Summit Conference and Pudding

This is Father Jeff, an ex-Special Forces career army man who got the calling in his late 40s, retired from the army and went into the seminary. He performed his first wedding for DC Niecie in Alabama last month and did a fine job. He's a very interesting man, and, both being men of the Cloth, one Wholesale and one Retail, Plotnik and Father Jeff had several engaging conversations.

Of course, Father Jeff always referred to Plotnik's heritage as 'you people' and 'your sanctified traditions,' as did others in the congregation, which most of the time made Plot wonder if he had a huge PL tattooed on his forehead. How did they know Plottie is Plotnikish? Was this part of the pre-wedding conversation? Was this why several people felt it necessary to walk up to him and say things like 'You know, we all feel your people and our people are just the same.'

See, if you really felt that way, you wouldn't have to say it. Plot recognizes the sentiment is sweet, but all it made him think about was that The Great FiveHead must endure this kind of thing a hundred times more than Plottie ever does.

People really do mean well, most of the time. The problem is that most folks are not at all used to being around those whose upbringing was not exactly the same as theirs. So they stammer...and stumble...and then just have to launch into their story about the Plotnikkish friend of their boss's wife's dog groomer. Not the boss, not the boss's wife, not even the dog groomer, but a 'friend.'

Don't misunderstand: Plottie's family does it too. It's no big deal. That's Just the Way It Is. Tupac and Bruce Hornsby said it, and they wouldn't lie.



Now, if you want to talk about intercultural communication, this is Chris's Banana Pudding. The boy made it for his own Pre-Wedding party, and his dad baked a cake. What a family! Chris's Banana Pudding was every bit as good as FiveHead's Aunt Pearline's Banana Pudding, last tasted in Chicago a few Thanksgivings ago. Plot has long maintained that the way to the world's heart is through its pudding, so God Bless Chris and God Bless Pearline and please pass two forks.