The Inside Assyria Discussion Forum #5

=> Re: Did anybody taste the Mediterranean last night?

Re: Did anybody taste the Mediterranean last night?
Posted by pancho (Guest) - Sunday, December 3 2006, 3:52:04 (CET)
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...yoors trooli was there.

It was sold out and then some...lots of huge men in hairsuits...a few women with a badhair thing...way too many boobs...some women had at least four. Didn't try the champagne....chated with a few pals...Narsai came over for a bit...the ballroom doors opened at 8 and in we trooped. I hear the Jackster was there but I didn't see her...I sat at a table with a woman who curates shows for the DeYoung Museum...one thing led to another and we got around to Assyrian art...she turns out to be responsible for bringing the few Assyrian pieces they have there...but what was exciting was that she's made a deal with the British Museum to bring a show of Assyrian art to the museum in 2007/8...turns out she bought the large Lamasu I made that Walter is selling at the shoppe in the museum...good lady.

Ex-mayor Willie Brown gave Narsai a warm intro...Narsai spoke briefly...he's a good speaker...the wine started flowing...great assortment of our breads were on the table plus butter and gym-sock cheese...the kind we bury until it gives up....it was very good and with the wines that followed it was by far the best food there.

Two large screens at each end of the ballroom showed a continuos loop of photos from Iraq...some fellows were up on the stage playing our music....three or four women gave us a dance...nothing special.

Periodically Narsai would take the podium to describe what we just drank and were about to drink...the first course was a soup...cold but tasty...next came fried rat...though they swore it was some sort of tiny bird...I can never eat cadavers on a plate...so I passed...ate the couscous instead...it was good but of course this being haute cuisine portions were infintessimal...there were four of the tiniest tomatoes I ever saw in my life...that was the salad. Next we had ONE piece of lamb with a cupcake shaped portion of basmatti rice...the meat was good but the rice was dry and tasteless...desert was best, Persian ice cream with scent of rose water on a wafer followed by chocolate truffles and coffee...and of course a bewildering aray of wines and way too many glasses crowding the table.

No one goes for the food...the point is to help the cause but DAMN ME give me OUR food any day! It was funny to see fifteen grown men come onto the stage afterwards to take bows...one Assyrian grandmother could cook the lot of them back to the stone age...but we are a civilized people so we applauded politely...I finished the smelly cheese.

During the meal we were treated to more speeches...Atiya Gamri, Matay's sister and Parliament member in Holland spoke first...a good speech...she said we shouldn't be fighting over small things when we have large problems to addess. Next came the featured speaker, Michael Youash...the guy is good...speaks well and has something to say...I felt the photos of destroyed buildings etc was a bit much while we eat cuisine...but I guess it's necesary, though I can never avoid thinking that the people there who would send a few thousand dollars to Iraq that night...were collectively helping send millions in destruction just that one night...it's an obscenity of the modern age we can't seem to get away from...we have all become murderers by proxy.

One person deserved to be strangled that night..it was the last speaker....a college student who came all the way from Illinois to tell us the Chaldo/Syrio/Assho students at his college had a bake sale or something...that they were "much appreciated" and "very important too"...I think he thought he was at his high school commencement again...very out of place and a waste of time...he manged to sneak in the name of Mar Bawi...

When dinner was almost over Narsai started the auction...trips to Paris..private jet to Mexico...wine coolers...wines...Persian carpet...a lovely piece of calligraphy by Issa Benyamin....and the last article was the Ashurbanipal maquette they refused to auction last year...I think the sculpture could have been displayed better, instead of puting it on the floor...but what the hell...it brought only $5,500...but it all helps...Narsai told us they'd raised $156,000...not bad for one night.

The final piece of business came as a surprise to Narsai...he ws presented with a copy of the plaque that's been placed outside the dormitory they built in the north...it's now known as the Narsai M. David building...right now it's being used for refugees from the south...university students...a few familes etc. The vice president of the AIDS Society presented it and gave a very heart-felt and moving speech...Narsai was, of course, moved to tears...

I had to go up and congratulate him...I know how hard he's worked having started with him on our arts Foundation in 1983...he went right from that to the AIDS thing...there wasn't another corner to squeeze in a table, the ballroom was sold out...they may just have to find a larger space...people flew out from New York, Phoenix, Chicago, Los Angeles...Anna Eshoo was to be there but was called back to D.C the night before.

I saw Firas Jatou and shook his hand...just like I was civilized...I saw Rabbi Fred Aprim....he was doing his usual impersonation of a plank of wood...a friend introduced me to Atiya Gamri...we had a pleasant chat...later she came over to our table with the photographer and asked for a photo...told her I was flattered and we posed...said a few more things I'm not going to put here...but all very encouraging...I asked her to say hello to Matay on her return...she reads our site...said she loves the toons.

Out in front where all the Assyrians are waiting for the valets to bring their cars I made a small scene...said the valets at the Ritz had better bring my Benz this time...that I wasn't leaving with the same Toyota they palmed off on me last year...

Like most of the people there I stopped off to get something to eat on my way home.



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