I have been trying to describe how strange this time in my life feels. There is such a surreal quality to everything that happens right now that I am finding it hard to put into words from the English language my internal thoughts and feelings. Noises and yawps might get me close, but I don't know the words that would capture what I am feeling. I was just telling someone that every little thing feels so foreign and unfamiliar right now, right down to how food tastes. When my daily luna bar didn't taste like the previous 4,000 luna bars I have eaten, I started to think "damn! Is the process of getting married changing my tastebuds too?"
Speaking of tastebuds, today for lunch we went to our wedding venue for the tasting. I probably gained 4 lbs from the garlic and oil alone. We'll start with the postive aspects of our visit. Jeff and I brought along some friends we consider real "foodies," unlike me and Jeff who think that Portillo's hotdogs are practically gourmet. Jason H and Joyce P were at the table to keep our guests from having to eat pedestrian salads or undercooked pastas. I really loved the stuffed mushroom caps and the asparagus with proscuito, which was a surprise to me because I hate proscuito. They also served little mini thin-crust pizzas that were quite tasty and easy to eat.
Before going any further I have to just give voice the dominant, feeling side of me that, at the very same moment was oohing and aahhing over the pizza, was mourning that we are not having a cutting edge foodie wedding. We aren't having a mashed potato bar or organic caviar on locally grown toast points. We're having mini mushroom caps and smoked salmon. It will be good and it will be solid, but we aren't breaking any new ground in the culinary realm. I feel shame about the things that bring up sadness for me, but someday it will be entertaining to see how my thoughts and feelings unfolded in this last few weeks. Just like with my dress there is a track of sadness and loss that runs parallel to the track of excitement and joy. I have this in all areas of my life, but the relevant tracks are those related to the wedding.
We nibbled and tasted and critiqued the appetizers (hot and cold), salads, pastas and entrees. While the food may not be avant garde, Jason H said it best when he said they exhibited a "core competency," which is really all you need for wedding food. No one will go home hungry.
And, alas, as all parts of my wedding journey, there was a dark, shadow side to the joy of the tasty ragus and luscious vegetables. I do not want to belabor the travails of today's tasting, but it was not a good sign when our "event coordintor" was not there for our scheduled appointment, and it was a positively ominous omen when she finally arrived and asked us, "now, you are just having your reception here, not your ceremony, right?" That was a little disheartening mostly because we ARE having our wedding ceremony there, and you sort of hope that after you sign contracts and send in hefty checks that the person taking care of you and your wedding will get at the very least, the big picture right. After ranting about that department store on State Street for 2 solid weeks, I thought perhaps I was overreacting and that my terror and dismay was a little out of whack because of the proximity to the wedding and the fact that my personality tends to be a little extreme and emotional. I was validated when Jason and Joyce agreed that the "event coordinator" lacked a certain "appeal."
But, Jeff took control of the situation and proposed that we just deal with the food for today and worry about the logistics of the ceremony and cocktail hour later at another point in time. I know way deep down in my heels that it doesn't matter really whether the linens match the color scheme of the invitations and people aren't coming here expecting Charlie Trotter to whip up some filets and foie gras. This is just how it feels when a perfectionist plans a wedding and had 35 years to gear up for it.
Speaking of tastebuds, today for lunch we went to our wedding venue for the tasting. I probably gained 4 lbs from the garlic and oil alone. We'll start with the postive aspects of our visit. Jeff and I brought along some friends we consider real "foodies," unlike me and Jeff who think that Portillo's hotdogs are practically gourmet. Jason H and Joyce P were at the table to keep our guests from having to eat pedestrian salads or undercooked pastas. I really loved the stuffed mushroom caps and the asparagus with proscuito, which was a surprise to me because I hate proscuito. They also served little mini thin-crust pizzas that were quite tasty and easy to eat.
Before going any further I have to just give voice the dominant, feeling side of me that, at the very same moment was oohing and aahhing over the pizza, was mourning that we are not having a cutting edge foodie wedding. We aren't having a mashed potato bar or organic caviar on locally grown toast points. We're having mini mushroom caps and smoked salmon. It will be good and it will be solid, but we aren't breaking any new ground in the culinary realm. I feel shame about the things that bring up sadness for me, but someday it will be entertaining to see how my thoughts and feelings unfolded in this last few weeks. Just like with my dress there is a track of sadness and loss that runs parallel to the track of excitement and joy. I have this in all areas of my life, but the relevant tracks are those related to the wedding.
We nibbled and tasted and critiqued the appetizers (hot and cold), salads, pastas and entrees. While the food may not be avant garde, Jason H said it best when he said they exhibited a "core competency," which is really all you need for wedding food. No one will go home hungry.
And, alas, as all parts of my wedding journey, there was a dark, shadow side to the joy of the tasty ragus and luscious vegetables. I do not want to belabor the travails of today's tasting, but it was not a good sign when our "event coordintor" was not there for our scheduled appointment, and it was a positively ominous omen when she finally arrived and asked us, "now, you are just having your reception here, not your ceremony, right?" That was a little disheartening mostly because we ARE having our wedding ceremony there, and you sort of hope that after you sign contracts and send in hefty checks that the person taking care of you and your wedding will get at the very least, the big picture right. After ranting about that department store on State Street for 2 solid weeks, I thought perhaps I was overreacting and that my terror and dismay was a little out of whack because of the proximity to the wedding and the fact that my personality tends to be a little extreme and emotional. I was validated when Jason and Joyce agreed that the "event coordinator" lacked a certain "appeal."
But, Jeff took control of the situation and proposed that we just deal with the food for today and worry about the logistics of the ceremony and cocktail hour later at another point in time. I know way deep down in my heels that it doesn't matter really whether the linens match the color scheme of the invitations and people aren't coming here expecting Charlie Trotter to whip up some filets and foie gras. This is just how it feels when a perfectionist plans a wedding and had 35 years to gear up for it.
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