Erica and I considered taking a knee.(*) Was this it? Was the blazing hot flame that once was 52DD withering into an ember spark barely lit in the dense darkness? Would the foundation of the most epic love story in modern day society come to an abrupt halt?
NO. The show must go on! In the eye of the storm, and the storm mainly being our moving issues, Erica called upon a reliable friend who has helped us move three times before. A friend with a truck. A friend named Chris, and his girlfriend Eileen.
Chris has been one of Erica's best friends since I have known her. He is a stand-up guy and one the most supportive and trusted people in her life. I have always liked Chris, which made this an easy factor to accept when Erica and I started dating. At our Wedding, I told Chris how glad I was he was in Erica's life. His friendship is very important to her.
It is indeed true, Chris has helped Erica and I move three times. From Mountlake Terrace (though I am not formally admitting I ever lived there) to Lake City (same with this area). From Lake City to Ballard. From Ballard to Greenwood. But the only help we needed in the move to Green Lake was a good double date. And Chris delivered.
The food for the date was my favorite thus far to make. Eileen has a condition called Phenylketonuria or PKU. This is when a person is born unable to breakdown proteins. It was nice for awareness sake to learn this, especially since most Americans over-consume proteins in their daily diet. Because I had to research my options. It presented a challenge and I was excited.
To start, no meats or cheeses. Then I learned about non protein fruits and vegetables. A quick but not full list would be: apples, cranberries, pineapples, pears, cucumbers, radishes, ginger and eggplant. EGGPLANT! I loved a nice fried eggplant, so I grabbed a giant globe eggplant.
Eileen's meal of choice is pasta in light olive oil and fresh lemon, with kale and chard and a side of boiled asparagus. I grabbed some organic kale and a bag of lemons. I was hoping to add the surprise of some sliced fried eggplant on top of the pasta, but things didn't pan out so well in the pan...
It was my favorite to make, but what I made wasn't everyone's favorite. I knew eventually I would bite off more than I could chew in the cooking game. This meal was decent, but obviously would have been better if prepared by an experienced chef. I used too much olive oil when heating the kale, and thus couldn't add any to the pasta, but then I squeezed too much lemon on the pasta and it all combined for a slightly under seasoned and somewhat sour dish.
And then, there was the great Eggplant Disaster of 2012.
I severely burned the eggplant in the process, and salted the living squooshiness out of it, which rendered it completely inedible. It was not included in the dish. Then following that disaster came the great Mashed Potatoes Disaster.
By choosing a cheap brand of instant mashed potatoes, I had doomed our table to have no potatoes. As a life lesson: NEVER BUY INSTANT MASHED POTATOES. They are absolutely the worst tasting thing ever.
Despite my shortcomings as a cook, the meal was decent. Chris and Eileen were very polite and gave their nod of approval. We sat down with a bottle of pino and a six pack of Stella and got to it.
Chris is a contractor and Erica just happened to have our plumbing estimates at the table. We discussed the issue, and the experience with each plumbing company in Erica's search, then Chris looked over the paperwork. He is a very knowledgeable guy and could explain the contracts to us in simple terms, and warn us about red flags.
This conversation dominated the first half of the date, but I felt very engaged. I was interested (obviously, it is MY plumbing problem), but it was an informative exchange and held everyone's attention. We naturally moved into other topics, and I started seeing what a great couple Eileen and Chris are together. They are both completely different yet have extremely similar interests. Eileen has a book club and works as a chemist, which is a passion of her's. Chris is very handy with physical labor and logistics and was a bar-goer of sorts. But they both love camping and nature, and cooking and travel. Their bond is a perfect balance.
We talked about a few camping excursions they had been on together. They mentioned the possibility of going "car camping" in Winthrop, WA. In my ignorance, I learned yet another new thing. Car camping is when you drive up to the campsite, bringing with you the luxuries of home. Backpacking (or the more commonly thought-of style of camping, in my mind) is when you walk deep into the woods, find a spot and pitch a tent. I don't think I have done either, but I certainly look up to outdoorsy folk.
As I sat there admiring this established union, I reflected upon how different each double date has been. This one was so calm, and pleasant, almost more what we had pictured from the beginning. Had our living room not been overtaken by massive boxes, and my cooking overtaken by my lack of ability, it would have been elegant. And I appreciated this date for taking a life of its own, separate to the rest.
It makes me look forward to them all. Because this is no set "thing," it's an adventure with several different turns. Next week's turn is my friend from the local music scene Aaron and his wife Ana. And the unique twist it is adding to the mix is THEY are cooking for US. Getting me out of that kitchen couldn't come soon enough!
(*)"Taking a knee" is a direct reference to the play in football, when the quarterback downs the ball. I use it very loosely and quite often as an expression of making an effort (they hike the ball) then quitting effortlessly (they end the play with no progress or positive result). It becomes butchered if you think of the context in which a football team would take a knee. So don't. Cause it's an awesome expression.
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