Sunday, October 08, 2006
STATE OF DENIAL - THE GRAPES OF WRATH
BWEST OF BWANA
AN OCCASIONAL BREAKFAST WITH BWANA FEATURE
October 8, 2006
STATE OF DENIAL – THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Many, many years ago, we dined at Restaurant Lucas Carton on the Place de la Madeleine. This was an exceptional dining experience and the wine was a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. Okay, don’t ask, don’t tell. A few years later, my dear friend Eddie who since died and I had a wine experience.
However, before that, I will tell you that I was driving down the Mass Pike from Boston to Connecticut when this guy in a blue Mercedes 600 SEL (the old tank version) keeps pestering me. Well, it was Eddie! Later, he would yank my chain from his Aston Martin – only he could drive one of those with the super hard clutch.
Anyway, Eddie got a big raise – I mean a humumgous raise –and called me around 5:00 PM as I was sitting at my desk and contemplating another few hours of work before winding up for the night – contrary to popular belief, such is the life of a lawyer when you are handling trial work. The day is NEVER done as there is always another little bit to get finished.
So, I agreed to meet Eddie at the Four Seasons Hotel and when I got there, he called the waiter over and asked for the wine list. The waiter brought us the menu and Eddie said “Pick a bottle and get something good.” Well, with his raise, I could have ordered one of each and not worried, but I asked the waiter for the cellar list which he brought over. I ordered a bottle of DRC Grand Echézeaux. How much, you ask? Don’t ask, don’t tell, is what I say.
As we sat an enjoyed the wine and had a cigar – in those days, they allowed cigars (I”ve since quit anyway) – and had a snack, Eddie said: “Shall we get another one?” Before any more was said, he had called the waiter over and we had a second bottle!
The following evening, the doorbell at our house rang. There was Eddie and he’d had a couple of martinis. He opened his raincoat and flashed two more bottles of DRC Grand Echézeaux. “I went back and asked the stiff if he had any more and he had only two bottles so I said I’ll take them!” he proclaimed. Now, we are not quite talking Halliburton-level spending here, but four bottles of this stuff would make a decent dent in any wallet.
Two days ago, I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up some light groceries and also a couple of bottles of Napa River Cabernet. This stuff is $4.99 a bottle and it is pretty darn good, but it ain’t no Grand Echézeaux. Anyway, while I was in the store, there was an announcement on the PA system that they were having a tasting on macaroni and cheese and also of a California Sangiovese.
Well, I don’t touch macaroni and cheese and I’m not partial to wine tastings of Chateau Rotgut. The good stuff seems to sell itself. However, I did take a sample of the Sangiovese – mind you, they have tiny little plastic tasting cups that look like something in which you might collect a urine sample or dispense a terrible tasting medicine. If a standard wine serving is 150ml, these tasting cups are about 5-7ml.
As I got ready to sip, one of the guys dispensing the stuff said: “You know, they say this has the taste of blackberries but I can’t quite taste that. It’s more like blueberries to me.”
The other fellow said: “Well, I think it has a hint of spice, maybe clove and blackberry but that could come across like blueberry.”
“Sheesh!” I thought, “a $4.99 wine and it’s got all that!”
I tasted it. It was not particularly good. Actually, it was particularly bad. I mean, fuggedabout blackberries and blueberries and spice and cloves and all that stuff. This thing had nothing, nada, niente! I said: “Guys, it tastes like grape to me.”
There was a horrified silence and one of them said “No way!”
I said “Way, man! Wine is made from grapes. In fact, this tastes to me like Welch’s.”
Omigosh, I could have been engaged in the worst form of blasphemy akin to the Danish cartoons or Benny’s latest little quotation from the 13th Century. Wine tasting like grape juice? Man, you’ve got to be kidding!
One of the guys said, “I just don’t see that. It doesn’t taste like grape juice to me.”
I said: “In fact, it tastes like sweetened Welch’s grape juice. Don’t you think it is strange that you don’t think grape juice tastes like grape juice?”
He looked at me with this vacant stare.
It then occurred to me that I now understand why the President doesn’t think the sour grape juice that is Iraq tastes like sour grape juice. After all, grape juice, sour or not, doesn’t taste like grape juice to someone who doesn’t want to face the obvious.
In fairness to Trader Joe’s, it is one of the great stores around – so I’ll give them a plug or two. Their Irish Breakfast Tea and their honey mango shave cream are worth your time.
Cheerz….Bwana
AN OCCASIONAL BREAKFAST WITH BWANA FEATURE
October 8, 2006
STATE OF DENIAL – THE GRAPES OF WRATH
Many, many years ago, we dined at Restaurant Lucas Carton on the Place de la Madeleine. This was an exceptional dining experience and the wine was a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche. Okay, don’t ask, don’t tell. A few years later, my dear friend Eddie who since died and I had a wine experience.
However, before that, I will tell you that I was driving down the Mass Pike from Boston to Connecticut when this guy in a blue Mercedes 600 SEL (the old tank version) keeps pestering me. Well, it was Eddie! Later, he would yank my chain from his Aston Martin – only he could drive one of those with the super hard clutch.
Anyway, Eddie got a big raise – I mean a humumgous raise –and called me around 5:00 PM as I was sitting at my desk and contemplating another few hours of work before winding up for the night – contrary to popular belief, such is the life of a lawyer when you are handling trial work. The day is NEVER done as there is always another little bit to get finished.
So, I agreed to meet Eddie at the Four Seasons Hotel and when I got there, he called the waiter over and asked for the wine list. The waiter brought us the menu and Eddie said “Pick a bottle and get something good.” Well, with his raise, I could have ordered one of each and not worried, but I asked the waiter for the cellar list which he brought over. I ordered a bottle of DRC Grand Echézeaux. How much, you ask? Don’t ask, don’t tell, is what I say.
As we sat an enjoyed the wine and had a cigar – in those days, they allowed cigars (I”ve since quit anyway) – and had a snack, Eddie said: “Shall we get another one?” Before any more was said, he had called the waiter over and we had a second bottle!
The following evening, the doorbell at our house rang. There was Eddie and he’d had a couple of martinis. He opened his raincoat and flashed two more bottles of DRC Grand Echézeaux. “I went back and asked the stiff if he had any more and he had only two bottles so I said I’ll take them!” he proclaimed. Now, we are not quite talking Halliburton-level spending here, but four bottles of this stuff would make a decent dent in any wallet.
Two days ago, I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up some light groceries and also a couple of bottles of Napa River Cabernet. This stuff is $4.99 a bottle and it is pretty darn good, but it ain’t no Grand Echézeaux. Anyway, while I was in the store, there was an announcement on the PA system that they were having a tasting on macaroni and cheese and also of a California Sangiovese.
Well, I don’t touch macaroni and cheese and I’m not partial to wine tastings of Chateau Rotgut. The good stuff seems to sell itself. However, I did take a sample of the Sangiovese – mind you, they have tiny little plastic tasting cups that look like something in which you might collect a urine sample or dispense a terrible tasting medicine. If a standard wine serving is 150ml, these tasting cups are about 5-7ml.
As I got ready to sip, one of the guys dispensing the stuff said: “You know, they say this has the taste of blackberries but I can’t quite taste that. It’s more like blueberries to me.”
The other fellow said: “Well, I think it has a hint of spice, maybe clove and blackberry but that could come across like blueberry.”
“Sheesh!” I thought, “a $4.99 wine and it’s got all that!”
I tasted it. It was not particularly good. Actually, it was particularly bad. I mean, fuggedabout blackberries and blueberries and spice and cloves and all that stuff. This thing had nothing, nada, niente! I said: “Guys, it tastes like grape to me.”
There was a horrified silence and one of them said “No way!”
I said “Way, man! Wine is made from grapes. In fact, this tastes to me like Welch’s.”
Omigosh, I could have been engaged in the worst form of blasphemy akin to the Danish cartoons or Benny’s latest little quotation from the 13th Century. Wine tasting like grape juice? Man, you’ve got to be kidding!
One of the guys said, “I just don’t see that. It doesn’t taste like grape juice to me.”
I said: “In fact, it tastes like sweetened Welch’s grape juice. Don’t you think it is strange that you don’t think grape juice tastes like grape juice?”
He looked at me with this vacant stare.
It then occurred to me that I now understand why the President doesn’t think the sour grape juice that is Iraq tastes like sour grape juice. After all, grape juice, sour or not, doesn’t taste like grape juice to someone who doesn’t want to face the obvious.
In fairness to Trader Joe’s, it is one of the great stores around – so I’ll give them a plug or two. Their Irish Breakfast Tea and their honey mango shave cream are worth your time.
Cheerz….Bwana
