Yes, I admit it. I was never the cool kid. Who was I? Shy. Nerdy. Quiet. Geeky.
Somewhere along the line – and I’m not exactly sure how – that changed.
Last weekend, Dear Hubby and I went to a Field & Vine dinner. If you haven’t heard of the concept, it goes something like this (with regional variations).
- A chef partners with his food purveyors to create a multi-course dinner, with many of the ingredients sourced locally.
- A winery or brewery joins the fun and brings the beverages, paired specifically for the menu.
- A location, usually a farm or ranch participating in the meal, sets in a communal dinner in a field, greenhouse or barn.
Hello FUN!
But what does this have to do with COOL?
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE these dinners! The food, the setting, the experiences, all terrific. The camaraderie of being at a communal table, not so much.
Remember, shy person here. I’m still shy, though I’ve learned to compensate for it, to the point where people only people who know me very well believe me when I say that. I’d much rather hang out with Dear Hubby and friends than strangers. (“Strangers have to become friends somehow, Yvonne.” Yes, I heard you!)
Plant me in the middle of a crowd where the food is served family style (forcing interaction) and I put on my public persona face. I smile. I ask questions. I answer them if they’re lobbed my way. I am a friendly soul, after all. But I’m still not relaxed and certainly not COOL.
Somehow, in the course of our conversation about places we’ve traveled to with the couple sitting across from us, our adventures of this year came up. South America. Belize. Penguins and Cape Horn and tropical islands where golf carts are the chief mode of transportation and getting there involves a six-seat single-prop plane.
I realized the two young couples to my right had fallen silent, their animated discussion forgotten. The man sitting next to me leaned in. “Wow, South America. What was that like?”
I elaborated on some of our favorite themes and experiences there. Another platter arrived, and we dug in, but by now, things had changed. The couple and single on our other side soon listened in on the travelogue. Falkland Islands. The plane ride from Ambergris Caye. They wanted to know more.
By the time dessert arrived, Shaun (the man next to me, because by now, we all had names) leaned in once more and asked, “Do you have kids?”
I shook my head. He said, “Then would you adopt us?”
I laughed. He grinned and replied, “You are so cool!”
Who knew?
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