| When we heard that Carolyn Mark, Canada’s rock ’n’ roll party queen, was coming to town for a pre-Christmas concert with Corb Lund, we asked her to name her favourite highlights of seasonal parties past and present.
Her latest record is called Terrible Hostess, but we don’t believe it – here’s what she dished up for us:
This year: "Last night was a table for 10. My original roommate, Jodi, is a really good cook, so we had the ‘Iron Chef’…. We had butternut squash soup, salad with pears and gorgonzola (and) crepes with tiny vegetables – I think that’s what it’s called.
We’ve all been reading that guy Anthony Bourdain’s book (Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly) – all the girls are in love with him because he’s tall and he smokes."
Last year: "My brother spilled some gravy on the tablecloth, and his wife Nancy leaned across the table and sucked it out with her lips. My mother was, you know, aghast! And Nancy was like, ‘Well, y’know, it says to remove the affected area as soon as possible.’ So that was a good one. She takes the heat off of me – it’s great."
Every year: "Boxing Day parties – that’s the perfect escape hatch. I mean, we love our families but you want to get out and drink and smoke! Usually, I get home around 8 p.m., and everyone starts coming and they all have sugar-highs – you know how on Christmas Day you eat so much, then on Boxing Day you kinda don’t eat anything but cookies and then you feel kinda weird?
"I don’t know, I get lots of presents, so it’s great. It’s my birthday on Christmas, so it’s good to have a Boxing Day party." |
