An Underdog Wedding

On Friday, we awoke in Iowa City at 4 am and by noon we found ourselves eating Los Angeles' best sushi at Sasabune on Wilshire. 

I love modern air travel.

Although it will eventually the end of our species thanks to rapidly transmitted virus (you need to go see Contagion- an awesome movie that is pretty much 100% possible), the wide availability of jet travel can get us anywhere in the world in 24 hours.  Fortunately for us, we only needed 8 hours to get from a sleepy midwestern college town in landlocked flyover country to the capitol of the Pacific Rim.  Our first stop was one of our two most-missed culinary experiences, Sushi Sasabune (the other, of course, being In N Out Burger).  Sasabune doesn't have a menu.  You get to eat whatever the chef thinks is good and whatever the fishermen have caught the day before.   The classic sign behind the sushi bar reads, "Today's Special: Trust Me".  Believe me, you can trust him.  The fish is delectable and delicate.  It literally melts in you mouth as you are consumed with ecstatic moans of delight.  I usually get a little lightheaded and buzzed eating there, even when I don't have sake- a natural sushi high.

We were in town for GoBlue!'s wedding on Santa Monica beach and many fellow poolers made the trip.  After lunch, we met up with Mouse and Geodog to walk down the California Incline to the beach.  The California Incline is a steep road that clings to the bluffs over Santa Monica, leading from California Ave (very close to Wilshire) down to the Pacific Coast Highway.  With a panoramic view of Santa Monica Bay, it is one of the most beautiful roadways in Southern California.  Sophie played in the sand with her cousins, we rehearsed the wedding, and went out to an excellent Italian dinner at Il Fornaio. 

Awakening to College Game Day, we stumbled sleepily up Wilshire to The Huckleberry Cafe, a local favorite.  It is renown for its inventive recipes using local and organic ingredients.  We enjoyed a maple bacon biscuit, fig almond tart, chocolate croissant, a scrumptious and huge breakfast burrito, and poached eggs with spinach over heirloom tomatoes and fresh snap peas.  Wow.  Here's a sample of their menu; ( http://www.huckleberrycafe.com/Huckleberry_MENU.pdf). 

Many from the wedding party marched down the 3rd Street Promenade to the local Michigan alumni bar to watch the Wolverines beat the stuffing out of their coach's old team.  We wandered through the stalls of the Santa Monica farmer's market, marveling at the quality of the produce at a time that is very late in the harvest for Iowa.  Californians can enjoy fresh peaches and strawberries when Iowa's markets have dwindled to squashes and apples (but the apples are really good!).  After the Sierra, the thing I miss the most about California is the produce.

We gathered at the beach club with the rest of the wedding party to eat In N Out, sip aged Nicaraguan rum, and watch the afternoon football games.  For the 4th year in a row, Texas A & M and Oklahoma State played an amazing, tight contest.  This is a match that will missed when the Aggies jump to the SEC next year.  Clemson pulled a mild upset of Florida State in a rivalry that has evolved far beyond the Bowden bowl it once was.  Many of us were stunned by Temple's drubbing of Maryland, proving that the  Owl's close call with Penn State was not a fluke.  5 of us saw that coming, happy to the earn the 9 points for their win.  (note: although highly controversial, I liked Maryland's flag-imitating uniforms they wore against Miami.  The brown "Turtle" outfit they chose for the Temple loss were hideous.  I am so glad USC is above such gimmicks)

The wedding began at 5pm, with guests huddled together against a brisk, cold Pacifc breeze.  I was assigned a pair of readings for the event, one from Victor Hugo's Les Miserables and one from Mark Twain.  Les Miserables happens to be one of my most favorite musicals of all time (along with Mamma Mia and Wicked), but I have never tried to read the book.  As readers of this column know, I am a big fan of Mark Twain (http://underdogcontest.blogspot.com/2008/07/coldest-winter.html).  I ever had to teach a literature course, I would definitely include his collection of short stories (along with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, MacLean's River Runs Through It, Cather's Death Comes to the Archbishop, and Mayle's Year in Provence).  Here's the passages that were selected by the happy couple:

"You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness. We pardon to the extent that we love. Love is knowing that even when you are alone, you will never be lonely again. And great happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved. Loved for ourselves. And even loved in spite of ourselves."- Victor Hugo, Les Miserables

"A marriage makes of two fractional lives a whole;


It gives two purposeless lives a work,

And doubles the strength of each to perform it.


It gives to two questioning natures a reason for living


And something to live for.

It will give new gladness to the sunshine,


A new fragrance to the flowers, a new beauty to the earth


And a new mystery to life."

- Mark Twain, letter to Olivia Langdon

To justice to these fine words, I read them as the authors would have: in a horribly mangled fake French accent for Hugo and a perfect Dixie gentleman for Twain.  

It was a wonderful party, with dancing, singing, smores, and champagne.  I even got to watch the USC-ASU game, to my ultimate demise.  I fell asleep after watching the horrifying 2nd half.  I tossed and turned all night with nightmares about fumbling the ball in Tempe.  When I awoke Sunday for the return trip home I hoped it had all been a champagne induced nightmare.  Unfortunately, a glance at the morning paper confirmed my horror.  Such a fabulous weekend made bitter by a awful finish.  Worst hangover ever.

Fight On,

Hans

PS: After reading an interesting article in the New York Times about paying extra for privileged economy travel (link to article "Practical Traveler"), I signed up for a new American Airlines executive Master Card.  With it, I was able to check in, check two bags without charge, and bypass the line at security at LAX.  We were at the Admiral's Club travel lounge in less than 15 minutes from drop off.  It pretty much rocked.  Try it!