The Dock of the Plotnik

Several hours before 14 Plotnikians gathered around the Dock of the Dining Table at the Great Plotnik World Headquarters, Meatball Kitchen and Whipped Cream Repository, Chef Pickle arrived with a cooler. In the cooler were cookie dough, whipped cream, lime curd, a pineapple, a mango and a bunch of blood oranges. On top of the cooler were baking sheets, spatulas and knives.

First she cut up the fruit, then she whipped the cream, then she took out a little paper circle, lay it on the baking tray and pressed a thin, textured coconut-y batter into it. When she was done, she moved the circle to the next spot, ending up with six buttery circles on each baking sheet. Then she put them in the oven and they came out very thin, very crispy coconut cookies.

The Great Plotnik was pleased to assist Chef Pickle by standing there staring at the process, his tongue lapping on the floor. OK.

Stage One: a big dollop of whipping cream goes on each plate.



Stage Two: a cookie goes on top of the whipped cream.



Stage Three: Another dollop of whipping cream plus a huge schmeck of lime curd go on top of the cookie and the other whipping cream.



Stage Four: The cut up fruit is spooned on top of the lime curd, whipping cream, cookie and other whipping cream.



Stage Five: Another cookie goes on top of the fruit, lime curd, whipping cream, other cookie and other whipping cream.



Stage Six: There really was a stage six, but by the time Plotnik could get his camera out the plates were on the table and Pickle's creation was being consumed greedily by starving writers, poets, singers, artisans, teachers and at least one retailer.

It was great to see folks who don't appear very often any more, like Dancenik, Suzy Lolapaloozy and Motorhead. After dinner five people read, and the interesting thing is three read poems and one sang a song. Only Suzy read a story, which was, as always, funny and insightful. Then, the music began.

Going around the table, people chose a song for everyone to sing, but nobody ever knew any more than the title and maybe half the chorus. There were lots of songs that went like this: "I'm a Traveling Man, Got A Lot of Ummmm, All Over De Dum, Dum de doo doo be doo, uh."

Oh, there was dinner too:





And here are the two verses nobody could remember, sent in this morning by The Great Large Pants:

Oh my sweet fraulein down in Berlin town
makes my heart start to yearn,
And my China doll down in old Hong Kong
waits for my return.
Pretty Polynesian baby, over the sea,
I remember the night
When we walked in the sands of Waikiki
and I held you oh so tight...