02 September 2005

magical, out from blown speakers

i am off work today. and i'm finding it more than a little troubling that it's 10 am and i'm sitting in my apartment doing this. i should still be asleep or at the park or doing my laundry or going to the gym, but i just woke up, and i'm not sure i might not go back to bed sometime in the near future, so here i am. i think they're gonna send me my 'welcome to nerddom' pack pretty soon.

gazpacho has always been a summer tradition in my family. and my mom has always made it very well. this year i called her ass up and said, "moms, i'm gonna need the 'zpach recipe, cause i'm jonesin'" and so she gave it me and i made it a few weeks ago, and it was pretty damn tasty.

so during my marathon drinking last friday, i announced bravely (and drunkly): "it's gazpacho night at my house on thursday. be there!!" and the people looked at me a little funny, but then they rejoiced.

i woke up saturday with the realization that i'd invited an unknown number of people (some of whom i'd just met) to my house for gazpacho that thursday.

luckily, the greenmarket in prospect park was on that day, so i dragged some mates and bought many tomatoes, some cukes, peppers, etc. fresh from the farms of new york and new jersey. so i made two blenders-full of the 'zpach, sent out an email invite (not to be confused with the more formal and classier (?) e-vite) and told my roommate to tell her friends who were at GYC with us to come by for some cold tomato soup and some alcohol (because alcohol makes everything sound more enticing).

by yesterday morning, it was looking like about 12 people were going to show up; and, as is my nature, i began to get a little concerned. i wondered if i'd inadverntantly 'overbooked the flight' and there wasn't going to be enough to feed everyone. suddenly the gigantic vat of gazpacho in my refidgerator was shrinking in my mind--"oh, my god, that's never gonna be enough for all those people, fuck". i began to pray that people would take me up on the "bring some stuff if you like" part of the invitation. i had visions of everyone getting a shot-glass full of gazpacho and me just standing there with a sheepish look on my face, ladle in hand.

so i told a few of my close friends, who would be chill about the fact that i may or may not have invited them over for a meal i wouldn't be able to provide, "look, i didn't plan this too well, so there might not actually be enough gazpacho for everyone...but there will be margaritas and beer. that i guarantee."

but a lot of people brought other food, all of which was yummy and summery and ended up creating a pretty impressive spread. we had a nice tray of tomato, basil and mozzarella; some pesto pasta salad; a jug of sangria; lots of chips and guacamole; and as was my own fault (i'd confessed to one trusted friend "bring a shitload of bread, because i don't have enough food to feed these geezers") a shitload of bread and cheese.

as people showed up i got the requisite, "i thought you said there wasn't going to be enough" as they saw the rather large bowl sitting on the table and i said, "i panicked, have a drink". someone brought brooklyn pennant ale (which fit very well into my "summer's almost over, time to drink all the delicious seasonal brew i can find before it's pumkin ale time" plan), and my roommate made 'ritas (which was like couples therapy for me and my long-estranged partner (although there was still the occasional night of passion), tequila), the aforementioned sangria arrived--fruit and all--to everyone's immense pleasure. and it turns out that two blenders full of gazpacho is well enough to feed however many people actually did end up coming...i forgot to count.


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