…is eclectic. I compiled the playlist earlier tonight, and had a finger in nearly every pie. While there are several Scottish or Scottish-born musicians in the mix, my goal was to keep the list as unpredictable and interesting as possible. We’ll see how well I succeeded on Friday. Want a sneak peek? Continue reading
This morning, The Chef made a trip to the party store to pick up what he calls Produce of Scotland, which is a crucial component of our Burns Night Supper. Although we will also serve wine, beer, and miscellaneous alcohol, next to these lovelies they matter not.
Produce of Scotland. Photo by The Chef.
The McClelland’s, although not our favourite, is perfect for the Scotch Tasting event: there’s a Lowland, a Highland, and an Islay. The wee bottles of Glenfiddich are the Toasting Contest Prize. The Glenrothes on the right is just because. The Botanist Gin on the left is for the odd person who isn’t into whisky but still wants to enjoy a sip of sweet Scotland’s finest.
A great advantage of throwing an annual themed party is that you have the opportunity to tweak some of the components, adjusting for both so-so elements and after-the-fact brilliant ideas. Knowing that you have a do-over approximately 365 days in the future eliminates any post-party regret. Probably the biggest addition to our 2013 Burns Night Supper is the Toasting Contest. The Chef came up with the idea; he’s a smarty, that one.
All toasts must be original compositions. A bottle of Scotch goes to the winner. Am I puckish in hoping for a bunch of tipsy, off-the-cuff entries? Alcohol often breeds strange, unexpected eloquence in tongue-tied speakers, so it is a possibility. That’s entertainment, folks! Does it sound like I plan on plying my guests with drinks in order to promote a more interesting Toasting Contest? That is not my intention. No, not at all. Nothing to see here.
The Chef has prepared a back-up toast, in case no one else enters the contest. That would be awful, and would mortally wound our sensitive feelings. At least we’ll have a bottle of Scotch in which to drown our sorrows. We hope that this newest delight pleases our guests. If not, there’s always next year.
The Chef’s Toast-in-Progress. Instagram.
A poetry-filled party might not sound like a lot of fun to some people, but it is the heart of any good Burns Night Supper. Without love for the famous Scottish poet, there would be no laughter and whisky-fueled merriment. It would be just another run-of-the-mill party with bland finger food and men in pants. Who wants that, when this lovely alternative is at hand? Any takers? Nah. That’s exactly what I thought. The Chef, in addition to being highly skilled at his craft, is a charming, idiosyncratic speaker. He can rock the shit out of any poet’s words, from Emily Dickinson to Allen Ginsberg. (Don’t even get me started on his ability to declaim Shakespearean monologues from memory.) In other words, even though I am a stage trained thespian and real-life professional writer, I leave the Burns Night performance-poetry up to him. If you’re wondering at this point exactly what my contribution to the evening is, other than being stunning eye candy, I won’t blame you. The Chef, he cooks. He recites poetry. What, then, does Maedez do? For starters, I help select the Robbie Burns passages that will be incorporated into the festivities. If you’re keeping score, that’s one check on my side of the ledger. Continue reading
This year, Burns Day/Night falls on a Friday. Every 25th January, The Chef and I host a big, crazy, slightly debauched, energetic, delicious Burns Supper. We live to entertain but are often impeded by our schedules, so when we throw down we do it in a big way. This event is the star of our calendar, and friends old and new come from near and far to enjoy the night with us. Who doesn’t enjoy a literary-themed shindig, one bursting with amazing food, Scotch, poetry, a toasting contest, music, laughter, conversation, spiffy ladies, and gents in kilts?
Since this party is book-related, I thought I would share with you some of the preparations that go into celebrating one of my favourite nights of the year, as well as the result. Does that sound like fun, or a great bore? I’m doing it either way, so I hope you will take a chance and join me on this raucous ride!
* “But pleasures are like poppies spread,/You seize the flow’r, its bloom is shed;/Or like the snow falls in the river,/A moment white-then melts forever;”-Robert Burns, Tam o’ Shanter
The man who inspires one helluva celebration.
I’m going to party like it is 1906. See you next year!
New Year’s Eve 1906 at the Savoy. The Illustrated London News, Saturday, January 5, 1907.
“And we’ll take a cup ‘o kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”-Robert Burns, Auld Lang Syne
“Drink because you are happy, but never because you are miserable.”-G.K. Chesterton
A Cup of Good Cheer
Halloween is not my favourite holiday because of its free pass to dress up in a ridiculous or obscure costume, drink wildly, and eat too much cheap drugstore candy (I’m looking at you, candy corn). No, Halloween is my favourite holiday because it marks the birthday of the smartest, funniest, sweetest, sexiest man I know. My husband. Lest he think that an alien has taken up residence in my brain, I will leave it at this: he is awesome, he is mine, and I love him. Oh, dear readers, how I love him!
Engagement Pic by David Ames, November 2010. “At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”-Plato
“Give me silence, water, hope
Give me struggle, iron, volcanoes.”-Pablo Neruda
“I don’t want to go on being a root in the dark,
vacillating, stretched out, shivering with sleep,
downward, in the soaked guts of the earth,
absorbing and thinking, eating each day.”-Pablo Neruda
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 