Once a year we go to a local restaurant called The Speak Easy.
The walls are of dark wood, the curtains are red; the booths and chairs are leather. It is a step back in time. There are pictures of gangsters on the walls. The serving staff where black fedoras and ties.
Food names include:
FLAPPER
Two manicotti served on spinach noodles, topped with white sauce and served with a side of rigatoni
TORPEDO
Three jumbo beef or cheese raviolis, two seafood pasta shells topped with Italian tomato tomato sauce and white sauce.
STING
Spaghetti, half lasagna (beef or Italian pork sausage) and eggplant chips.
SNUGGLE BUGGY
Strips of breaded chicken breast layered with a cheesy sauce and baked. Served with broccoli, cheese sauce and choice of potato
CAT'S MEOW
Shrimp and mock crab topped with a cheesy sauce and served on a bed of long grain and wild rice.
And of course..........DROOL ROLL PLEASE.......
New York Cheesecake
We know little of the time of prohibition just that enter the super-dry, ultra-religious congressman from Minnesota, Andrew J. Volstead. Never mind that if Jesus tried turning water into wine in the United States, he could have been arrested for bootlegging, or that the Last Supper might have been raided by federal Prohibition agents.
The saloons went underground and became speakeasies. It is said that in the city of New York alone, the number grew to 100,000. Mexico was wet, and Canada was far from dry. The border towns, both north and south, were well supplied with Jos Cuervo and Canadian Club.
On December 5, 1933, the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution officially repealed the Eighteenth Amendment—the only time in the history of the United States that an amendment has been repealed—and Prohibition was history.
Never mind all that..........
It is our anniversary and we go there to celebrate because that is where the wedding party of Tom, Brian Johnson, Bud Anderson, and I went for dinner on November 17, 1998. And nearly each year, we have our picture taken by the old car with the cross street signs of Center and Front Street because that was downtown Moorhead.
Tom and I where married in our living room here on Sixth Avenue. Our sons were our witnesses. Our friends and family were represented by a candle for each person. Ryen's candle holder was a crown; he is, after all, a prince. Rachel was represented by a candle holder with ivy that she had presented to us as a gift. My mother wanted her candle holder to be a piece of watermelon. The idea was to give each in spirit guest an image they would be able to visualize.
I came down the stairs and cut five daisy blooms off the plant at the base of the stairs . Fifty five days after Tom and I had reunited, I sent him a plant. I told the people at the florist to pinch off all the blooms, leaving only 55. Later, Tom had heeled it in by the back door. Before we had the foundation professionally insulated, one of the fall tasks was to put plastic around the foundation to keep the warmth in. We had already had a heavy snow. It was never the intention to carry flowers but when Tom said come and look!!! when he had uncovered that heeled in daisy plant in the snow which was still green and had five buds on it, it seemed like a symbol. We brought it in and let it warm and it bloomed five blossoms. One for each: Rachel, Bud, Ryen, Brian, and Bob!
We had kept the watermelon in the fridge until time for the 4 o'clock marriage. The stage was set. I glanced over at the table at the lit candles. There were supposed to be seventeen 'in spirit' guests. Someone was missing. Mother's watermelon was not on the table!
I said to Brian, "Get grandma out of the fridge". He looked at me like he didn't hear me; I said it again, this time loudly. Tom realized that Brian did not understand the cryptic message and explained to him to get the piece of watermelon, which was to be used as a candle holder, out of the fridge.
Tom's dad, Les was born on November 17; Les would be our in memory best man. We did not know that Mother would die that same date in 2002. Instead of dinner at the Speak Easy, we would be with her when she died at supper time. And Bud certainly did not know that in 2007, he would be united in a East Indian ceremony in California, (it is what is endearingly called remarriage, as they were married on October 13 of this year, also).
We are honored to share this day with all who celebrate it in some special way.
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