Red Cups

In college, the cool kids used red cups. Fraternities filled them with dangerous fruit punches. So did my friends, pouring sticky, neon blue juices into them. And on weekends, these cups littered lawns in Norman, Oklahoma. Three years after graduating, and seven years after reaching the legal drinking age, I used them too and thought I was awesome when I bought them at the grocery store for Saturday's party.

I wouldn't say this party was an unrivaled success. I forgot to put a clean hand towel in the bathroom so guests all night dried their hands either on the collard greens-stained towel in the kitchen or on my bath robe hanging from the door. Oops. I brought the collards greens and green beans out a little late, so the first wave of buffet-ers missed out. And the drinks were really strong: I was the only one who didn't grimace drinking them. I'm either a lush or tremendously loyal to my drink-making abilities.

However, I won't argue with people who complimented me on the spread, quantity not quality being the key part of the praise. Here is what I had to work with in the fridge.. please note there are 20 Coors Lites that no one found in the crisper during the party. The uncovered pie was the peach/raspberry/strawberry pie with clay peaches.


Below is part of the spread, minus all the hot (good) stuff. Virginia peanuts in the can, blackberries in the white bowl, fruit-salad looking bowl of multicolored tomatoes, a whole cantaloupe (I felt like such a talented knife artist cutting melon), and the Southern Comfort people just looked at.


The star of the show was the sultry pot of collard greens, below, with it's come-hither steam. I don't know if anyone else liked them, but I consumed the leftover collard greens in a little over 24 hours after the conclusion of the party. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Paula Dean.


Here's a more telling picture: what the table looked like when everyone left. A half-full table means a full week's worth of lunches for me.


It was delightful, but it I was left wondering what in the world I was thinking inviting people into my apartment to eat my food, drink my beer, and not wash my dishes. But it was an enjoyable artisitic and culinary project and I'm planning another for November.. I will heartily celebrate each birthday on my march toward 30!