Tasting the Birthday (or Iron Chef Meets Three Sheets)

WARNING:  This is a post about alcohol and drinking.  To my readers that find alcohol consumption concerning or offensive, please don’t read this post.  

This last weekend was my husband’s birthday; not quite a “big” one, but there are enough candles on the cake to make sure the Fire Department is around if we light them all.  It was going to be a quiet weekend, maybe a dinner out with the boys and his gifts.

Our cousin (CD) thought up a great way to help him celebrate and brought all the supplies necessary to make it a special event.  Here’s what you need:

6 mini-bottles of whiskey

6 high-ball or shot glasses

Index cards

Sharpie

Camera

(I recommend a glass of water for each contestant, but that’s up to you).

 CD was the presiding “judge” and the three contestants were his wife (KD), the Birthday Boy (BB), and I.  We sat at the table, each with a numbered card and a pen.  We had to taste each of the selections and decide the name, country of origin, age and type of whisky (single or blend) – harder to do that it might seem; nearly impossible for someone like me (and KD) who are NOT whiskey drinkers.  I’m a Merlot person myself; Tequila if I need to be really daring.  Living on the envelope for me is a Black ‘N Tan at our local pub.

Here are some photos of the tasting part

 

And photos of the finished, completed cards after our taste-test

 < Mine


                            BB>

And photos of the winner’s card (my cousin KD). 

She got #1 and #6 right; BB got one right and, well, whiskey is not my game.

A few shots of the bottles and cards

CD and BB enjoying the remainders of the taste testing (KD and I graciously bowed out).

Because CD’s a great guy, he made us girls a special drink called a “Buttery Nipple”.  Someday I’ll do a post on the sexually charged names of bar drinks and why they’re so embarrassing to say that you have to actually be drunk to order them with a straight face. 

A “Buttery Nipple” is Irish Cream liqueur and Butterscotch Schnapps topped with whipped cream.  In our case, Caramel Whipped cream.  Oh Dear!  I'm not sure I want to know how this one was named...

We ended the evening with grilled steaks, chicken, mashed potatoes and cheesy bread; then finished it off with cheesecake.

Party on Birthday Boy!

David vs. Goliath

Just a few notes on David vs. Goliath… (A/k/a citizenry vs. City Hall)

Be THAT PERSON that reports everything to the authorities.  This is not ‘tattling’ or being nosey.  The vandalized mailbox or garbage cans, the noisy neighbors, the drunken brawls, the cars up and down your street at all hours, the suspicious people or vehicles in your neighborhood.  If you don’t report it, the police don’t know and there is no documentation of crime in your area.

Goliath doesn’t have the same burden of proof as David does.  Goliath can follow the letter of the law by shading just inside the lines and meeting the minimum requirements.  David however, has to comply to the maximum of the spirit of the law and is responsible for all miscommunications and misinterpretations of said law.

Perception is EVERYTHING and details are tedious. 

Doing something the wrong way in the wrong place for the wrong reasons for long enough will eventually lead someone to believe you are in the right and support or endorse your actions in an attempt to make them legal.  

“A Rose by any other name” may still smell as sweet, but a tree is not a tree unless its trunk exceeds 6 inches in diameter at chest height.  

There’s quite a bit of drama and entertainment to be had between opening and closing arguments in any court proceedings.

Being David is expensive, both figuratively and monetarily.

It’s interesting to me that we still have words like “failed” and “denied” in the language of the courts, when we spend so much time teaching our children that there is no failure.

“No significant change” will likely mean you won’t recognize the original project in the end result.