It's been about a solid year since the last post on the language of Southern food, so this one is dedicated to a new twist on an old favorite...a Delta 30th birthday. Now birthdays and cocktail parties are nothing new in our language, but the 30th birthday is for our generation. As my group of friends is beginning and continuing to celebrate 30th's, I've come to realize the 30th birthday celebration means accepting your role as a Southern, grown up host and learning to carefully walk the line between a college blow out (such as your 21st) and a black tie affair (which will be your 60th). In the language of Southern hospitality, the 30th is a true coming of age year because no longer are your parents hosting parties...you are.
So this is a step by step translation on walking that line for a Delta 30th birthday...or well, any birthday for that matter or even any solid cocktail party.
The guinea pig for learning the language of a 30th Birthday, was our friend Malone, whose birthday was all the way back in January (so this post is only a slight 4 months behind). A group of us got together to throw a "Down in the Delta" surprise celebration.
Step One: The invite... a new take on the classic Blues Club poster...
Step Two: Your Table. After the invite, comes the table-scape for the food, since the evening was going to be centered on Delta recipes. The table-scape was simply some Cypress Knees, glass canisters for Fatsia, Aspidistra, floating candles, and votives surrounded by the McCarty serving pieces you have been given since you graduated high school. And don't forget the napkins...the cocktail napkin is the glue that holds a party together.
Step Three: The Menu. The menu consisted of some solid favorites from our books:
Chicken Sliders with a Dill Gerkin on top on Comeback Sauce
An Antipasta Dip with Toast Points
Hot Tamale Dip & Frito's
Sausage & Cheese Plate (didn't get a picture of it)
And in honor of Malone's favorite chip, a bowl of Nacho Cheese Dorito's (as I mentioned, we were walking the line and couldn't be too serious with the menu, and these turned wiped out all the homemade dips...)
Step Four. The Bar. Now any true Deltan understands that the menu is only there as a sideshow to the bar set up. As true Southern grown ups, we made sure all mixers were present and abundant ice could be found in the freezer.
Being that it was a 30th birthday, shots were needed, but also needed to be given a shot of class. Therefore, we (in true adult fashion) researched & strategically followed a recipe for "drunk gummies", which soaked in Le Creuset casserole dishes for an entire week beforehand (only when you reach the 30's do you even have name brand casserole dishes). They were then transferred to a glass serving piece.... because serving them any other way would not have spoken to our wisdom of the cocktail party...
Step Five. The Favor. For this shin-dig, we blew up the invite into a poster and had all the guest sign it for the birthday girl.
Sure in the South we speak much slower and more drawn out, and we will no matter how old we are. However, when it comes to the cocktail party, no one is more articulate than the hosts in the Delta. So you see, whether young or old, learning a new language or even our language can be as simple as 5 steps, when that language is Southern food.
