Christmas with the Movers

DRAFT - please edit - remember - you all have privledges to edit these posts.











More to come - off to Waroeng now!

The Rosa, Portsmouth

The Rosa - November 16th

Members in attendance: The Count, Moxie, Mycroft, Hot Sauce, Lady Aubergine, Prag 4. Zeus and Solids went with a tag- team presence for the event.

Prag 4 ate a tasty pizza with tomato, spinach, and cheese. The Count had beer battered Haddock. Hot Sauce ate one of the specials with an undercooked Gouda risotto. Zeus ate a pasta primavera. Lady Aubergine chose to eat eggplant parmesan that was more fry than eggplant. Moxie sat across from me, and even though I tasted her meal and know it was served with linguine, I can't remember what it was!

Overall, Movers agreed the food was not memorable. One merit to The Rosa came in the form of a rare steak. Mycroft was pleased with his steak, as it is a feat for many restaurants to achieve rare even when asked for it. Also, the atmosphere was far better than any Olive Garden or chain Italian place you might find. Lovely black and white photos (presumably) of the family and of Portsmouth hang in antique frames. You can find newspaper clippings from the early 1900's in the hallways. Also, I appreciated the traditional carafes of wine (the house red was better than the first bottle we chose, even if that's not saying much).

Though the food was mundane, the conversation was spicy! The Movers covered the issues that came up during the previous week's meeting and had very good discussion about our voting policies. Let it therefore be known that The Movers - after many wonderful side journeys- have agreed to a form of voting which is not yet named, but which we are sure will take off quickly in secret dining groups all over the globe. I will not try to explain the reasons behind the methods, as they are too complex for even I to understand, yet they are as follows: All Movers present must vote, even if the outcome seems obvious. A re-vote can be taken on any topic at any time. When voting, all Members of The Movers must vote in the affirmative, save for one; one member must vote No for the item to pass and be accepted as Mover's Rule. I like to think of this as Near Consensus with expectation, nay requirement! of an ornery individual to make the voting interesting. Others may see it as more spiritual or philosophical, but I'll let them speak to it themselves, should that be the case.

An enjoyable and high spirited evening!

- Lady Aubergine

El Mexicano Jr.

This is going to be a really short post - because I figure it will work better if everybody writes about what they ate in the comments because there were so many differerent things going on.

In attendance:
Ace, Hot Sauce!, The Lady Aubergine, Zeus, Solids, The Count, Wasabi, Mycroft, Prag 4 and myself, Moxie.

The food was divine. I ate or participated in the eating of: chorizo tacos, deshebrada tacos, milanesa con papas (breaded steak with fries that was misleadingly decribed as steak covered in bread and fries) which came with deliciously divine beans and rice, tamales, and a gordita.

I loved the gordita which was like a mexican pita pocket - the pita being made of masa dough.

And my all time favorite still remains the chorizo taco. Fuckin' yum

We also held the induction of Prag 4 into The Movers, this being his 3rd meeting and all. On a sad note, this was a low point for The Movers as an organization. Not our best. Disorganization ruled the day, with everybody shouting at the same time while we stood outside El Mexicano Jr in the rain. Rules were called into question, and there was much debate about what the rules really were/are. We may have to hold a special and dedicated meeting in order to avoid such debacles in the future.

What should have been a happy occasion, inducting a new member after the finest meal in recent memory, was instead a travesty.

--------
From: Ace

I have to say I completely disagree about how the night ended, I didn't see travesty at all. It was a fun experience all around and a little bit of political maneuvering and conflict just added to the spice of the night. So in this Mover's opinion, not a travesty at all.

And the food... since Moxie already broke the cursing barrier... fucking wow!

Chorizo tacos, Deshebrada tacos. I can't decide. I would travel the two hours back and forth for these every day if I could afford the gas. Just too good for words. Everything was wonderful. I ate pretty much everything that Moxie ate plus some Tostadas. Which were also quite awesome.

Ace, Ready to Move

Wings Your Way

Durham, NH

In attendance: Mycroft, Moxie, Ace, Solids, Hot Sauce!, The Lady Aubergine, The Count, Wasabi and special guests Prag 4, Thor, and Monique

First, a disclaimer for those reading who do not know me personally: I am a wing snob. I am a New Yorker, an upstate New Yorker to boot, and so it is in my blood. My parents schooled me in the ways of wing eating from a very early age. I am very very fussy about what I consider good wings, because I've eaten bucketloads of good wings. Good wings are as common as beer in NY.

Second, a rant: wings in NH suck. They truly do, in general. NH people frequently call tenders wings if they happen to be splashed with a little Frank's RedHot. They are in general rubbery (50% of wing quality is crispy-ness) and weak (50% is flavor of the sauce)(note: chicken quality is not super important, neither is atmosphere of dining establishment).

Despite many obstacles to pleasant wing eating experiences, I am willing to order buffalo wings anytime, anywhere, any day of the week in the off chance an acceptable experience is to be had. I am a desperate, fussy, snobby, hungry person.

Cutting to the chase: Wings Your Way is acceptable. Given no other acceptable alternatives on the seacoast of NH, I will revisit Wings Your Way early and often. If Wings Your Way were re-located to Buffalo, NY it would be stoned to death. I will not bring my father, wing eating titan that he is and current resident of upstate NY, to Wings Your Way. I will bring ex-New Yorkers and others desperate for decent wing experiences there.


Some notes:

• the first 20 wings we ordered, in order to get the lay of the land, were the 'regular' (out of mild, regular, and way hot). These were crispy enough that we didn't flee, but had no flavor. When Lady Aubergine ordered 50 way hot, and told them not to pussy around, they offered us their 'special reserve' which kicked most of our asses.
  
• Hot Sauce and Prag 4 did not get their asses kicked. Indeed, they should be awarded special medals of commendation
• only 1 little tub of blue cheese (and crappy blue cheese at that) is free, the others are $.25 each. That is utter crap. I will badmouth these bitches over the point until the day I die.
  
• All of the special guests proved their mettle in the hot food and wing loving department. I was going to suggest it should be a Mover requirement, but then I realized a. some people are vegetarians, and b. The Count.
• Choices of beer are slim. Hot Sauce! argues that the choices were entirely appropriate, the choices being: Bud, Bud Light, and Redhook. Cheap beer only met to get you buzzed and cool down your mouth. It was cheap enough. The wings were not cheap enough - the largest order being 50 for $25. I believe this was Ace's biggest complaint about the place.
  

September 14th: Burger Party

In attendance: Ace, Moxie, Mycroft, Solids, The Count, Wasabi, and Zeus

This week Zeus and Solids hosted the movers. This was inspired by a gift that Solids received of a brand new grill. This was another experimental night with Solids at the helm, like the grilled cheese night.

This night too, was a great success.

On the menu:
Solids onion burger
The apple burger,
The blueberry burger
The popper burger
The onion ring/mozzarella stick burger
The sauerkraut burger, I think.

Sides:
Corn on the cob
Chips and Dip (courtesy of Ace,)
Guacamole (courtesy of Wasabi and the Count)

Drinks:
Feudo Arancro 2002 Grillo Sicilia
Renswood 2003 Syrah Rosé, select series
Genesis Hogue Syrah 2000, Columbia Valley, Washington
Gatorade, Red

Unfortunately, we all forgot to take pictures.

Solids cooked up what he calls his onion burger. This burger, even though had a lot of spice added to it, was what Solids considers his standard burger. It may have been the least experimental burger but still very good. Next up was the apple burger. Solids finely chopped up an apple, granny smith (I think), and mixed it in with the raw meat. This was good but not what we wanted. Next time I think we all agree, more apples should be added or even a slice of apple in the middle of the burger. The blueberry burger was a little more successful; you could really taste the blueberry separate from the beef. It was fun, like blueberry ale. The popper burger was fun. Solids formed the patty around a precooked jalapeño popper. This cooked up really well. This will make a great green chili cheeseburger next time we make them. The onion ring/mozzarella stick burger is nothing more than future of hamburgers. Solids formed the patty around a precooked onion ring that had a precooked mozzarella sick in the middle. This was a giant burger, but really delicious. I do not know too many details of the sauerkraut burger. That was made for Ace who seemed to really enjoy it.

As a topping, Solids fried up some pepperoni, ham, and bacon. These were all fried up together and were crispy and good.

Wasabi and The Count brought a bowl of homemade Guacamole that was great. It was a fun side to the burgers. Solid cooked up a big pot of corn on the cob on the side burner of his new grill. It was really good and one of the few items Zeus could eat. Zeus had her first Jalapeño popper experience this meeting. Ace brought chips and dip that were very easy to munch on.

The wine that we drank was quite good, a white, a rosé, and a red. They were all good. There was also come Gatorade being consumed, it was red but I am not sure of the flavor.

After eating the movers went on to play a video game using bongos on the Nintendo game cube, Donkey Konga. It was fun, some movers really got into it, some were really good, and all had a good time.

Just Moved
Mycroft

Bad News Guys

In preparation for future a movers meeting I went to Philbrick’s Fresh Market to pick up a couple bottles of the Ravenswood Icon Syrah. They no longer have any of the 2001, only the 2002. I picked up a couple of bottles. Moxie and I tried it the other night to be sure it was still good. It is not up to par. It is very sad. I will keep the other bottle of 2002 I have and try it again in September, maybe it will be good then. Don’t worry; I do have other good wine to bring if needed.

Sorry.

Just Moved,
Mycroft

September, 7th: Panda & Sakura

In attendance: Ace, Moxie, Mycroft, Solids, The Count, Wasabi, and Zeus

This week the Movers once again traveled for a good meal. We went to York Beach ME. To Panda & Sakura, a great sushi and Chinese food place that used to be local but moved.

The food was awesome. We had an assortment of sushi rolls, including spicy Teka Maki, Scallion Yellowtail, avocado, and a sweet potato roll. We got an order of Toro Sashimi. Also ordered was some Basil Chicken. I believe that Solid ordered Sweet and Sour Chicken, The Count got LoMein, Wasabi ordered Pork Fried Rice, and Zeus ordered Vegetable Tempura. I also ordered some Crab Rangoons. I believe everyone enjoyed what he or she ordered. Some drinks were ordered but not to the extent of our last sushi trip to Sake.

One big event of the night was the introduction of sushi to Solids who was unable to attend the last sushi outing. What surprised some of us is that the raw fish was not what he disliked the most but the soy sauce.

Two complimentary fried bananas concluded the evening. They were good and a good conclusion to the meal.

Spawn of the Movers

Mycroft's new blog . . .

'Tards

Alert! We are being spied upon! This is the most popular blog in all foodie-blogdom, and he used the word lactard!

August 17: Flatbread Company, Portsmouth

In attendance: Zeus, Solids, Hot Sauce, Mycroft, Ace, and the Lady Aubergine plus two “visitors.”
Apologies: Moxie

I have liked the Flatbread Company for a while now and I was quite pleased to introduce it to the movers.
It was not the best place for one of our foodtards. Everything contained Wheat. Even the blue cheese salad came with a soy dressing. Sorry Ace.

What was ordered.
We had a Punctuated equilibrium as an app, while waiting for other to arrive. The Calamata Olives and Goat cheese make this one of the saltiest items on the menu but still very good. This was a vegetarian option.

Two salads were ordered. I did not partake.

For the main course.
We ordered three flatbreads. First was the Carne Special, that was spicy chicken and pepper. If I remember correctly. Second was the sausage flatbread, which used to be my favorite. Solid said he enjoyed the sausage flatbread alot. Last was Zeus’s call on the completely Vegan option. It had all sorts of onion and tomato and such on it. I like this one as well. It was very sweet though, a lot from the onions, but still good.

Ace enjoyed a root bear float made from Maine Root beer and Annabell’s Ice Cream. He seemed to enjoy it but I forgot to ask. I have had one before and it was good. I had a couple of Woodchuck Hard Ciders. It is one of the few places around that serves Woodchuck and I think it complements the food rather well. Lady A. had a lemonade that was apparently too sweet and was later replaced with water.

After dinner the two “visitors” were taken to the whale lot and “offered an invitation to join the movers.” More on that later. But for now, until their official code names are confirmed, they will be know as Prag 1 and Prag 2. (spelling not confirmed)

waroeng press

umm . . something about Indian at Shalimar?

Anyway, in last week's Wire, which I am just now getting around to reading, there is a huge article that gives some press to our beloved Waroeng and gives a lot of background information on the budding Indonesian community in the Somersworth/west seacoast area.

August 10th: Shalimar

In attendance: Zeus, Solids, Hot Sauce, Mycroft, Moxie, Ace, and the Lady Aubergine plus three visitors.

We went back here to appease Hot Sauce and Lady A. because they were not around the last time we met here. Also because we all love it.

The food was great. It is always great. It is Shalimar. Best Indian food around.

The only dish that was not love by all was the eggplant dish I suggested. Lady Aubergine did state that she was not a fan. At least we tried someting new.

I had ordered a Kingfisher and was alone on that front until two of the guests arrived. They both ordered kingfishers. It makes me feel better when someone else at the table orders a beverage.

This was the first introduction to a third visitor. I will hold on any judgements until voting day, if it comes. When the discussion came to food, she claims to make a good corn chowder. She may have to prove it.

Mycroft at Jumpin' Jays

I went out to eat without any other movers. Sorry guys. It was another work "obligation." I went with two coworkers in hopes to convince one to stay with the company. We went to Jumpin' Jays Fish Café. Now, I am an adventurous eater and I will eat just about anything, but I am not a fan of fish (Sushi not included, it is a different food group.) I did not suggest this restaurant, but I have been there before and was not opposed to going again. Let me just say that this restaurant gave me such a complete and wonderful dinning experience that I may now have to elevate it to one of my top five restaurants in Portsmouth. The only reservation that I had about Jay's is that one of the last few times I was there I felt a little rushed. This was not the case.

The Meal

Our waitress.
She was an exceptional waitress that knew quite a bit about the menu and was more then happy to extend an opinion on the food and make suggestions. She answered our questions with courtesy and grace. She even interjected comments into a conversation that I was not all that comfortable with, and eased the tension. She was also quite pregnant.

Starter
We ordered the Steamed PEI Mussels with a spicy saffron cream, lemongrass, scallions, jalapenos & tomatoes. These were fantastic the jalapenos added so much to the dish. A little heat goes a long way. I also ordered a half dozen oysters, two different varieties from the Cape and one from the Great Bay. Any chance to eat raw food I take. They were great and my coworkers were not interested in sharing. Their loss.

Entree
I ordered the Pan Seared Diver Scallops tossed with baby spinach and minced shallots. On a recent trip to South Carolina I was warned of counterfeit scallops and that it is a major problem in the seafood industry. I was told that if I bit into a scallop and it did not have sand in it then I was eating a counterfeit that was made from shark. I was served real scallops, unless the counterfeiters got wise and started adding sand to the shark meat in their shark-meat/scallop-counterfeiting plant. It does not matter. What I ate was delicious. It was perfectly prepared and presented. If the counterfeiter took me, well, good jobs guys on a convincing product.

Wine
It is the most important aspect of any meal. First, I find it a little odd that a restaurant servering nothing but fish and seafood would even have a red wine selection. As I look over the menu I find it hard to see anything that I would pair with a red. I ordered a Riesling from Chateau d'Orchwihr. It was the only Riesling on the wine list. I was a little disheartened when I realized that the wine was from France and not Germany. No, the name did not give it away for me. It was my own fault for ordering by the varietals and not by region or specifics. The wine list was not the largest, but I feel I made a good choice nonetheless. The exact bottle was Chateau d'Orschwihr Riesling Bollenberg 2003. It was fantastic. This wine was semi-dry with a hint of fruit, a little apple and pear, but more stone fruit. The fruitiness was not the main aroma though; it was mainly a flowery/fresh cut lawn bouquet, but not perfume like. It went rather quickly.

Port
Nothing finishes a good meal like an after dinner drink. One coworker went for scotch, Oban, I believe. I was not impressed. The other coworker asked, "What is Port?" After a long detailed explanation from myself, I believe I stared by saying "Well, during the 100 years war. . ." So she had the NV Cockburn's, 10 year tawny port. I figured this was a good introduction. She enjoyed it, and is now on her own to experience port. I on the other hand, ordered the NV Sandeman's 20 year tawny. The same thing happens no matter where I go, whatever port I order is out and I have to choose another, I took the waitresses recommendation and went with a Sandeman's reserve instead. It was quite good, very sweet and thick. It had lots of flavors of cherries and plums with a hint of ash.

Then we left. I would go back if asked and I may even recommend this one. One issue may be that, for three people, with two apps, three entrees, wine, port, and tip, it came to about $200. This may make it a special occasion place.

Durian

Here's a little pic and post about durian, that fruit that jackfruit was described as "less smelly than"

Waroeng, July 27th, 2005

In attendance: Hot Sauce, Moxie, Ace, and the Lady Aubergine

Fine Indonesian Cuisine

220 Rte 108
Somersworth NH
740-4568

I don't know if this qualifies as fine or not, because I've never eaten Indonesian before. But I do know that it was some damn good cheap eating, and I am excited to go back and eat more.

Heavy on the coconut milk, heavy on the spices. Heavy on the, "what is this?" Totally delicious. Insanely cheap.

Hot Sauce! and I started with some drinks:

We have here some avocado, some coconut chips, and some dark purple gelatin stuff in a pink sweet liquid. I liked everything, except the actual flavor of the gelatin when eaten alone.

I thought the gelatin tasted kind of soapy, really would like to know what it is but forgot to ask. The drink I think is a bit of an acquired taste but still appreciated it. -Ace

Ace also got a drink:

****(I don't remember what this was or anything, just that it had a surprising flavor for what it was) -Moxie****

This was an iced Jasmine tea. VERY strong flavor, really enjoyed it. -Ace

Here is Lady Aubergine modelling the very high quality chop sticks over our drinks, the name of which also escapes me:

Moxie's dinner. #4 Nasi Gudeg $5.95 (Young green jackfruit cooked w/ palm sugar & spices, chicken curry, bamboo shoot in spicy coconut soup & egg.)

I really enjoyed this dish. As did Moxie (I believe). The young jackfruit is what is pictured on the rice. The jackfruit from the main dish I ordered (not pictured) was cooked in coconut milk instead of the palm sugar. The flesh was almost like a meat it was so dense. Very tasty. - Ace

This was Hot Sauce's order: #9 Nasi Gudeg Special. $9.75 (more expensive because it was a combo) This is actually a combo plate of what Moxie got, #4, and #5 Ayam Goreng Kalasan (Indonesian Fried Chicken).

Hot Sauce and I especially loved the Fried Chicken. I just assumed it was going to be breaded, and was pleasantly suprised it wasn't. Arguably the best basic item on the menu, most especially for someone who is a little afraid to go too much out there with the other dishes. -Ace

This is what Ace ordered to share. #2 Soto Ayam Ambengan. $5.50 (Turmeric soup w/ Coconut milk, chicken, rice noodles & egg.)

It wasn't my favorite dish of the evening but I really wanted to try out a coconut milk based soup spiced with Tumeric. Definitely worth it! I would love to try a variation of this soup with potatoes I think, if I had any cooking skill...*Ace looks over at Moxie for a moment* ... all in all a really nice dish. And a ton of food, especially when you include the plate of rice they gave me with it! -Ace

Lady Aubergine's choice. #6 Lontong Sayur. $5.25. (Chicken curry, bamboo shoot in spicy coconut soup & egg.)

This might have been my favorite of the night. Lady Aubergine appreciated it, but the heaviness of the chicken curry mixed with coconut milk was a bit much for her. I tasted it early in the evening and thought it was nice, but when she was finished with it, I tried it again and loved it. The spicy sweet and savory all mixed together were great, and it seemed to get spicer as I ate it. Moxie really got into it as well if I remember correctly, and then Hot Sauce just devoured the rest! I want to bring the Father of Ace here and have him try it. If I wasn't going to order the Indonesian Fried Chicken, I would definitely order this. -Ace

Looking at the names of these dishes and the menu (which we plan on scanning and posting soon) I believe I have learned an Indonesian word ... Ayam ... Chicken!!! -Ace

Jackfruit

Despite having no idea what it is, many of us ordered dishes containing jackfuit last night at Waroeng. Wikipedia has a picture and a description, but it really didn't answer all my questions.

More fun, and more disturbing, is the related link at the bottom of the entry, where we get this picture:

The caption reads, "A moderately sized jackfruit; the largest tree-borne fruit."

I also like these appealing quotes from proscitech:

Jackfruit fondness grows with familiarity. The smell of a fully ripe fruit in an enclosed space may at first be unpleasant to some although the experience cannot be compared to the durian.

Before cutting the fruit, it is important to guard against the sticky latex. Immature fruit have more latex, so work near a sink and coat the knife, hands and the centre of the cutting board with vegetable oil.

It leads me to wonder, what is a durian?

SHAZOOM!!!

Solids reporting in. All Right!

Black Sunday Croquet - Drinks

To accompany the amazing meal cooked by Moxie, we had a couple of beverages. It is just as hard to serve a decent wine at a meal when some of the members do not drink and others only drink white and others only drink red, and others do not drink blushes. Just another eating disability as far as I am concerned.

First let me say that you can drink a white wine with red meat. In fact let me say that a good reisling goes really well as this night proved.

Bottle 1.
We started with a 2004 Vignoles from the Knapp winery in the Cayuga Lake area of New York. This is a bottle Moxie and I picked up while traveling the wineries of the region. This is a great white. I am not a big white guy, but I can appreciate it in the right season. This wine claims to be a semi-sweet but I thought it was sweet. The wine itself was a light yellow in color, maybe a little toward the greener side of the spectrum but very clear. Spinning the wine let out a bouquet of mostly apples with some berries and a little honey.

Bottle 2.
The second bottle was a 2004 riesling from Germany. The Relax Riesling from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer winery. This was another fruity wine but not nearly as sweet as the first. It also had a strong apple bouquet but with a peach undertone. This was a very refreshing wine and was very crisp. It is definitely worth the $11.99 price tag, if you can get past the ultra modern blue bottle with 80s modern typography. This bottle was polished off faster than any of the others;I was scrambling to chill more wine almost immediately after opening it. (Available at Philbrick's Fresh Market, Rt 1, Portsmouth)

Bottle 3.
Bottle three was a 2003 Framinette from the Goose Watch winery in the Finger Lakes region of New York. This wine is compared to a Gewurztraminer, and I love Gewurztraminer. This is the second bottle that we have gone through in as many weeks and believe I am now tapped out. Looks like the movers may be sending a recon mission to upstate New York, or maybe we could find a satellite member to get some more. To me this wine had a strong aroma of Pear and vanilla. The color was similar to the Vignoles but was a little clearer if at all possible. This was the driest wine of the night and it is quite good for an experimental grape developed by Cornell.

Bottle 4.
Dessert. We served the Cayuga Ridge Estate Cranberry Frost (non-vintage). A sparkling cranberry dessert wine. A delightful wine. Moxie felt that it did not go well with the Butter Pecan Ice Cream that she had made. I on the other hand was excited to see if complete opposites would go together. If the tartness of the cranberry would make the ice cream seem creamier and smoother and in return have the ice cream make the wine seam tarter. I think it was successful. After a couple of bites of ice cream the tartness of the wine was almost overpowering. The more sips you took of the wine the more smooth it became until you ate more ice cream. I enjoyed it.

Reserve.
We also had a four pack of Midas Touch on hand just in case the wine was not enough. Not quite beer not quite wine not quite mead. It is described a "Handcrafted Ancient Ale with barley, honey, white muscat grapes & saffron". It is very good.

Movers Croquet in Rye

Members in attendance: Mycroft, Ace, the Lady Aubergine (going simply as "Egg" for the day), Hot Sauce!, & me - Moxie

We arrived in one car, dressed all in black as planned, with our own croquet mallets. Hot Sauce! gets the award for ballsiest outfit - somewhat reminiscent of 80's German club-wear. The Lady Aubergine tried to foil the plan several times, afraid we were going to actually get involved in some sort of croquet turf war and be exposed for the non-croquet pros we actually are. But we persevered, and she gamely went along.

Several of the men in white, the real croquet players, were instantly happy to see us. We heard things like, "Check out the competition!" and "If they challenge us, say no." Everyone was really impressed and happy to see us, although I don't think anyone noticed our fake skull-and-mallet tattoos. People were taking our picture left and right, some woman took what seemed like an official picture and asked what our club was called. Ace promptly answered, "We're The Movers." She didn't even blink.

We started with a game of 9-wicket on grass, and were promptly exposed as not at all being able to play croquet. We didn't even know the rules at all. I have to say, I loved the tone of the whole day. Here we show up with our own mallets, don't even know how to play, and everyone still takes us really seriously and no one calls us out as the frauds we are (were - now we are croquet masters). Tom was our instructor for the 9-wicket, and we got our money's worth right there. We learned so much about the strategy and skilz, it was awesome.

Everyone kept asking us, "Where does your club play?" Oh, in backyards, we answered. Initially we were trying to be like, "Oh, we play a different style, on a really big court" stuff like that, but we gave that up pretty quick and just focused on learning everything we could.

Then we got a chance at the 6 wicket court, the built in Rhode Island sand one. That was really fun. The wickets are narrow, the mallets huge and heavy, the balls are maybe rubber? Ilsa was our instructor, and much as I love Tom, Ilsa rocked our party world. She kept saying really cute stuff in her thick accent, like, "Send him to the boonies! the boonies!" She also taught us a lot of technical shots, like the split shot, the stop shot - I can't remember any more.

We kept getting invited to play with people - but of course, they play during the day, when all us suckers work. Another moment I didn't witness, but Ace told me about later, was when one of the ladies in white, Marie, was trying to set us up with an instructor for the 6-wicket course and asked this man - didn't hear what he whispered to her, but she apparently responded, "oh no, don't worry, they're very nice." Like he was afraid of us, all dressed in black like that.

Two lowpoints, but not that big a deal: Jim, the owner of the place, convinced Hot Sauce! and the Lady Aubergine to buy a raffle ticket. So they go over, and ask Lorrine(?) to buy one. She looks at them, shakes the basket around a bit, then says, "Nope. We already started." Bitch.
The other thing is that Ace kept giving up our real names! Like he told Tom his real name, then when he gave one of our tattoos to another lady in white, he gave her Mycroft's real name. Not to nitpick, but whose always so concerned about the secrecy?

It was a really fun day, all in all, and we were there for hours and hours. Hot Sauce! and I both were figuring an hour, but we were there for 3 1/2. And it wasn't super crowded or anything. Definitely going to go back next year.

Later we had dinner at the beach palace. And drank some wine. And ate some homemade ice cream.