A Salad and a Story

Work was mostly uneventful today, thunderstorms put a damper on most outdoor activities and forced folks to scurry on home to safety.

As I sipped my AS (after shift) cocktail a couple arrived, plopped onto the bar stools beside me, ordered a pitcher of margaritas and laughed hysterically.  The pitcher arrived and the woman chugged the first glass immediately and poured another, taking that one a bit slower.

"Well, that helped," she said.

I wasn't paying much attention after the initial shock of the chugging, so when the woman began a conversation I was surprised. 

The story unfolded this way:  today is her birthday and a few friends were having a luncheon for her hosted by another friend who was doing the cooking.

There were cheeses, oysters, crab cakes and other goodies.  Then came the salad course, which was a baby spinach leaf salad with mushrooms, shallots, and caramelized onions served with a warm dressing. 

It turns out that while shopping, the hostess mistakenly picked up a bag of fresh basil leaves instead of baby spinach and, well, you can imagine the shocked responses on the faces of a few tipsy women as they chomped down eagerly on what they assumed was baby spinach.

As guest of honor, this trooper did her best but finally had to question the taste.  The hostess was beside herself with embarrassment and immediately took to her room.  Attack of the vapors, you know. And while the other women dispersed in all directions, the birthday girl snagged her husband and came to us for relief. 

You just can't make this stuff up. (Who would want to, anyway?)

And so it goes.