Today's convo with my wine guy
"Brian!"
"You have that look in your eye when you want to make a dish that you know I'll say 'Beer' for."
"Now do I do that to you?"
"Yes, you do. Cough it up."
"Shepherd's Pie."
"Beer."
"No really, Brian, this is important. It has to be wine."
"For Shepherd's Pie? Come on! Beer. I even have just the one." He started walking to the beer cooler.
"Brian, it's for my dad."
He stopped. "Who?"
"My dad. My father. You know, the man who took me to wine tastings at the age of pre-teens completely flouting American law so I could experience wine before and after puberty?"
Brian started pacing.
"Do I need to keep talking to you so you'll stop saying beer?"
He gestured vaguely in my direction, encouraging me to keep talking as he was thinking. I could see him mentally walking the wine aisles trying to come up with something.
"My dad," I cajoled gently. "The man who introduced me to wine. Do you think I can really serve him beer? I mean I could, but you understand the importance here."
Brian nodded vaguely and started wandering very slowly away from me still mentally cataloging his wine.
"My dad the cheap Dutchman whose goal for the year is to find the least expensive bottle of wine with the absolutely best taste."
Brian abruptly switched directions and I continued to follow as I kept talking.
"I have to do better than my dad." As he looked at me quickly I held up my hand in early apology. "I don't mean I want the cheapest bottle, but I want a bottle he'd buy because it was the most completely undervalued wine you have that STILL GOES WITH HIS FAVORITE DISH."
Brian made another turn and down another aisle past the other guys who helped run the wine area. You could tell they knew what was going on because they both started to chuckle quietly behind their hands as I whispered "I threw him the Daddy trump card."
As I trailed along behind I continued. "Shepherd's Pie, Brian. His favorite dish. It's important. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I even bought beer when you told me wine didn't go with alligator[1]. But you have to help me here. It can't be beer."
I nearly ran into him as he stopped abruptly and yanked a bottle off the shelf aggressively. "This. This one. Sixteen dollars. And if you don't come back and tell me how it was, I'm hunting you down."
I knew the scowl wasn't for real. Secretly he's pleased I threw him a curve ball [2]. Two, really if you count the Dad thing. Three if you count the cheap Dutchman thing.
[1]Not that wine doesn't go with it at all but only if it's absolutely the right one. He knew he didn't have one in the store he was pleased enough to sell me for that dish, so I bought the beer.
[2]Not much of a curve ball for the first bit, but combined with the other two it was a decent challenge. Have I mentioned I love my wine guy? I carry his business cards with me all the time.
"You have that look in your eye when you want to make a dish that you know I'll say 'Beer' for."
"Now do I do that to you?"
"Yes, you do. Cough it up."
"Shepherd's Pie."
"Beer."
"No really, Brian, this is important. It has to be wine."
"For Shepherd's Pie? Come on! Beer. I even have just the one." He started walking to the beer cooler.
"Brian, it's for my dad."
He stopped. "Who?"
"My dad. My father. You know, the man who took me to wine tastings at the age of pre-teens completely flouting American law so I could experience wine before and after puberty?"
Brian started pacing.
"Do I need to keep talking to you so you'll stop saying beer?"
He gestured vaguely in my direction, encouraging me to keep talking as he was thinking. I could see him mentally walking the wine aisles trying to come up with something.
"My dad," I cajoled gently. "The man who introduced me to wine. Do you think I can really serve him beer? I mean I could, but you understand the importance here."
Brian nodded vaguely and started wandering very slowly away from me still mentally cataloging his wine.
"My dad the cheap Dutchman whose goal for the year is to find the least expensive bottle of wine with the absolutely best taste."
Brian abruptly switched directions and I continued to follow as I kept talking.
"I have to do better than my dad." As he looked at me quickly I held up my hand in early apology. "I don't mean I want the cheapest bottle, but I want a bottle he'd buy because it was the most completely undervalued wine you have that STILL GOES WITH HIS FAVORITE DISH."
Brian made another turn and down another aisle past the other guys who helped run the wine area. You could tell they knew what was going on because they both started to chuckle quietly behind their hands as I whispered "I threw him the Daddy trump card."
As I trailed along behind I continued. "Shepherd's Pie, Brian. His favorite dish. It's important. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I even bought beer when you told me wine didn't go with alligator[1]. But you have to help me here. It can't be beer."
I nearly ran into him as he stopped abruptly and yanked a bottle off the shelf aggressively. "This. This one. Sixteen dollars. And if you don't come back and tell me how it was, I'm hunting you down."
I knew the scowl wasn't for real. Secretly he's pleased I threw him a curve ball [2]. Two, really if you count the Dad thing. Three if you count the cheap Dutchman thing.
[1]Not that wine doesn't go with it at all but only if it's absolutely the right one. He knew he didn't have one in the store he was pleased enough to sell me for that dish, so I bought the beer.
[2]Not much of a curve ball for the first bit, but combined with the other two it was a decent challenge. Have I mentioned I love my wine guy? I carry his business cards with me all the time.