You can take the girl out of the sweatshop, but you shouldn’t give gin to the girl, or something
Posted by Lanea on Friday, July 28th, 2006
I have a dozen partially completed garments.
I have another dozen cut garments ready for sewing.
I have entered a very dangerous place though, my friends, and we are all in peril.
I should preface this by saying that gin makes me mean. That’s a problem. As some of you know, I acquired the nickname "Meangrrl" when I was around 16 and was still a straight-edge. I keep it mostly under control, even when I do decide to have some drinks. I haven’t purposely made anyone cry in years, and I thought that risk was mostly erased from my oeuvre. Mostly, I’m Nice Lady, and many people don’t understand how I could ever have such a nickname. But sometimes the Queen of Mean still makes an appearance. So if you take a Meangrrl, and you add gin, which makes a Lanea mean . . . imagine the consequences.
Mario Batali apparently introduced Anthony Bourdain to a cocktail called a Negroni. I learned about this drink and Batali and Bourdain’s relationship to it in a webchat with Mr. Bourdain, who knows more about food and adventure than most. He listed the Negroni as his current favorite cocktail, and then railed against Batali for getting him hooked on a drink made from three things he hates. Three things I also hate. It would have been easier for me to ignore the sharp, rusty, toothy trap if
a. I didn’t think Mario Batali was a genius
2. I didn’t know Anthony Bourdain was a genius, and a freaking rockstar.
iii. Bourdain didn’t hook me first by talking about Guinness in Dublin, where it’s still a live beer. Nectar of the freaking Gods. Nectar of the Gods, I say!
Here’s the exchange:
Alexandria, Va.: In all your travels around the globe, please name your favorite beer and spirit?
Anthony Bourdain: Guinness. A pint of Guinness in Dublin. Must be consumed in Dublin. Favorite spirit? I’m into Negronis lately. Three liquors I hate: gin, sweet vermouth and Compari, yet together they’re wonderful. I blame the evil Mario Batali for introducing me to this lethal habit-forming concoction. He will surely burn in hell. His red plastic clogs melting over his cloven hooves for what he’s done to me.
People, cower in fear. I’m drinking gin. And I’m afraid I’m a like me some Negroni. Bitter orange and bitter herbs and horrid vermouth poured into the throat of a bitter, deranged woman.
Now the sewing can really get underway. Onward to mayhem. Mu har har.
Filed in sewing | 3 responses so far
rachelon 28 Jul 2006 at 8:26 pm 1Mmmmmm….gin. I’m a plain and simple gin martini girl myself, but I might have to try that.
But…drinking and sewing? I would have sewn a few fingers together by now. Of course, that’s why I knit instead. But what with the lobster claws I have now, I might just have to take up plain old drunkeness.
Corvuson 29 Jul 2006 at 6:19 am 2Gin is evil. I seriously think it is the most destructive of the alcohols.
Annieon 30 Jul 2006 at 10:28 pm 3Gin makes me cry.
This reminded me of a blind date I once went on, years ago.
Sat down, seemed nice enough. He orders a beer, I order a vodka gimlet.
He says “you drink vodka?!”
I say “yes, I don’t drink beer, just wine and spirits”
He says “I love alcohol, but it makes me REALLY violent”
Yeah, I’m gone.