names. I listened and was totally fascinated.

Unknown said...

Aah, the article must have been about the fabled Polyrrhiza lindenii of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief fame. And SA has some fantastic botanical treasures to discover. I've tried growing Lithops ("living stones", or "baby's toes") several times now, but they keep rotting on me once the rainy season starts.

Triggermap said...

Yeah, I somehow dont think you are the type of person your friends will forget very quickly - u have too many interesting things to tell to be forgetable. But the food sounds great! hope the party was a success

Wendy said...

Too busy to blog huh? I know the feeling.

Blaine Foster said...

Good readingg this post