Chocolates, Poetry & Privacy
Well, it looks like my ripping on the "Pinot & Pork" event hasn't stopped other folks from inviting me to future foodie functions. The latest to land in my in-box:
You are cordially invited to the
//// 1st Annual Kundiman Benefit Gala \\\\
Friday, April 23, 2004
8 pm
The Yale/Virginia Club of New York
50 Vanderbilt Ave (44th Street)
New York, NY 10017
Join us for an evening of decadent chocolate tasting, free flowing wine, and cutting-edge poetry, hosted by HBO Def Poetry Jam sensation, Regie Cabico.
Special raffle prizes sponsored by Nobu Restaurant & fashion designer Vivienne Tam.
All proceeds from the Gala will benefit the very first National Asian American Poets' Mentorship Retreat to be held at The University of Virginia. Join us for an elegant evening of art and activism.
Celebrated readers include:
Meena Alexander
Mei-mei Berssenbrugge
Regie Cabico
Luis H. Francia
Timothy Liu
Patrick Rosal
Vijay Seshadri
$35 Advance Tickets available on http://www.kundiman.org
$50 At the Door
*Cocktail Attire*
Chocolate Tasting Reception by XOX Truffles
Open Wine Bar by Martha Clara Vineyards
The Kundiman Benefit Gala is co-sponsored by the University of Virginia Alumni Association, Martha Clara Vineyards, XOX Truffles, Nobu Restaurant & Vivienne Tam.
Poetry and chocolate - a potent combination indeed. Add an open wine bar and the stale bookish aroma of academia, and you've got a bubbling cauldron of romance.
Dunno if I want to be in a public place when that pot boils over. Know what I mean? Better to leave the chocolate and poetry to the confines of home.
Must admit that I'm not familiar with XOX Truffles, but I will say that I have experienced chocolate worthy of a pleasurable moan or two: specifically Jacques Torres' Alize Hearts of Passion, little heart-shaped chocolates, containing a creamy milk chocolate ganache center accented with a splash of Alize and real passion fruit (pictured above, among some of Torres' other goodies).
And, when it comes to romantic poetry, I'm a fan of the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai. If you aren't familiar with his writing, Amichai's love poems are fiercely intense and completely sensual.
Hmm. Come to think of it, I've never tried eating Hearts of Passion while reading Amichai's poetry. Hopefully, some scholarly gentlemen will bring over a bottle of Brachetto d'Aqui to make the picture complete.