Before we start talking about baklava, I want to mention that I had a dream in which I was getting in an elevator with a former colleague and a Christmas tree. The elevator might have been at the Board of Trade. It started falling immediately after the doors closed, but I survived impact and I woke up exactly at 2:22, my mom’s Angel Number.
The dream book on my nightstand pretty much said that I’m fucked.
So let’s talk about baklava. One of my favorite desserts that always brings back memories of great meals in Greektown.
One of the first guys I worked for in the bond room was a Greek guy. He always took our crew over to Halsted Street on Fridays after the close.
We had a group of twelve or fifteen guys sitting around the table after a great lunch. I just finished my Greek coffee and a piece of baklava when the waiter brought a tray of Ouzo shots.
Each glass had a couple coffee beans in it and a blue flame. The waiter lit the shots as he sat them down on the table.
It was late winter of 1990. Most of us were in our early twenties to mid thirties. One of the guys was a younger kid from Wisconsin. Straight off the ice rink on the frozen pond. An intelligent kid, but not steep in the common sense of street smarts.
Seconds after the waiter set the flaming Ouzo shots on the table, the Cheesehead slammed his shot. He didn’t wait for the rest of the boys and he didn’t wait long enough after he blew out the flame.
In slow motion the group waved and screamed, “STOP!!!!!!!!!”
The poor bastard was done for the day. His lips and tongue scorched by the heated elixir and shot glass.
The injured kid drank every glass of cold water in front of him. Also sitting in front of him on the table was the baklava that this poor son of a bitch wouldn’t be able to taste.
So I reached over and took the plate and enjoyed a second piece of the gooey and sticky Mediterranean delight.
I’ve had many pieces of baklava and shots of Ouzo since that naïve afternoon. None of them were as delightful.
Back to the elevator ….. my life might drastically change. Maybe my routine, maybe my career or with a relationship. Hopefully it can all wait until after thanksgiving.
Have a strong Friday and a glorious weekend. After the rain comes through this morning…. the sky will be blue and the sun will be bright. The shine will be at a low angle, so you’ll need to twist your body to put some sun on your face.
and try to do something that will make you shout, “Opa….!!!!!”
