Tuesday, August 28, 2007

"Hello. I am the designer."

I'm not in the habit of ordering $200 worth of Iranian caviar at a Manhattan vodka bar, but the Uzbeki man who sat next to me told me I should.

Let's call him Mr. Investment Banker. We had been celebrating the launch of the Russian business magazine that I have been freelancing on and even though one of my employers had encouraged me to order whatever I wanted, I felt that a bottle of prosecco was probably a safe bet. Maybe even some $20 domestic caviar. No, Mr. Investment Banker insisted, I should order the Iranian caviar.

I protested the extravagance of such a cost, but secretly wanted the chance to try sturgeon from the Caspian Sea.

You order it, I countered.

He offered up his expense account to cover the cost. No, you should definitely order, he said.

That's when I selected one ounce of caviar for the grand total of $200. I could have ordered the $400 one, but didn't want to push my luck. I felt reckless. I felt drunk on the bottle of prosecco I had nearly finished. The foodie in me reveled in the rare opportunity. The caviar arrived in a small container nestled in a block of ice. Served with blintzes and sour cream, the taste was amazing and I figured I would probably never have the opportunity again.

I have no idea how the bill was sorted out because I stumbled out of the restaurant sometime around midnight after smoking a very ill advised cigarette. When I got back to Brooklyn I ate some ice cream and watched Romeo + Juliet till 1 am.

Apparently this is how I roll. On a work night.

5 comments:

Heathlee said...

Nothing like a rare delicate treat to soothe and restore :)

Anonymous said...

I prefer the red kind, even though the black kind traditionally is more expensive. The taste of white bread with butter and a generous portion of red caviar on top brings childhood memories. It's a typical Russian breakfast, at least in the Far East of the country where I am from... Mmmm... caviar...

Love your blog, love it, love it!

LG said...

Hey, anytime you can get away with something like that and walk away not knowing how the bill was sorted out? Golden.

Anonymous said...

i'm definitely in the wrong job... i'm lucky if i manage to get decent coffee on expenses!

Landlady of Fat said...

Ok, I'm gonna brave the horrible word verification to say...

GO 'HEAD GIRL!! LOL

Hey if he "said so" right???

:::back to lurker-ville::::