Happy Birthday to not me!
Two weeks ago, my great grandmother celebrated her 90th
Birthday. Born in 1923, Ivy gave birth to nine children, and has since acquired
a great number of grandchildren, even more great grandchildren, and in some instances, great-great
grandchildren. I count myself lucky to be among her great
grandchildren (my grandmother is her daughter), and a part of her legacy. Ivy
had never been to the Hilton, so my aunt saw it fitting to organize a
celebratory dinner at the popular hotel. My father, mother, cousin and I tagged
along to represent this side of the family. Overall, I was very excited!
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| Ivy- The Birthday Girl! |
It was Friday, July 19th, 2013, the time
was 7:15 PM, my dad was parking the car, my mother and cousin were chatting, and
I was obsessively dusting the non-existent lint from my black pants. Having
satisfied my compulsion, I took in the Hilton for the first time. Honestly, I
was not that impressed as it looked so normal. I secretly hoped that it would
improve once I got inside, and it did partly due to the two water fountains,
the gorgeous, floor length mirror in the men’s bathroom, and the pleasantness
of the restaurant staff. I remember being impressed by the
fact that they were playing calypso and soca music. For some reason, I was expecting some
Mozart or Beethoven.
We were led to our seats and given instructions as to
how everything worked. There were three stations:-appetizers, dinner and
desserts- and you were expected to get up, go to each station, and take what
you wanted. There were no limits as to the number of times you could visit each
station. My partner in crime was my 13-year old cousin, Faith. Her role was
simple: she would support me in the night’s eating endeavour by accompanying me
to the stations and vice versa. Let’s just say that she rose to the occasion.
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| Faith and I! Ain't she a cutie? |
Our first round of appetizers featured gourmet doubles
which I had never had before. I believe what made them gourmet was the addition
of meat and/ or shrimp to the usual channa. I had mine with curried chicken,
tamarind sauce, and pineapple chutney. My taste buds REJOICED with the first
bite, and I went on to attack the rest of it with my knife and fork. After
finishing our doubles, my cousin and I returned to the appetizers station. We
went on to have BBQ wings and ribs (Plate No. 2), and an assortment of salads,
fish, croutons and cheeses (Plate No. 3). Both were good, although I did come
to the conclusion that I am a fan of neither salmon nor zucchini. Also, my love
for lettuce with salad dressing remains, and it’s easier to eat ribs with my
fingers.
With our three plates of appetizers behind us, we
diverted our attention to the main course which featured grilled meat and fish.
Patrons were afforded the opportunity to “choose their poison” from bowls,
labeled LAMB, CHICKEN BREASTS, FISH and SHRIMP. I opted for lamb and chicken
breasts. Within fifteen minutes, my meat was grilled, and my plate was filled
with rice, carrot sticks, lettuce and croutons. Everything tasted great except
for the lamb, which was hard to chew. Sigh! Dessert was yet to come, but I
realized with a shudder that my belly was almost full.
When I saw the staff on their way to our table with a
slice of cheesecake, topped with a strawberry and a candle, I grinned because I
would have time to digest before I started on dessert. We all sang “Happy
Birthday” for my great-granny, and everyone in the dining room turned their
attention to our table. Two cougars even sauntered over to the table to wish
her Happy 90th. Then, we went around the table congratulating her,
retelling funny anecdotes, or singing her favourite calypso. It was all very
nice and I was struck by how significant a milestone it was to be able to reach
the age of 90. I hoped that I would live to see even half of that. Long
live, Ivy!
Dessert was a subdued affair, since the time I had
taken to digest did nothing for me. My stomach was almost full, and I didn’t
want to undo all the good that the exercise I had started earlier that week had
given me (I lost one pound). Thus, I skipped the colourful cupcakes, the slices
of ice cream cake, the slices of cheesecake, and the like. Instead, I had some
fruit salad, a paw- paw ball, and ONE, LITTLE square of double fudge, chocolate
cake. I was happy that my partner in crime had retired for the night because I
would have been compelled to follow her to the table again and again and again.
With my belly fit to burst, I was grateful that it was time to leave.
After a brief photo session in the foyer, a leisurely
stroll to the car park, a drive to the Boardwalk, close to Pier 1, Chaguaramas,
and what seemed like a thousand mile journey to Sangre Grande, I was finally home.
“Oh, what a night!” I thought as I drifted off to sleep.
Until the next post!
