Here, Drink This

Tam and I went to a holiday party put on by the hospital here in town. They did a nice job, too. Well decorated in a big room at the local country club. They found a very sweet jazz duo, guitar and saxophone. And there was wine and beer and cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. May be its the economy or maybe it's just that we never go to these type functions, but it sure seemed like there was a big turnout.

The hors d'oeuvres were quite good and Tam and I, both having expected this would be a dinner party, stood beside the round tables and slowly made the loop, noshing all the way. Suddenly, Tam takes a drink of cab and pulls back the glass in horror, "Oh crap! Yuck!" It wasn't the cab. It was just that she was drinking cab, not her white zin. Just who's cabernet it was we never determined as it was quickly trotted over to the nearest bus tray.

Tam's a little squeamish about sharing a glass with a total stranger-- perhaps even more so when you never find out just who it was. I had to laugh, however. "Obviously you've never been to a bar mitzvah." I never attended that many bar mitzvahs but it takes only a couple to surmise there must be an unwritten rule: At least 3 kids will circulate and drain any unattended cocktails. In fact, I think there is actually a sign that is placed in the center of each table: "Caution: Unattended cocktails will be ingested by unattended children."

Now that's a fun idea. Next year we could have a holiday party where the guests are challenged to see how many drinks they can sneak without getting caught. Take a sip, put it back. Move on to the next. On second thought, maybe not: The older you get the more you realize just how dirty a mouth can be.