Five Years With French Food and Farai

That's Farai Chideyah posing with Celebrity Blogger T.G. Plotnik. Last night was a very special occasion, it being the FIFTH Anniversary of La Jubilacion de la Pata, that is the fifth anniversary of The Great Ducknik's retirement from Mother Bank and removal of the Golden Handcuffs.

To celebrate, Plottie and Duckie walked into Glen Shmark and had a fantastic dinner at Little Larry's.



The sign on the door says "Le P'tit Laurent," and they speak French and serve French food in there, but the place is known as Little Larry's so Little Larry's it is.

Plot and Duck haven't eaten much French food since they were in France (you're smart to eat French food in France, unlike when you're in England where if you eat anything but samosas you are taking your life in your hands). Little Larry really can hit the old saucepan. The duck confit salad was a la morte (to die) and the mushroom and sausage soup was tres faboloozie.



Mmmmmm, raviolis and succulent lamb shank, that is les noodles avec les baaaah yum-mos, were even better.



And afterwards, while walking home past Bird and Beckett Books's new location, where the old Glen Shmark Library used to be, they saw a sign on the door that said: Tonight! Farai Chideyah!

So in they went and there she was, reading from her new book "Kiss the Sky." Only a few people were there, but Plot and Duck sat down as she read the juicy parts and spoke about black rock music, and about being a journalist and novelist and how the two compare.

She had a great tip for all of us, given to her before the fools at PBS canceled her news and talk show. She said a coach there told her to write out three paragraphs that she planned to use, read them out loud, then repeat by memory everything she could. Whatever she could remember stayed. Whatever she couldn't: adios. Now, that's fantastic editing advice.

Afterwards Plot and Duck introduced themselves to her and told her they'd seen her speak at The Great PD's Graduation from Annenberg School of Journalism, and then she stared carefully at The Great Plotnik and, shyly, asked if he were THE famous T.G. Plotnik, Celebrity Blogger, who seems to be everywhere in the blogosphere, even on Chenery Street at 8:30pm, and he said "shucks" and tugged at his forelock, and then Duck took the above photo, in which Plotnik was smiling, with teeth, for the twelve seconds it takes for Duck to actually PRESS the button, but not on the thirteenth.

Interesting sidelight about the choice of that word 'forelock.' Earlier in the evening, while at Little Larry's, Plot received a text from The Great PD, asking: "Why do Hasids always drive SUVS?" (He's right, and they also always wear white socks.) It was tailor made for a snappy comeback but Plot couldn't think of anything. Ducknik, however, came up with this one: "Because they like having fore locks." Get it? Four -- fore -- locks -- SUVS - four doors -- Hasids -- forelocks. You go, Ducknik!

Then they walked home, on a gorgeous early summer night. Sometimes this place amazes even us.