Sunday, May 9, 2010

BloggeRhythms 5/9/2010

Mother's Day. Lot's to do, places to go, people to see. Short entry.

Went to a "pig roast" yesterday in a beverage store, no less, and it was great. This was my first experience attending this kind of thing and didn't know what to expect. Turned out to be something I'd do again, any time.

The place is quite large and sells all kinds of beverages, you name it, but mostly beer. Located in Wantagh, NY it's called, guess what? Wantagh Beverages. I know about it because one of the two owners happens to be my son. The event itself was done in cooperation with one of the beer suppliers.

I knew when my wife and I arrived that the attendance was high because if we hadn't gotten lucky and found a nearby space to park, I don't know what I would have done with our car. Vehicles were jammed into every available slot in sight and we'd probably have had to wait for quite a while for one to open.

There were people milling around outside in groups, talking, laughing and sipping from paper cups looking much more like folks at an outdoor party than ones simply shopping for beer. Inside, the place was jammed.

People were everywhere, tall paper cups in their hands, many also holding plastic plates of food. And, front and center, once you made your way in, there was the guest of honor, or actually what was left of him -the pig. A young man stood there carving for folks to make themselves sandwiches, and then add the trimmings. Baked beans, cole slaw, potato salad, mustard, catsup and relish. Even typing this a day later makes me hungry for more.

The way the store lays out, there are refrigerated cases along the walls along with shelves and cabinets containing all sorts of sodas, bottled waters, seemingly every kind of consumable liquid one could think of short of liquor, and, of course, a huge assortment of beer.

And although we've been there many times, there was a newer addition we hadn't seen before. An area was set up along a wall wherein there's a row of taps, it looked like eight or ten, the kind you'd see in a bar or tavern, dispensing beers made by an assortment of micro brewers. Customers purchase large jug-like plastic containers and then select a micro-beer to fill them up. To me, the idea of folks being able to buy a jug-full of freshly tapped beer to take home seemed pretty clever.

In all, my wife and I were quite pleased to see so many people obviously glad to be in attendance and to be customers of the store as well. We knew the place continually seemed to be growing each time we visited in the past. But, regardless of what we thought, there's nothing like visual confirmation.

Now, some might wonder, why wouldn't we know exactly how that place was performing? After all, our son's one of the owners. The answer is, simply because our son is one of the owners, but we're not. And that, I believe, is critical to maintaining a good relationship with offspring.

Try to do the best you can through formative stages, then leave them alone. If they're competent, that's surely the way they'll want it. And, as far as what they tell you goes, that's entirely up to them. Because, I'm sure, if you push for more you'll hear absolutely nothing other than precisely what they wanted you to know in the first place. So, what's the point of trying to pry?

That's it for today folks.

Adios.

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