Tiffany's life-tini

Oysters, Shrimp, Clams, Crab, Steak, Sausage, Truffle French fries, Corn, and Beer. Put them all together and what do you have — an intestinal conflict to determine if the cow could smother the oysters while the crab nips at his tail. All the while, the cow continues to moo, moo, moo.  The Beer is undaunted and uses its bloating technique to overpower and in the mean time the salt decides to take full advantage of the bloating to create an explosion.  The Portuguese Sausage is just sitting around saying…….Hey Bro! Welcome to my world of NO sleep. Oh trust me, there was no REM!

Based on the fact that I don’t normally eat fried food or carbs, and I certainly don’t drink beer, you’re probably saying, “Will the real Tiffany James please stand up?” As you know, WJJ and I often go to wine pairing dinners which are usually five or six courses of divine food matched perfectly with the appropriate wine. Lovely!  A beer bash — not my norm. However several weeks ago, I saw that the Outrigger Canoe Club was having a “beer tasting” event.   Despite the fact that I don’t like beer — I thought, “what the heck, it’s a Monday night and it could be fun. And WJJ likes beer so why not give it a try.”

As many of you know, the Outrigger is right on the beach. And last night was a perfect night in Hawaii.   When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised that we were going to be seated with 4 other guests.  The ages of the attendees ranged from Jamie’s age (40’s) to much older than WJJ and me – and that’s old. We were delighted that we were seated with a group of “young ones.” We have nothing against old people–we’re there. And we certainly respect the wisdom of maturity but we also enjoy the perspective of those younger than we.

Anyway, we had a great time at our table. We talked about a plethora of things especially about cruising and travel. And as you know, WJJ and I have traveled and cruised — a lot.  Karen (the only other female) was a delight! She went to school in New York and definitely had an adventurous spirit. Per usual, I asked lots of questions and gained great insight to all of their personalities.

I was seated next to Ed a single Dad of two boys ages 22 and 16. Ed was the perfect gentleman. In fact when we first arrived at our table, there was confusion because Karen and her boyfriend were not seated at the table and wanted to be.  WJJ and I immediately volunteered to change our seats.  But Ed was quick to point out that no, he wanted us at this table. I fell in love with Ed when he jokingly asked Walter why he brought his “daughter” to this event.

The first course of the evening was oysters on the “barbie.” They were amazing!  Ed repeatedly got up and refilled our plates.  And every time I would get up, Ed would stand up and hold my chair. I wish I had his parents’ phone number I’d call and tell them, “job well done.”

Our table’s conversation was filled with food talk, travel talk, Hawaii talk and just plain talk. The age differences quickly disappeared. There was no void or lack of conversation. We all had a great time. At the end of the evening, WJJ and I received a really nice compliment. As we were leaving, Ed whispered to us, “I have never met such a classy couple who are so down to earth.” Thank you Ed!

The beer was surprisingly tasty, the food was amazing but the best part of last night was enjoying new people. In Hawaii, there are no educational distinctions, there are no social distinctions and as evidenced by last night there are no age distinctions. Most everyone believes in the Aloha Spirit– the friendly acceptance of all   so ….. Aloha!