...or, we're getting old.
...or, just appreciate the random symmetry.
32 years ago, fresh off of our graduations from Haverford College and Bryn Mawr College, we moved to west Philadelphia, Powelton Village to be specific, to be near both my new job in Center City and Amp's PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania.
One of the first things we found in our new neighborhood was the White Dog Cafe, a quirky and revolutionary restaurant on the 3400 block of Sansom Street. Judy Wicks founded the restaurant in 1983, and was an early disciple of the kind of farm to table cooking and sustainable agriculture focus that was pioneered by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in California. Such a thing might not seem unusual now, but it was very unusual in the 1980's...
Anyway, despite being one of the better restaurants in Philadelphia, the White Dog's prices were very reasonable, and the food was astonishingly good. So with a good job, and a stipend, and no kids...we ate at the White Dog maybe once a week. For a couple years. We became familiar with the staff, and became friendly with the Manager at the time. We attended a few fundraising dinners and wine tasting events with Judy Wicks and Kevin von Klause in the residence space above the restaurant.
September 1990 rolled around, and a wedding was happening, so we needed a place to have a small reception for 50-60 family and friends, with us footing the bill ourselves. Our first choice was to have everyone to the White Dog, but they didn't do wedding receptions. Until we had a nice conversation with the manager, let's just call him Mr. Blake, who agreed that we could have our wedding reception there if we could squeeze it in between the lunch service and the dinner service. Which, for a noon wedding at my childhood church in Havertown, would work out fine.
We picked a menu, worked with the pastry chef to come up with a chocolate raspberry wedding cake, and had a wonderful wedding day. I still have the copy of the then-current dinner menu from which we picked the three entrees from which the guests could choose. Keep in mind the prices are circa 1990...
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| White Dog dinner menu c. September 1990 |
So we got married...
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| The Bride |
And some years later we had kids. And the kids grew up. And Grace got a job as a junior server at a retirement home. And then Grace decided that she would like to work in a somewhat similar but more dynamic environment (i.e. a real restaurant). And she saw that the White Dog was opening it's 4th location, less than 10 minutes from our house, this September. And this name rung a bell for her. So entirely on her own, she applied for a job as a food runner and hostess trainee. And got the job. She starts later this week, when the place opens for business.
First, I am immensely proud of her initiative, in that she decided entirely on her own that she wanted to do this, did the research, applied, and got hired. Without any help from us other than an enthusiastic "go for it!"
Second, it gives me a warm feeling inside that she is going to be working at the White Dog Cafe. The White Dog was a part of the earliest years that Amp and I had together. And now... Well... Less than a month short of our 30th anniversary... If you have kids (or a heart!) you'll get what I'm feeling.
It's strange how things work out. Pure chance, or a graceful symmetry, who can say.
That being said, with time to spare on this Labor Day holiday Monday, Amp and I put together a meal with help from the White Dog Cafe cookbook.
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| The Cookbook... |
We did a simple grilled chicken with Lime-Mojito marinade (McCormick's marinade, not White Dog), with Warm French Lentils (page 206) and Lavender and Honey-Roasted Butternut Squash (page 198). We decided to do something simple as the main course/protein, and try a couple of new side dishes from the cookbook.
All I can say is "wow!" This was one of the best meals we've had in a while, and given that we have been stuck at home cooking a good bit to kill time during the pandemic, that says a lot.
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| Mojito-Lime chicken with Lentils and Roasted Squash |
So... Who knows what the future brings, but I am happy that my daughter is going to start working at my favorite restaurant, and one the has a strong connection to our little family's history.
Not to mention the fact that we now have a White Dog right down the street, as dangerous as that may be...
Anyway, I wish any and all who may stumble upon this blog post health and happiness in these difficult times. Stay safe. Wear a mask. And recognize that the choice in the USA this November is between democracy and the slippery slope to fascism, between progressive views and a reversion to the social stone age. Personally, I prefer democracy, not living in the stone age, the rule of law, checks and balances, and an open-minded viewpoint that respects and supports everyone. I prefer living in an America that the rest of the world respects, not laughs at. I reject "Make America White Again" as a thinly-veiled campaign slogan. Or a world-view. Despite being an aging, relatively well-off, straight white guy... Right is right. And I need to be able to look my kids in the eye and tell them that I used my vote to try to make their world a better place. For myself and for them. Your mileage may vary.
PS - It has been pointed out just now that I always seem to avoid posting pictures of myself. True. Very true. So...
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| Amp and myself, downstairs at the White Dog |
Clearly September 1990 didn't still count as the '80s, judging from the lack of hair on me. A trend that would continue... We won't be posting high school pictures of me anytime soon, thank you very much.
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| The Happy Couple |
Well, nobody pays any attention to the groom anyway, right?
