Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Spray Cheese? Anyone?

My running friends are egging me on to continue rembrances from my past life. I want to tell the story of the Argentian sailor I met at the Louvre, but first I need to get some photos scanned into the computer. Instead, I'm going to tell a story about my halcyon days as a young reporter when I shared an apartment with my friend Pat, who masquerades as Suburban Kamikaze now.
Pat grew up in a Greek area of Florida, so her idea of hosting a party leaned in a different direction from my own Midwestern roots. I thought people should be fed, offered drinks and made to feel comfortable. She thought the guests should feel envy and admiration when they arrived.
This is what led to an interesting trip to the grocery store where we argued whether we should buy the spray cheese. I knew for a fact that spray cheese is always a hit at parties. She argued that it was too Midwestern and akin to our parents' cheese balls. I prevailed on the spray cheese, but she made a stand herself as we wandered through the alcohol store. She found a thin white box wrapped in cellophane that held small chocolate liqueur cups.
"These would be perfect," she murmured. I could see in her mind that she pictured the crowd of reporters sipping Bailey's Irish Cream from their chocolate liqueur cups before nibbling on the liquor-infused cups.
Here's a photo of five of us who were in attendance at the party and had a little reunion two years ago in Chicago. I'm sitting between Pat's husband Dave and our friend Steve. Pat is wrestling with my husband. Not a liqueur cup in sight.


Now, I know it wasn't a competition as to who performed better as host, but history can attest that the crowd preferred the spray cheese to the chocolate liqueur cups.
How can I be sure?
I stood by and watched the reporters grasp a shot glass filled with tequila spread a string of cheese along the area between their thumb and forefinger. They downed the tequila and licked the cheese into their mouths as a chaser. The spray cheese ran out before the tequila did.
As for the chocolate liqueur cups, unfortunately, they hadn't been big sellers in the liquor store. This cellophane-wrapped box of edible liqueur cups must have been on the shelf for quite awhile because they tasted like rubber. Our guests agreed.
How can I be sure?
We found the cups hidden in our plants afterward by guests too polite to throw them away in front of hostess Pat. Instead they stashed them in the ficus pot and the green corn plant. As we cleaned up the next day, the number of cups seemed to flourish. Could it be possible that we found more cups than were actually in the package?
The party was further Midwesternized by a friend who threw glitter as he greeted people and later gathered friends around to tell the story of the Yule Log. But, that's a story for another time when I need to perturb Pat.

10 comments:

Lucia said...

great picture of you!

Paulita said...

I could say I put up this picture because I looked good, but truthfully, it's the only photo of the five of us in Chicago, so it didn't matter who looked good or bad.

Grace said...

I love this picture and this story! I myself would have preferred the chocolate cups if they hadn't been stale (I guess we both have a taste for "elegance" Pat) but spray cheeze is a win no matter what kind of party you have

Paulita said...

Tha's my girl!

Paulita said...

A manufacturer of chocolate liqueur cups has contacted me and asked whether I'll give them another try. Okay Astor Chocolate. Bring 'em on, but I'll have some plants close by in case they taste the way those last ones do.

Stephanie said...

Tequila shots with a spray-cheese chaser? Seriously? I feel like gagging.

You DO look good in that picture.

Linda said...

I love chocolate with liquid liquor inside but have gotten some which had dried up. I thought you had to do lime with tequilla but then I've never done shots so what do I know.

Paulita said...

Linda,
Lime is traditional, but our friends were being inventive. I don't do shots either.
Stephanie, Come on. The cheese was probably really salty. It was like a cheese margarita when chasing the tequila.

Sheila said...

sounds like we'll be having a mahjong night with baileys in choc. cups yum!

Anonymous said...

Too funny !

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