Thanksgiving for Gays and Lesbians
niraj kumar
I went out on Wednesday evening and there were hordes of gay men
out. Every bar or club was crowded and it seemed like every gay boy was
out on streets even though the temperature was below freezing. Definitely
more than a regular weekend night.
My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
just endure going back to their straight nightmare for Thanksgiving. So, in
order to prepare themselves for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of
gaydom before gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions on this issue. It
would also be quite appropriate for people to write what they or their
friends do for thanksgiving.
I have come out to my family and they are cool about it. But since
they are all in India, I can't really spend Thanksgiving with them (of course,
they have never heard of Thanksgiving and have not the foggiest idea of
what it is. And they can't even imagine eating something like a turkey). So
I just invited a bunch of my friends over and cooked an enormous meal.
That was all the tradition I put up with though since I didn't cook turkey or
all that goes with it.
Niraj
James Walker
>
> I went out on Wednesday evening and there were hordes of gay men
>out. Every bar or club was crowded and it seemed like every gay boy was
>out on streets even though the temperature was below freezing. Definitely
>more than a regular weekend night.
> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
>a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
>just endure going back to their straight nightmare for Thanksgiving. So, in
>order to prepare themselves for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of
>gaydom before gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
This sounds about right. I've noticed that the clubs are *very* crowded on
holiday weekends, but I don't know if this is due to the fact that people have
hangover-recovery time or to the reasons you suggest. Whenever I go home
for the holidays, I usually feel the need to go out when I return to Toronto.
> I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions on this issue. It
>would also be quite appropriate for people to write what they or their
>friends do for thanksgiving.
> I have come out to my family and they are cool about it. But since
>they are all in India, I can't really spend Thanksgiving with them (of course,
>they have never heard of Thanksgiving and have not the foggiest idea of
>what it is. And they can't even imagine eating something like a turkey). So
>I just invited a bunch of my friends over and cooked an enormous meal.
>That was all the tradition I put up with though since I didn't cook turkey or
>all that goes with it.
>
>Niraj
>
Well, we up here had our Thanksgiving last month. For the last two years,
I've managed to be out of the country during Thanksgiving weekend (this
year it was LA), so I've "missed out" on the "festivities" at home <wink, wink>.
James
---------------------------------------------
James Walker "I had the pear dream again."
Information Development, IBM Canada Kids in the Hall
North York, Ontario [Disclaimer: I do not speak for IBM.]
Mark Wasson
|>
|> I went out on Wednesday evening and there were hordes of gay men
|> out. Every bar or club was crowded and it seemed like every gay boy was
|> out on streets even though the temperature was below freezing. Definitely
|> more than a regular weekend night.
|> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
|> a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
|> just endure going back to their straight nightmare for Thanksgiving. So, in
|> order to prepare themselves for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of
|> gaydom before gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
|> I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions on this
issue.
I suspect that you're generally right, but it wasn't the case for me.
I went out Wednesday night because I knew I didn't have to get up for
work Thursday. The bar I went to was as crowded as it was last
Saturday night.
As for Turkey Day (apologies to any vegetarians out there, but I'm an
unabashed carnivore), I have standing invitations from my folks,
siblings and grandparents (just came out to the siblings and
grandparents last week, and they repeated their invitations), but
they're all out of state, and I used my vacation time during warmer
weather seasons. I also had three local invitations from friends.
I'm feeling pretty good about my friends and family right about now.
It
|> would also be quite appropriate for people to write what they or their
|> friends do for thanksgiving.
I spent the day hanging out with a friend - went out for dinner,
listened to some music, went to a movie. First time in years that I
didn't cook.
|> I just invited a bunch of my friends over and cooked an enormous meal.
|> That was all the tradition I put up with though since I didn't cook turkey or
|> all that goes with it.
I've done that in previous years, but did the turkey & trimmings bit.
Rented some videos, made a whole day of it. Made some friends out of
passing acquaintances because of it. It doesn't take much to turn a
day off into a holiday.
--
Mark Wasson - Mead Data Central - Dayton, Ohio - (513) 865-1013
[I] wondered how I could have the gall to think turkeys stupid.
Indeed, they have an advantage over us. They're good to eat.
- John Steinbeck - Travels with Charley -
Arnold Zwicky
otherwise be emotionally troublesome, and i take my own advice.
jacques and i like turkey, but if we cooked one for thanksgiving (or
christmas) we'd feel plugged into the whole tradition for the holiday,
so we'd end up with cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes and two kinds
of stuffing and mince pie and so on, not all of which we're
particularly enthusiastic about, and which is certainly more than we
want in any case. so we have turkey on other occasions and do other
things on turkey-traditional days.
our current thanksgiving tradition is pork stew (yes, i realize that
this is a disgusting idea for adherents of several of the world's
great religions, but the point here is for you to be inventive, not to
adopt *our* inventions). usually with baked barley. plus a nice
green salad.
sometimes we have a few friends in. sometimes it's just us. (the
four-day thanksgiving holiday is a busy time for professors; this is
when we get to make up our final exams and try to catch up on work
put off earlier in the term.) a few times jacques has been off
visiting his parents, in which case i make a jacques-would-hate-it
pork stew, containing lots of things he really dislikes; the best
of these concoctions was a pork gumbo, made with lots of green peppers,
hot red peppers, and okra, with a sauce thickened with file' powder.
yesterday the pork stew had chunks of celery and quartered mushrooms
in it (with a hint of cumin), and the barley was mixed with corn. it
was delicious, and it will come around again tomorrow. (tonight i'm
chinesing some turkey breast with pak choi.) oh, yes, and the salad:
fresh spinach from the grocery store, plus lettuce and mizuna
("japanese mustard spinach" - tangy frilly greens) from our own
garden, and a plain vinaigrette.
it was an anomalously pretty day, so we did some cleaning-up work in
the garden. we watched some old danny kaye movies on cable (including
"the court jester", my favorite of the set), during which i
entertained j with the dish about d.k. and larry olivier. during
dinner we played an excellent recording of schubert music for violin
and piano (notably the fantasy in c major, which is a favorite of j's)
and afterwards we talked a lot, mostly about why this quarter has been
so awful for me and what we could do to avoid having another such.
then we snuggled and watched a tape of "tom jones", one of those
movies we both find to be a tonic in low times.
today we're practicing mall-avoidance.
"family" holidays are potentially problematic for lots of people -
those who are distant from or estranged from their families, those
who have no traditional family left, those whose partners have died
or left them, those whose religion or politics doesn't fit with the
official ethos of the holiday, those who have to work on holidays.
you can create a new sort of family to your own specifications, or
you can devise your own ways of using the holiday time, or of course
both.
arnold, whose major xmas celebration is now a shape-note singers'
gathering at his house, two or more weeks before the official holiday
Greg Parkinson
In article <1993Nov26....@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu>, nir...@ldgo.columbia.edu (niraj kumar) writes:
|>
|> out. Every bar or club was crowded and it seemed like every gay boy was
|> out on streets even though the temperature was below freezing. Definitely
|> more than a regular weekend night.
I've noticed this one the evening before 3- and
4-day weekends (which is what Thanksgiving has
become for many people.) People go out because
it's different and because they think other people
will be out.
|> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
|> a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
|> just endure going back to their straight nightmare for Thanksgiving. So, in
|> order to prepare themselves for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of
|> gaydom before gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
While this may be true for a good number of people
I don't think you can make a generalization from
it. Many people in NYC move there from far away,
making them physically distant from their families.
They have dinner with friends or just avoid the
whole thing and enjoy the day off.
|> I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions on this issue. It
|> would also be quite appropriate for people to write what they or their
|> friends do for thanksgiving.
Dave and I went upstate to have dinner with
one of his Flute Teachers (who is in her late
'20s) and her husband, her parents, her brother
and his girlfriend, another male friend, and a
female musician friend. And their two slobbering
gordon setters, a kitten that they had found cowering
on an on-ramp to the FDR drive, and a full grown cat
who clacked at birds all day.
Musicians and doctors and me; silly and loving
and welcoming (we'd never met the parents) and
affirming. I got the mother's Powerbook's printer
hooked up, helped get the kitten out from behind
the bathroom vanity where it was hiding, and generally
felt thankful for such nice people who welcomed me
into their home and lives.
--
Greg Parkinson Phone: 212-657-7814 Fax: 212-657-4599
Citibank,111 Wall Street E-Mail: g...@fig.citib.com
New York, New York 10043
The opinions expressed are my own and not those of the big 'ol bank.
Bob Donahue
Thanksgiving has become for the most part, a queer[1] holiday for me.
Let's see:
< 1987 - I think I was proto-queer then, so there isn't much
to talk about.
1987 - spent with boyfriend #1, in Hollywood[2].
1988 - spent with some lesbian friends in Albuquerque[3].
1989 - in Denver armed with an apple pie and a smoked turkey
spent with a very special motsseur[4]
1990 - had a large potluck sponsored by my roommate who had
the knack of inviting EVERYONE to his parties (meaning
gay groups, church groups, work folks, etc.). Somehow
they parties, ALWAYS came off OK, even when faced with
the sight of CS professors on the couch picking through
copies of the Advocate that were in the magazine rack...
I had ***JUST*** passed my oral qualifiers, and Brown
Behr was in for a visit. One of the more memorable
Thanksgivings of my life.
1991 - At my parents house, Fred in tow. Sort of the "yang"
to the previous year's "ying". It was completely
DRAINING emotionally. We lumbered home, ready to
fall into bed, and when the door opened we saw the
clock: 5:15 PM. Wow. Considering that my folks
seem perfectly OK about my relationship to the
husbear, I'm not sure if anything specific was afoot.
I suppose that this might've been about the time they
were REALLY coming to grips with it, but they've never
really vocalized anything about it.
1992 - At our place in Woburn, celebrated with a few local
motssiti. This was the turkey from hell (yummy,
but with enough L-triptephane[sic] to knock us
all on our sorry asses). We ended up watching a few
episodes of "Mystery Science Theatre 3000".
1993 - At home in Somerville, again with a few local (and one
not-quite local) motssiti. Turkey was less potent,
and the imported dessert from NYC[5] was INCREDIBLE.
Like most holidays, you celebrate what you want to.
Considering that most of the Xian holidays are co-opted Pagan
holidays (I'm toying with starting a tradition next year for
Winter Soltice, ne.motssers might want to make a note in their
1994 calendars... :-), this sort of individual expression is
almost in of itself a tradition.
In the specific case of Thanksgiving, I'm very thankful.
I've got gobs of things going for me, I'm **VERY** thankful that
I'm finished with grad school (can one make that much of an understatement?),
I'm thankful that I have close friends and loved ones, and I'm thankful
that I'm queer.[1,6]
BBC
-----
[1] If "queer" offends you, pick another word that means, well, "queer".
[2] Arne, can you help me re-find this place? It was the place that
Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks would stay when they didn't want
to have to drive all the way back to PickFair. It's a large white
apartment building with an extra wing glued onto it. (BF#1 for a
short while lived in that wing).
[3] That was also the trip I got given my ASL namesign --- it's a
literal xlation of "BBC".
[4] This was the day before the NBCS (bearcode) was spontaneously created.
[5] This is my contribution to the "does anything better come out of
NYC" flamewar... Yes. In fact several things. Last night's torte
(as well as its bearer) definitely are on the noteworthy list.
As soon as I have a doable weekend, I think we're heading down to
NYC for another taste (and some cooking lessons!).
[6] Why? I'm not completely sure. In part I think it's because there
are some experiences available to me that give a different perspective on
the world that other people might take for granted.
Naomi Gayle Rivkis
>
>In article <1993Nov26....@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu>, nir...@ldgo.columbia.edu (niraj kumar) writes:
>|> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
>|> a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
>|> just endure going back to their straight nightmare for Thanksgiving. So, in
>|> order to prepare themselves for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of
>|> gaydom before gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
>
>While this may be true for a good number of people
>I don't think you can make a generalization from
>it. Many people in NYC move there from far away,
>making them physically distant from their families.
>They have dinner with friends or just avoid the
>whole thing and enjoy the day off.
I must be weirder than I thought. I spent Thanksgiving with my
mother, it *wasn't* an ordeal, we not only had a good time, we got
into a really cool conversation that ended up with me getting some
much-needed sound advice about motss-related issues. Every once in
a while it occurs to me that I have way cool parents.
NonMotss, just can't keep from bubbling about it: I got a new kitten
today! He's a five-month-old tabby whom we're calling Patrick. He's
currently locked in the bathroom while he and our senior cat, Siobhan,
check each other out through the door, but when I was in there petting
him after he'd just gotten home, he felt secure enough to purr. :-)
>Greg Parkinson
-Naomi
--
"Do not try to save the world by loving thy neighbor; it will only make
him nervous. Save the world by respecting thy neighbor's rights under law
and insisting that he respect yours."
E. B. White
Alan Williams
such a lonely time for GLB folk. My Thanksgiving was filled with
friends, visitors, and a general spirit of good cheer. And my cooking
was fantastic, if I do say so myself (more in another post).
I checked with Mom and Dad. They had tacos because they were worn
out from taking care of Toby, and everyone else was willing to give
Mom and Dad some time alone. Kevin was at his fiancee's, and the rest
of us are all out of the house, now, and it was actually a time for
Mom and Dad to get some rest (though I did go up on Thanksgiving day
to drop off the VCR for Mom to use).
--Alan (whose pumpkin pie tasted almost as good as Mom's--not bad for
a first try)
--
____ Alan Williams | "It pays to overact."
\ / van...@camelot.bradley.edu | --Dot, _Animaniacs_
\/ awil...@heartland.bradley.edu|
jwhi...@lynx.dac.northeastern.edu
>I don't know if I can agree with the sentiment that Thanksgiving is
>such a lonely time for GLB folk. My Thanksgiving was filled with
>friends, visitors, and a general spirit of good cheer. And my cooking
>was fantastic, if I do say so myself (more in another post).
I don't agree either. But in the last few years I've realized how much
gets programmed into us.
Since my parents starting doing the Florida retiree thing, I have been
spending Thanksgiving here in Boston rather than at their house.... and
it's been nice. Something of a tradition of cooking a turkey with a
friend whose family is also far away, and having other friends drop by
throughout the day, has emerged. It's a nice relaxing day.
However, for the last two Thanksgivings I've been living with my lover
whose family is about 200 miles away, to whom he is not out, and who
expect him to be there. And I'm truly amazed at how much anxiety it
causes me that we do not spend the holidays together.
Intellectually I know that it's just one day. But on another level it
makes me very sad and angry that we are not together on that specific
day.
Alan Williams
>However, for the last two Thanksgivings I've been living with my lover
>whose family is about 200 miles away, to whom he is not out, and who
>expect him to be there. And I'm truly amazed at how much anxiety it
>causes me that we do not spend the holidays together.
>Intellectually I know that it's just one day. But on another level it
>makes me very sad and angry that we are not together on that specific
>day.
I know that feeling. Jerry's already separated from me by a few
hundred miles because he's always either at U of Iowa or at Fermilab.
Seeing him is rare enough as it is. But to make matters worse, he had
this wedding to go to over Thanksgiving, and Christmas is the only time
he ever sees his parents, so both holidays are out of the question
when it comes to spending time together. And the nature of the
holiday--spending time with loved ones--can make this situation a major
downer.
Last night, for instance, I decided that I wanted to go out dancing.
However, the place I *really* wanted to go--Chester Street over in
Champaign--is about an hour and a half away. So I went down to
Trapper's, which on Wednesday nights is a pretty cool place. But
Trapper's on a Friday night is filled with het couples dancing, and
though I certainly have nothing against that--het couples need places
to dance, too 8-)--I felt a little out of places, being all by myself
in this place. So I decided to drive to the Club Peorian, a local
night club for GLB folk. Frankly, I think the place is a little
seedy, and I don't like their music all that well, but I figured it'd
be a chance for me to get out on a dance floor and feel less awkward.
Well, my foot refused to budge from the accelerator as I drove past.
I ended up heading home as my mind argued with itself about whether
something was wrong with me, that I could walk right into Trapper's
and couldn't even get out of the car by the Club Peorian.
Finally I realized two things. The first is that my subconscious mind
knows what it's doing. Like I said before, I have a generally
negative impression of the place from the two or three times I've been
in it. It's also in a bad part of town. So my subconscious mind came
to the conclusion that the negatives outweighed the positives, and
made my body head for home.
The other thing is that my subconscious was aware of how tired I was.
I got home and slept twelve hours.
Chrome Jester
->
->I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions on this issue. It
->would also be quite appropriate for people to write what they or their
->friends do for thanksgiving.
Well, the house where I live with 3 other people (1 gay, 1 bi, 1
straight[?]) held an "Orphans' Thanksgiving", inviting over all of our
friends who, for some reason or another, would not be going anywhere else
for the holiday. We had 18 people for dinner, 25 people for dessert. Since
I am *NOT* thankful for my family, I thought it was highly appropriate to
celebrate the day with people I *AM* thankful for. All in all, it was a
smashing success, and I hope to continue the tradition for years and years
to come... :)
JOhn.
--
/-John A Kusters, jr.--------------------------------------------------- ______
| jkus...@galaxy.calpoly.edu b0- f- w g- s-- r p++ \ /
| "Well, you might as well get mad at a donut!" -- Scott Thompson, KitH \ /
\----------------------------------------------------------------------- \/
Fleeb The Fantastique
niraj kumar <nir...@ldgo.columbia.edu> wrote:
> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
>a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
>just endure going back to their straight nightmare for Thanksgiving. So, in
>order to prepare themselves for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of
>gaydom before gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
Gads.. not that there's anything wrong with gaydom, but I hope this
isn't the case...
> I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions on this issue. It
>would also be quite appropriate for people to write what they or their
>friends do for thanksgiving.
Well, it's always different for me, because I haven't managed to get
my life to any sense of normalcy (Before, military [and Japan], now
College), but this Thanksgiving I spent with my sister in Boone, NC (I
live in Asheville).
Christy (my sister), her roommate, and their friends got together to
make a wonderful meal. I helped a little bit (provided a steamer, and
brought some things, not to mention some financial assistance), and we
all had a grand time chatting away about all sorts of nonsense. We
eventually fell to playing Celebrity Taboo, which eventually
degenerated (actually, I would say it was promoted) to Charades.
Of course, my sister and I can cheat, since we know Sign Language
<evil grin>, but we didn't use it.
The shame of it all, for me, was that I couldn't spend it with Tim (the
fellow I've been dating for a few months now). Tim had to work this
holiday, and was unable to come with me to my sister's house. It's
been a while now.. which reminds me, he's supposed to call in a few
minutes, so I'll have to get off the phone soon <dreaming sigh>.
I have to say, I'm thankful for MANY things:
* Tim
* A Wonderful Family
* Mental Stability
* Physical Stability
* The Promise Of A Good Education
* The World Of Music
* A Room Over My Head, And Food To Eat
* Wagner Is Dead
[I know the last isn't very nice, but I've been having to study Music
History this semester, and I'm very seriously considering a special
composition revelling in the death of a throughly awful man, who, for
me, represents everything Hitler represents to most people. I really
don't care for Wagner, and would be very happy if his music never came
to be, or at least, if it had to be, that someone else would have
written it].
- Trey/Fleeb/How'z THAT For Non-Stick?
--
If this address doesn't work, try jvan...@uncavx.unca.edu.
/\/\ PGP key signature = 42 6E 5B EC 54 F5 8E 90 78 B5 0F 37 FC 1D A6 28 /\/\
I can see clearly now the fallout's done. I can see all obstacles glow my way.
\/\/ PGP key signature = 95 F5 47 59 88 D1 9D 6D 16 9F 4F C6 A5 DD 2D B1 \/\/
Jeffrey Emmert
[...stuff deleted...]
> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful
>time for a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from
>their families or they just endure going back to their straight
>nightmare for Thanksgiving. So, in order to prepare themselves
>for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of gaydom before
>gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
I usually enjoy my Thanksgiving holidays. I stopped visiting
my family on Thanksgiving about 14 years ago when I moved from
the *boonies* of northeast Tennessee to New York City. My own
tradition has sort of evolved over the years and it is something
to which I look forward every year.
> I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions
>on this issue. It would also be quite appropriate for people
>to write what they or their friends do for thanksgiving.
This year I celebrated Thanksgiving alone: spent the morning
running all over lower Manhattan picking up last minute odds
and ends for cooking. Most of the afternoon was spent roasting,
baking and sauteing while listening to a few smaller piano works
of Xenakis, Stockhausen, Ligeti, Cage, Babbitt, Martino, Durko
and Bozay. Started eating dinner early (for me) -- at around
6:30pm -- at which point I began listening to a few of the
Bartok string quartets.
After dinner, I called my younger brother [also gay] in Houston
to wish him a Happy Thanksgiving and to see how he's faring
with his latest round of chemo. We chatted happily for about
an hour. Then I heard from my parents in Tennessee. Of course,
they didn't pass up the opportunity to remind me that I could
*really* *really* find True Happiness and fulfillment in life
if I would only repent and turn to Jesus. [I was tempted
to inform them I heard from Very Reliable Sources that Jesus
is in residence in Florida but was afraid such a statement
would send them into orgasmic exclamations of Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord! Jesus Came! Again! In Florida!]
Anyway, I finished the evening with a homemade cranberry
pie, french roast coffee and a somewhat mellow cognac while
listening to a recording of some mid-to-late-14th-century
ballades followed by an Annie Lennox CD.
All in all, not a bad holiday for me -- I enjoyed the day.
Oh yeah, guess I should mention this is my first posting
to motss. But I have been reading/lurking off an on for ...
well ... some time -- long enough to note the arrival of
Arne and Sylvia and *X* and others and to note the re-appearance
of Jess and to wonder whatever happened to JoJo ...
Obsomethingrecent: I like Hugo Wolf.
Obsomethinglessrecent: I like Paul Hindemith.
Obsomethingnotsorecent: I like Harry Partch.
And ... um ... well ... I live in New York City.
Jeff
--
Jeffrey Emmert emm...@panix.com New York City
a flying squirrel
> i advise creating your own traditions for holidays that might
> otherwise be emotionally troublesome, and i take my own advice.
Trouble-free T-day: immersion in a Practical Lesbian Environment.
This year's PLE included a CPA, marketing types, and some ICU
nurses. Kids everywhere, and not a single one as a result of a
heterosexual couple (this is only an observation, not an attitude).
At one point I was bleating about this door that was installed
on the lower corner of an otherwise clean kitchen counter facade.
It ruined the aesthetics, I complained. We can use it for storage,
my stepsister's partner countered. In the end, I got into her face
and sputtered, "the problem with you lesbians is that you are so
damn _practical_." We giggled and had more cream cheese with
sun dried tomatoes. Unfortunately, my sixty-something step-aunt,
a self-described "Mexican bull dyke" was not there. We usually
hog all the red wine and manage to clear the table early with
extremely distasteful behaviour. I will never forget the first
time I took Brad to Thanksgiving (1989): we were in bed together
at my parents house later that night, and he exclaimed, "My
family get-togethers are nothing like yours." After last
night's Parental Summit (his finally met mine), we may have
started to change that.
--
a flying squirrel is ric...@ecureuil.apple.com
Apple Computer, Inc.
"I'm in touch with my inner twink." -- Leith Chu
Greg Parkinson
|> Anyway, I finished the evening with a homemade cranberry
|> pie, french roast coffee and a somewhat mellow cognac while
|> listening to a recording of some mid-to-late-14th-century
|> ballades followed by an Annie Lennox CD.
Somewhat mellow cognac. Hmmm.
Dave received a bottle of Remy Martin as a gift
and we decided to try a bit of it last night.
Was it our mood? Our palates not being sufficiently
numbed by rich food and wine? Not having a cigar
handy? It was *vile*.
I've had and enjoyed grappa, various eau de vies,
homemade ouzo, but this was INTENSE without the
redeeming qualities that these other potions had.
What *can* you do with this stuff?
|> Oh yeah, guess I should mention this is my first posting
|> to motss. But I have been reading/lurking off an on for ...
|> well ... some time -- long enough to note the arrival of
|> Arne and Sylvia and *X* and others and to note the re-appearance
|> of Jess and to wonder whatever happened to JoJo ...
Your credentials are in order. Enjoy your stay,
Senor!
|> Obsomethinglessrecent: I like Paul Hindemith.
Goody!
|> And ... um ... well ... I live in New York City.
Of course you do. But you know by now that
like heterosexuals and gay behavior, the people
in other places don't mind that we're from here
as long as we don't "shove it down their throats".
Sim Aberson
>[I was tempted
>to inform them I heard from Very Reliable Sources that Jesus
>is in residence in Florida but was afraid such a statement
>would send them into orgasmic exclamations of Hallelujah!
>Praise the Lord! Jesus Came! Again! In Florida!]
It's true! It's true! Again and again (it was a good weekend). If
they want verification, just send them my phone number and they can
call.
>Obsomethingnotsorecent: I like Harry Partch.
What about Suzanne Bartsch?
--
Sim Aberson AOML/Hurricane Research Division Miami, FL
I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion.
If a plant cannot live according to its nature, it dies; and so a man.
Henry David Thoreau
Max Meredith Vasilatos
>Dave received a bottle of Remy Martin as a gift
>and we decided to try a bit of it last night.
>Was it our mood? Our palates not being sufficiently
>numbed by rich food and wine? Not having a cigar
>handy? It was *vile*.
>What *can* you do with this stuff?
Soda, dear. Brandy and soda saves all.
Leith Chu
Not with cognac! Pate'. That's what it's for.
dizzy Chinese leather smurf | No, I don't touch-type. I do a lot more than
panda cub (Leith Chu) | just _touch_ my types. Daddies! Cowboys!
lc...@stu1.cs.upei.ca | Bears! Denim! Uniforms! Rope! Leather! Yeah!
val...@atlas.cs.upei.ca | B0 h f- t rv c++d! g++! k+ sv(++) p
Charlottetown, PEI, Canada | S7 b+ g+(-) l(-) y/ z n+ o x+ a+ u v+ j++
Max Meredith Vasilatos
>m...@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Max Meredith Vasilatos) writes:
>>g...@fig.citib.com (Greg Parkinson) writes:
>>>Dave received a bottle of Remy Martin as a gift
>>>and we decided to try a bit of it last night.
>>>It was *vile*.
>>>What *can* you do with this stuff?
>>Soda, dear. Brandy and soda saves all.
>Not with cognac! Pate'. That's what it's for.
I have two solutions. The first occurred at a drunken
free-for-all in my kitchen, where a friend, offended by
the cognac, threw the bottle at the kitchen window.
In a stunning move, Nicholas casually reached out and
caught it about 6 inches before it would have hit.
The second solution, which is my own approach:
switch to good armagnac. Remy is vile in comparison.
Bob Donahue
: a juicy turkey, baked in a butter-garlic-basil glaze, then smoked for
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
: an hour on the barbecue grill. Very flavorful.
BBC, salivating
Greg Parkinson
>The second solution, which is my own approach:
>switch to good armagnac. Remy is vile in comparison.
I consumed a quantity of armagnac coming
back from Greece - it was the closest thing
we could find to Metaxa brandy (which in its
alta form is wonderful stuff.)
--
---------------------------------------------------------
Greg Parkinson New York, New York g...@panix.com
...beauty is convulsive or not at all...
Thomas W. Holt Jr. (QRD Faerie)
I sit just me, or does RFD mean something different to some others
around here?? Maybe Radical Faeries Digest, Raspberry, Strawberry Delite
--
Thomas W. Holt Jr./Gwyn | USmail: 609 S 6th St Terre Haute,IN 47807-4313
QRD Assistant Faerie | Email:mah...@judy.indstate.edu | Vox:812-234-2814
Queer Resource Directory available via FTP/Gopher at vector.intercon.com
Be Political Not Polite | Gay, Pagan, Proud! | Silence=Death Action=Life
JUDY J. RUOT
>nir...@ldgo.columbia.edu (niraj kumar) divulges:
>->
>->I would like to start a thread to get people's opinions on this issue. It
>->would also be quite appropriate for people to write what they or their
>->friends do for thanksgiving.
>
wasn't expecting it to be but as it turned out, it wasn't much
fun. I never want to deal with the holidays and usually decide at
the last minute where I'm going and what I'm doing. I planned to
go to my sisters, a 2 hr. drive away. The night before, I came
down with a cold and the day before, I started taking an
antidepressant prescription for the first time in my life and was
having to deal with some of the drug's unpleasant side affects. To
say the least, I wasn't feeling all that great by the time I got
there. My sister surprised me with the news that there would
be company, other than family, for dinner. Well, at least 2 of
the 3 guys she invited were ok. The other was an idiot and a jerk,
spewing forth plenty of homophobic shit the whole time he was
there. I just was not feeling energetic enough to grab the bowl of
hot, steaming mashed potatoes and smash it over his head. I am not
out to my sister but she is tolerant and accepts and loves me. I
have no idea why she invited this idiot to dinner. Oh, yeah, he
was going to have to spend the holiday alone because he was recently
separated from his wife (smart lady!!!) and she felt sorry for him
so she invited him. At least the food tasted good; that's about all
I can say about the day. I was bummin a little too because I had
spent a few of the previous holidays recently with two people I
was pretty close to until recently. One of them, a nonmonogamous
sort, was off for the whole week with some other woman and that
really bothered me big time.
I think the best Thanksgiving I ever had, I spent with a motss
(we've since broken up) up in Maine. We stayed at a B 'n B and
did things like go to a hockey game, mountain bike, etc. It
was a good time. ah, for better holidays....
cheers, hope yours are/were better than mine.
jd
Jeffrey Emmert
Greg Parkinson <g...@fig.citib.com> wrote:
>Somewhat mellow cognac. Hmmm.
>
>Dave received a bottle of Remy Martin as a gift
>and we decided to try a bit of it last night.
>
>Was it our mood? Our palates not being sufficiently
>numbed by rich food and wine? Not having a cigar
>handy? It was *vile*.
>
>I've had and enjoyed grappa, various eau de vies,
>homemade ouzo, but this was INTENSE without the
>redeeming qualities that these other potions had.
>
>What *can* you do with this stuff?
I've heard people say it should be used for
lighter fluid.
I've seen people pour it over ice cream.
And sometimes people cook with it.
But you can always just invite friends over who
love the stuff. They'll take care of it.
>Your credentials are in order. Enjoy your stay,
>Senor!
Gracias!
Jeffrey Emmert
Max Meredith Vasilatos <m...@ATHENA.MIT.EDU> wrote:
>g...@fig.citib.com (Greg Parkinson) writes:
>
>>Dave received a bottle of Remy Martin as a gift
>>and we decided to try a bit of it last night.
>
>>Was it our mood? Our palates not being sufficiently
>>numbed by rich food and wine? Not having a cigar
>>handy? It was *vile*.
>
>
My brother, who was a bartender for several years
in a Houston restaurant, informed me that it wasn't
uncommon for people to order cognac and coke.
Jeffrey Emmert
>switch to good armagnac. Remy is vile in comparison.
Yes, I like your approach. I'll take a good
armagnac any day. I tend to stay away from Remy.
Michael Siemon
>My brother, who was a bartender for several years
>in a Houston restaurant, informed me that it wasn't
>uncommon for people to order cognac and coke.
Barfarooney.
First of all, there is NO point (except for cooking) in any cognac less
than VSOP (otherwise, as someone pointed out, go for Armagnac; that has
more taste and more guts to it.) Even there you have to hunt around to
find out what might or might not appeal. As far as I can tell, with Remy
Martin the rule is -- if you can afford it, you don't want to drink it.
All the more so with Courvoisier. Martell Cordon Blue is the best readily
available compromise of taste and non-bankruptcy, for my palate. But if
you know a reliable wine merchant, you can sometimes get FAAABulous things
in names you've never heard of and at prices that you can afford.
Then, sit and LOOK at it for five minutes or so, gently warming it in
your hand. Savor the lovely nose -- it's enough to drive adolescents
out of the room. Slowly, devoutly, with the utmost caution and respect
take a slow, slow sip. And another. And then throw caution to the winds
and actually DRINK it. Ohmigod. Sadly, these days I find that cognac
gives me a headache. Even in moderation.
--
Michael L. Siemon "We honour founders of these starving cities
m...@panix.com Whose honour is the image of our sorrow ...
- or - They built by rivers and at night the water
m...@ulysses.att.com Running past the windows comforted their sorrow."
Kraig R. Meyer
>> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
>a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
>just endure going back to their straight nightmare for Thanksgiving.
If you believe what the psychologists say, holiday depression is
common for a wide variety of people, not just gay people. Most people
view holidays as a time of ritual, and expect to participate in it
even if they don't like it. Straight people have disfunctional
families too!
Holiday expectations deal gay people a double blow. Many of us no
longer feel like we fit into the holiday ritual (it seems especially
unpleasant from the closet, having to deal with probing relatives at
the dinner table). Others who may actually enjoy the ritual are
prevented from participation, or forced to participate in wierd ways
(either without their lover or without their blood relatives). My
heart especially goes out to jwhi...@lynx.dac.northeastern.edu and
Alan Williams, who are in this situation.
The solution? If tradition is important, create a tradition that is
workable in your situation. Several years ago I told my parents that
I wanted to spend Christmas with them, but I would only go if
Christopher could go with me. Although they were a bit reluctant at
first, they did eventually agree. Now we wish we could spend more
holidays with them.
Not everyone has this option, but other good ones have been mentioned.
Have your friends over for turkey. Or pork stew. Or, spend the day
with your lover. Or best friend, if you don't have a lover. If
tradition isn't important, admit that to yourself, and do something
you enjoy doing that day.
Paraphrasing Abraham Lincoln, "Most people are about as happy as they
make their minds up to be." The holidays are no exception.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
| The opinions expressed above are my own and do not necessarily |
| represent those of The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA. |
| |
| Kraig R. Meyer kme...@aero.org |
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carson Gaspar
>
>I consumed a quantity of armagnac coming
>back from Greece - it was the closest thing
>we could find to Metaxa brandy (which in its
>alta form is wonderful stuff.)
Of course, you could always just pop over to our place for the real thing
(Metaxa, that is). It's just wonderful in my Mousse au chocolat... Of
course, technically it's JI's, but I'm sure you could come to an
arrangement...
--
--
Carson Gaspar
(212) 783-6968
(800) 946-4646 PIN=5295292
Greg Parkinson
>In article <2di72o$i...@panix.com>, Greg Parkinson <g...@panix.com> wrote:
>>
>>I consumed a quantity of armagnac coming
>>back from Greece - it was the closest thing
>>we could find to Metaxa brandy (which in its
>>alta form is wonderful stuff.)
>Of course, you could always just pop over to our place for the real thing
>(Metaxa, that is). It's just wonderful in my Mousse au chocolat... Of
>course, technically it's JI's, but I'm sure you could come to an
>arrangement...
In Greece, on the boat, we called it
"metaxicated". The stuff leaves a nasty
taste in your mouth for the next morning.
But such memories! Sitting on the porch
of our room in Antiparos, listening to the
waves lapping at the shore and watching
shooting stars in a sky dense with stars.
Sipping at a glass of Metaxa or Kosta's
homemade ouzo (more of a grappa; no anise
taste.)
So when's the party? Who's bringing the
stuffed grape leaves?
Leith Chu
>in a Houston restaurant, informed me that it wasn't
>uncommon for people to order cognac and coke.
When I was a waiter, someone ordered Scotch and milk. A friend got an order
for Irish Whisky and ginger ale. :-P
randy j futor
Chu) wrote:
> When I was a waiter, someone ordered Scotch and milk.
My FTL was told by his doctor to drink scotch & milk or bourbon & milk if
he was going to consume alcohol at all.
He had an ulcer, y'see.
__
\/ -+- randy -+- all generalizations are flawed -+- fu...@llnl.gov
Ailsa Murphy
Naomi Gayle Rivkis <ri...@midway.uchicago.edu> wrote:
>In article <2d5idg$4...@merlin.fig.citib.com> g...@fig.citib.com (Greg Parkinson) writes:
>>
>>In article <1993Nov26....@lamont.ldgo.columbia.edu>, nir...@ldgo.columbia.edu (niraj kumar) writes:
>
>>|> My theory is that thanksgiving is a less than wonderful time for
>>|> a lot of gay people. Either they are estranged from their families or they
>>|> order to prepare themselves for the ordeal, they go out for a heavy dose of
>>|> gaydom before gingerly stepping into the swamp of straight America.
>>
>>They have dinner with friends or just avoid the
>>whole thing and enjoy the day off.
>
>I must be weirder than I thought. I spent Thanksgiving with my
>mother, it *wasn't* an ordeal, we not only had a good time, we got
>into a really cool conversation that ended up with me getting some
>much-needed sound advice about motss-related issues. Every once in
>a while it occurs to me that I have way cool parents.
>
yeah. me too. (yes, i AM being tacky and following up to an old thread
again. so much for willpower!)
i was out late wednesday night, as Axa, the crosdress/transgender support
group i attend meets that night, and a small subset of the group broke
and went to one of the women's apartment and hung out until around 3 am,
talking aand stuff, mainly, as someone else mentioned, because noone had
to get up for work the next day. at l;east not for PAID work...
on thanksgiving, i got up later than my roomates wanted, and was bawled
out for not having cleaned the kitchen yet. so i got up and cleaned the
kitchen and set in to cooking. guests started arriving around ten or
\eleven, bearing pies and bread products for the most part. my mother,
borther and youngest sister arrived around noon and were promptl;y set to
work. as further guests arrived, i set THEM to work too. the guests
who were bringing the turkey arrived around two or so. dinner was finally
served at around four. we had thirteen people to table: me, my roomate
lori and her son kyle, who is 2.5, my roomate rich who is a blind street
musician, various deadheawd friends of rich and lori, plus my family.
dinner included turkey, twop kinds of stuiffing, three kinds of gravy,
more bread than i can imagine (just finished the last of it off yesterday
in a monster batch of MARVELLOUS french toast), a stuffed squash,
mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, four kinds of pie, apple crisp, baked
apples, homemade applesauce, two kinds of ice cream, etc. i got a lot of
compliments on the spread, and didn't have to clean up afterwards, so i
went and called the answering machines of various friends.
my mom called the day after and just RAVED about how much fun she had had,
and even talked to lori for a bit. word from the roomates is that the
family is welcome any time. mom didn't even freak out at the fact
that everyone went off to rich's room to smoke some salad later on in
the evening. (although the jam session afterwards got to her a bit,
especailly since some of teh guys just CAN'T SING!) it was a LOT of
fun, so we are planning on doing something similiar around xmas.
official house name: Hobbit House. sometimes called Hobbit House,
Home for Hungry Homosexuals. *grin* i want to host a ne.motss
gettogether sometime...
arnold's celebration sounded quite lovely, btw. as does bob&fred's.
>NonMotss, just can't keep from bubbling about it: I got a new kitten
>today! He's a five-month-old tabby whom we're calling Patrick. He's
>currently locked in the bathroom while he and our senior cat, Siobhan,
>check each other out through the door, but when I was in there petting
>him after he'd just gotten home, he felt secure enough to purr. :-)
>
congratualtions! i'm up to FOUR now, mainly due to one coming up to me
about a month ago. he was one of teh neighborhood cats, and he was
badly wounded in the tail - broken and oozing and partially rotted. i
spent most of the afternoon that day trying to get care for him, and ended
up charging everythoign he needed to my credit card, since it was eitehr
that or have him put down. so he's now my cat, and very friendly and
beautiful, and his name is corwin.
-ailsa
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- an...@ursa-major.spdcc.com -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Ailsa, you could be a show on Oprah all by yourself."
- Tom Farrell
Leith Chu
>(Metaxa, that is). It's just wonderful in my Mousse au chocolat... Of
Is that the stuff my hair design consultant uses to give me brown
highlights?