Monday, April 4, 2011

Daredevil dining

It’s 5:30 on Saturday.  I have just left Marty’s place to give her some time to get to know Vanisle.  This is the first time they have met and there's a window of opportunity for the two of them to get acquainted before the big event.  I will return shortly to help her with our blind-date dinner party.  We have planned an evening for 8 guests – some of whom have never met each other – to get together, experience the stories, gifts, food, and wine that each bring to the table.  Blindfolded.  At least for part of the evening.  We are each to bring something for the potluck, a gift that can be offered to the rest of the guests while they are blindfolded, a show-and-tell item from their youth, and a blindfold.

I return to find Marty’s date – we decided to call him Zorro – festooned in an apron, corkscrew at the ready, and apparently nicely settled in for the evening.  This is a good sign. Marty, has set-decorated the living and dining rooms brilliantly for the occasion.  Even our friend Bob, the mannequin, is sporting a tiara and a blindfold.  The appetizers are out, music is playing, and a bowl of provocative questions sits amongst the olives and crackers (should conversation lag at any point during the evening).  As the three of us sit there, I give Zorro a quick energy reading (with his permission of course).  I am able to zero in on a couple of truths for him and we quickly establish that this is going to be an evening with the No Bullshit Zone firmly delineated.  We’re callin’ ’em as we sees ’em.  He loves it.

Next the guests arrive.  A quick introduction – J & E – a lovely Polish couple, married for 37 years, and absolutely in for what may happen; Sparky, the electrician – a tall drink of water with a warm smile (he is also going to meet his date for the first time tonight); M, Sparky’s date – the mystery woman whom we all immediately take to for her enthusiasm and willingness to be involved; and Dakota – the pediatrician-turned shaman – need I say more in terms of an interesting mix!

Curtains open.  We all put our blindfolds on and Marty passes around a tray with three dishes – each with scented oils.  We are to pick which one we like, dab a little of the oil on our hands, and then tell the group what memories the fragrance elicits.  Wonderful stories emerge.  It is very sensuous and honest.  Next, while the gang is still blindfolded, I choose a Rune for the evening and it is the blank – The Unknowable.  Of course it is!  It represents the Divine in all human transactions and is the Rune of total trust. I read to them and they listen.  While not necessarily in this order, we experience a poem by Robert Frost –  Nothing Gold Can Stay, we listen to a Polish duet accompanied by guitar (indescribably touching), we unwrap hootchies and bullets to learn about Zorro’s fondness for hunting and fishing, we hear a joke with different characterized voices, and we mold clay into whatever form is evoked while we listen to Tibetan throat singing.  (If you pause reading here, just for minute, you might be able to tap into the plethora of sensations …).

Ah yes.  And the food.  We began blindfolded (again) and had an appetizer of stuffed dates.  (Three each… one with goat’s cheese, one with a spicy almond, and one wrapped in prosciutto – a cheesy date, a nutty date, and a blind date.) Off came the blindfolds and we continued.

The salad (apples, pecans, carrots, and zillions of other ingredients) was so good I think I could eat just that for the rest of my life.  If I can get the recipe, I’ll post it.  (Oh wait!  Marty!  We could do a Buns and Marty cookbook!)  Sorry.  I digress.

Red-wine-soaked scalloped potatoes topped with feta, green beans almandine, and grilled stuff salmon, organic chicken, and steak, took us up to the dessert portion of the meal.  Here we donned our scarves, ties, and masks again to taste an elegant banana caramel cake, a tiny chocolate cup of Frangelica, another one with berries, and ice cream.  Messy?  Yes.  Worth it?  Absolutely.

With freshly roasted and ground coffee and Je t’aime tea as finishers, we were sufficiently suffonsified, as my Dad used to say.

The show-and-tell part was very endearing and the camaraderie amongst all was amazing.  It was as if we had all known each other forever.  Conversation lingered until the wee hours and it was clear that all were exhilarated by having attended. 

Did we learn anything?  I know I did.  I said “yes” to something about which the only thing I knew was its energy and intent.  I didn’t have to see it first.  It was very liberating for me.  I also was able to practice setting the energy for others so they too could have a mindful and meaningful experience.

This is definitely a do-again.  Perhaps on a larger scale.  (Perhaps in a villa in France, Marty!)  Would you come if you were invited?  What would you bring as your gift?  Who would you invite? What questions would you put in the jar? 

Authentically yours,

Buns


2 comments:

  1. Oh la la......it was a hit! You described it so well I feel like I was there.
    See you 2 weeks today! M xo

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes it was a fantastic night. Fun,soulful,depth, and out of the box. Great people! I loved that everyone got to share something of themselves. Each had a moment of fame/being seen.

    Tall Drink of Water

    ReplyDelete