KatieLoeb

Yes. It does sound as though the "alliances" had been formed -- which, as we all know -- is so critical to these "survivor" experiences. But I guess no one got voted off, did they?? Jaymes: No one needed to get "voted" off. We'd all just wander off from time to time and collapse whimpering in the corners and pass out. Then we'd wake up from see-sawing on our bloated little bellies!

Wow - I didn't realize our pig had a PEDIGREE and all that special treatment! Hot damn. I got misty just thinking about it... Mr. Cole is truly a decent and hard working man. Glad he could join us and partake of the "fruits" of his labor, so to speak.

After rubbing up against everyone at every pass, those of us that weren't already "friendly" were practically family Thanks, Katie. I couldn't figure out a way to say that, but you got it perfectly. And y'all know how we treat family down here in the South!!! It's the punch line from the hillbilly joke!: "Send back that Virgin Bride, son! If she ain't good enough for her own family, she ain't good enough for ours!"

After rubbing up against everyone at every pass, those of us that weren't already "friendly" were practically family

Beans: Truly, we are twin daughters of different mothers

Don't worry, Dawn. Your secret, (as well as a few other folks' secrets), is safe with me...

Beaux Arts Ball is held every year in some "still-under-construction" building. Past venues have included Reading Terminal Train Shed, mall in King of Prussia, etc. A fancy pants party for the young see-and-be-seen set. Fun if you like that sort of thing. I always thought it was for the socialites to slum with the serfs for a day Henry David party is a scream. Definitely a more "interesting" crowd than Beaux Arts, with more diversity in socio-economics, sexual orientations, etc. I've seen some pretty awe inspiring costumes there myself. Friends of mine won best "Couples" costume a few years ago. They went as a kitchen table and a milk carton with a "Have you seen...?" face on the side. Costume is difficult to describe, but trust me, it was great!

I would reason that your lemoncello may be the missing link in what could make that possible. A few hits of that, and I could be anywhere or anyone I wanted to be. Girl - you so silly...

Heartland folk have all the fun... Wish I could join all of you. Raise a toast for me too. As soon as instantaneous time travel is perfected I can come to all the gatherings

I do have to chime in on how eGullet folks were readily willing to step up late on Saturday night to clean up and break down the site. it took about 15 minutes for eGulleteers to fold the tables and chairs, as well to bring plates, pans and utensils to be cleaned. I hoped we were able to make the thought of a repeat pig pickin' a possibility... Mark: I'm not suggesting the spirit of helpfulness of eGulleteers was not in evidence, only that Dr. Mrs. Varmint had no business getting dish-pan hands and having done so was way above and beyond the call of duty! And any party that requires pressure hosing the grease off the tennis court definitely qualifies as "leaving a mess in your wake" in my book

True 'dis. There were folks hanging out everywhere, and helping do stuff everywhere, although the kitchen was definitely the center of the Pig Pickin' Universe for Friday evening and Saturday early afternoon. There was all kinda stuff happenin' at any given moment, so you're all going to have to piece this together from the various accounts I think. For myself (and I'm certain I speak for the other "hard cores" that came early and stayed late) I'd just like to repeat how unbelievably hospitable Varmint and his incredible family were to us. Dr. Mrs. Varmint is a saint for putting up with the likes of the crowd of rowdy drunken foodies that invaded her lovely home, took over her kitchen and backyard and left a mess in their wake. And she doesn't even eat red meat! She's an awe inspiring example of patience, tolerance and graciousness. And her parents were kind enough to invite us to THEIR lovely home for lunch on Sunday. True Southern hospitality. All of us with long drives ahead of us were properly caffeinated with fresh espresso shots before we hit the road. I can't imagine anyone being nicer. I can hardly wait for the next multi-regional/international eGullet event! I had so much fun my coworkers are sick of listening to me blather on about it

The Guard Pigs fell down on the job whilst I was inside shredding all manner of critters for the VD Stew. By the time I got back outside, alas, no more Knob Creek to be found Gosh...thanks Heather! I'll post a recipe in the archives as soon as I can. It's pretty easy to do.

Auctioning off the food ("Whose got the ...") at anyplace but a diner. Learn position numbers people!!! It's not rocket science. Waiters should be abe to make a notation on the dupe for either themselves or the food runner that lets them know who ordered what. Doesn't even require a computer based POS system. Doesn't even require numbers. Use male/female symbols, "lady in green shirt", or whatever.

Jaymes: The hotel was lovely - thank you for all the hard work on the arrangements. It was a bargain, and quite comfortable. They were nothing but accomodating. There were several mentions of how much you were missed over the course of the weekend. Maggie, Aurora, Heather, Rochelle and I were all quite sad that you couldn't make it. There was some excellent chick bonding happening this weekend, and you woulda loved it...

Don't be sad... In fact we are. At least I'll speak for myself. After the pig orgy I fell asleep and took a serious power nap. I'm now up and doing my duties as Celebrity Guest Bartender. I'm about to mix up our second pitcher of Dark n' Stormies. YUM!

You guys won't believe this. Charlie just called me after picking up the rental car we'll be driving down tomorrow. An EMT vehicle ran a red light and crashed into him!!! Mercifully, no one is hurt, but this is a BAD car karma week for our friend Mummer! His car bottomed out last week, hence requiring the rental vehicle. Unreal. Hopefully, he'll be able to swap out the car with the rental agency and get another this evening, but I'm on standby in case I need to drive him to the Alamo at the airport if the one in town here closes early. I'm driving tomorrow as soon as he picks me up...

That sounds a little "off" to me. I've never experienced anything that would be as "earthy" as saffron in a Monbazillac. Usually just smells/tastes of fruit blossom florals and honey.

C'mon Beans! Swap those shifts! It'll be SO much fun! Jump in the car and get thee to North Cackalacky for the fun and games Chez Varmint. You can give me bartending pointers and we can come up with all manner of dangerous substances with whatever we've been given to work with. It'll be RIGHTEOUS

Beans: I think "Southeastern Australia" is the Oz equivalent of "Central Valley" California. HUGE production agribusiness level grape growing (or should I say, overcropping) and enormous yields per acre that end up in non-descript jug wines of all stripes. That's not to say there aren't some fine producers there, but I think you get the drift of what I'm saying. The can thing is clever, but I suspect it might leave a "tinny" taste in the wine. Let me know if I'm right about that when you gather the courage to pop the top on one of those bad boys!

Agreed - the Ramey is delicious! So is Arrowood, and even their second label - The Grand Archer is a great value for the quality. If you're a big-assed oakey fan then the ZD is right up your alley. So's the Clos Pegase but I'd rather eat toothpicks. Chateau Montelena is consistently good as well. Just today I tried the Franciscan "Cuvee Sauvage" and really liked it. Fermented with wild yeasts, no filtration of fining, etc. Tasty and rich. And you can dance to it...I'll give it an 88.

OK - I've made arrangements to procure a jug of Ginger Beer tomorrow evening from the Senegalese restaurant in West Philly that I frequent. It's coming with me to mix up all sorts of drinks. If anyone wants to have Ginger Sidecars, bring along some Cointreau and some brandy. If you want Lemon-Ginger Cosmos bring some Citron. (We should probably save the limoncello to have by itself) Maggie's got the bourbon covered so we're good to go for a bar that won't take up too much of Varmint's space and I suspect won't leave leftovers for him to bother with after the fact. Varmint - is this all OK with you if I promise not to serve anyone I would normally flag?

Making Sense of Wine is a great book. I recommend it to everyone,. His thoughts on appellation, and "authenticity" in wine should be required reading for anyone that works with wine, or wishes to learn more about wine. It's all there - everything you need to know about why you shouldn't buy cheap "refinery-not-winery" wine.

Sending get well soon vibes to Jason's mom. Sorry you won't be able to make it, but I'm certain she'll feel better with you two around...

Oh yes - and the Limoncello will be bottled this evening, so we can always add that to the Ginger Beer and Absolut and have Lemon-Ginger Cosmos!