I was at the shop, picking out pastries for my superbowl party (After all, what superbowl would be complete without an opera cake or a financier?) when the woman beside me remarked on the impressive assortment of sweets I’d lined up. I don’t recall exactly what she said. It may have been “Wow! That’s a lot of dessert!” or “Are those all for you?” or maybe even “You’re not seriously gonna cram ’em all down your piehole, are ya?”. Whatever it was, it ended up sparking a conversation. We talked desserts, travel, and culinary adventures and, before heading out the door, I handed her my card. I don’t recall what I said. It may have been “Drop me an email when you get a chance.” or “Give me a call.” or maybe even “Who’s the girl who wants some crispy duck?!!!”. Whatever it was, Denise emailed me the next day, we exchanged messages and finally, last night, we went out for dinner.
Alas, no pics of Denise. She claims she’s camera shy but I suspect it has more to do with a possible warrant out for her arrest. Still, some shots of the meal we enjoyed at Refuel…
At one point, a waitress came out and presented us with the duck before whisking it back to the kitchen for deboning. Some thirty seconds later, another waitress came out and presented the duck, prompting one of the two women seated at the table behind us to ask exactly how many ducks we’d ordered. I informed them I was extra hungry and strongly urged them to go with the duck – but their hearts were already set on something else. That, of course, didn’t stop them from admiring the duck when it was served moments later. “They’re admiring the duck,”noted Denise. Knowing full well we’d never be able to finish it off by ourselves, I swung the platter around and offered our surprised neighbors a piece each. Which they loved by the way. So much so that they ended up buying me dessert –
We talked more food, travel, and just about every other topic imaginable. The next time I checked my watch, it was three hours later! Time flies when you’re eating crispy duck!
A great time was had by all. Well, by me anyway – although Denise seemed to have a good time. Well, guess we’ll find out next week when we hit Peaceful Restaurant for fiery noodles.
I woke up this morning to discover I’d been quoted in The Wall Street Journal. And what, you may ask, was the topic of my informed commentary? Healthcare? Politics? The recession? Try macarons: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704269004575073843836895952.html?mod=googlenews_wsj End of the article.
Hey, meet the new Stargate writer-producers –
In addition to scriptwriting and producing duties, you can be sure there’s a Q&A in their not-too-distant future.
Some Boneshaker discussion –
Rebecca H. writes: “Why did the Chinese (or anybody) continue to live in what was a literal hell on earth?”
This is a good point. Given the squalid conditions and the obvious dangers, I’m not sure why most of the inhabitants of the walled city didn’t leave. The most obvious answer would be that they were prevented from doing so – although this is never addressed and I’m not sure why those on the outside would want to prevent those on the inside from getting out. If that was the case, however, it’s possible that those who did have the means to get out (ie. bribing airship captains) got out when they could. Then again, what stopped them from escaping through the same tunnels Zeke used to gain access to the city. Hmmmm. Raises some interesting questions.
“Why has no one attempted to seal the Blight hole in the earth’s crust (and again, lemon sap doesn’t seem to be reason enough)?”
This is another one for the author but I would imagine that sealing the opening would have been easier said than done. It reminds of that town in Pennsylvania that had to be abandoned because of a mine fire that has been burning for almost fifty years, rendering the place uninhabitable (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania). Weird but true.
NKP writes: “I liked the story idea and that Briar went after Zeke just to get him back without wanting to play a leading role in the city.”
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I found Briar’s motivation refreshing. She demonstrates courage and resourcefulness in the face of many obstacles, but never really assumes the mantel of leader or savior – which would have been the all-too-obvious way to go. Her sole concern is her son, finding him and getting him back to safety, and that made her all the more real to me.
NKP writes: “I had the impression during her stay within the city that she didn’t know what became of Leviticus.”
Answer: For me, it was quite the opposite. Throughout, she was certain that Minnericht was NOT Leviticus and I kept wondering “How can she be so sure?” and then, eventually: “Ah, there’s something more going on here.” And, as it turns out, there was.
NKP writes: “What also left me wondering was, why Captain Cly didn’t tell her about Minnericht before giving her the lift to the city.”
Answer: I’m guessing that between the rotters, the blight, and the city’s many unsavory elements, Cly figured he’d be the least of her problems.
Ponytail writes: “Joe said, “the threat of the rotters felt more incidental than an essential story element.” I say, thank god! I think the zombie rotters were just the right amount. Nothing worse than having a dead, decaying person grabing at you all the time and trying to eat you. There were too many other stories going on in the book, like, who lived in that walled up city and down below it, how did they live like that, and why would they live like that, and what did they do.”
I’m not saying we needed to see more of the rotters. I simply wanted them to figure more into the main story. For instance, it’s suggested that Minnericht is able to exercise some form of control over the living dead, but this is never fully explored. Would have loved to find out exactly how he was able to control them and the extent of said control.
Today’s entry is dedicated to birthday boy Belouchi and AV Eddy.
Leave a Reply