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dr.com 2013 Spring Picnic - May 5th, 12-6, Fort Hunt Park


DonRocks

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I just got this message:

Hey Don, the fish is called "Ilish" (sometimes you see it in English as Hilsa) and it's a Bangladeshi specialty. If you get a chance to try a pressure cooker version, jump at it. The bones become soft and edible and you get all the flavor. Maybe for the spring picnic ill ask my (Bangladeshi) mother in law to make some. Good stuff!

What more can anyone ask for than a long-cooked, Bangladeshi river fish with rice for our first picnic dish?

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Not trying to change the idea of the picnic, which is a grand buffet, but imagine if we could show up in a sizeable number and have 6-8 of the area's more interesting food trucks join us...?

Or we can all just meet at L'Enfant Plaza metro on a weekday.

You aren't going to get the food trucks without a sizable guarantee.

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You aren't going to get the food trucks without a sizable guarantee.

Yeah, plus these picnics are really a chance for our own cooks to shine. The food at these picnics is better, and certainly more bountiful, than you could get at any food truck in the country.

Does anyone need me to do anything in terms of kickstarting major items? Caja china, for example? Hint, hint, Adam.

Bruce, maybe you could bring some kibbee nayeh? ;)

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May is a pretty tough month for me so far- my charity's derby party, mother's day+ brother's graduation, then porsche club event the next weekend, and memorial day weekend is out for me. Do we want to do a date vote? I really hope I don't have to miss two picnics in a row! I love the food we have I would love someone to freshly fry spring rolls again! Yay spring!

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Middle of May is bad for us. Memorial Day will probably be a problem for a lot of people. Early June looks OK.

The caja china is a large volume cooker. I haven't seen enough of a turn-out at the last few picnics to justify it. But if you want on-site stunt cooking and porky goodness (or some other small animal), that can be arranged.

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Fort Hunt Park, site C-002, is currently available every Sunday from April through June.

There is still availability for the weekend of the 13th and 14th of April, which marks the 8th anniversary of the website. April weather is kind of unpredictable, but some of the May - June dates have already been reserved now. How do people feel about the 14th of April? Too soon? Late June is more summer than spring, but maybe it would work.

I created a poll, leaving out Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day Sunday and/or dates already reserved. (Apologies for not rereading dates people could not attend. I just put in all dates not accounted for in the previous sentence.)
There's always the possibility of using a different site, if people would prefer that.
ETA: Creating a poll in the existing thread did not seem to work, but I also can't delete it, so I'm creating a separate poll.
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There is still availability for the weekend of the 13th and 14th of April, which marks the 8th anniversary of the website. April weather is kind of unpredictable, but some of the May - June dates have already been reserved now. How do people feel about the 14th of April? Too soon? Late June is more summer than spring, but maybe it would work.

I created a poll, leaving out Mother's Day, Father's Day, Memorial Day Sunday and/or dates already reserved. (Apologies for not rereading dates people could not attend. I just put in all dates not accounted for in the previous sentence.)
There's always the possibility of using a different site, if people would prefer that.
ETA: Creating a poll in the existing thread did not seem to work, but I also can't delete it, so I'm creating a separate poll.

Creating the poll did work - it's up at the top. Everyone scroll up and vote!

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I'm looking forward to a spring picnic, preferably after the crush of team dinners & before I have to throw a grad/promotion picnic in June-so May is better than other times (although we still have lax games every weekend, I can't wait until my life is not ruled by kids' sports). I'm up for smoking meats...& I'm sitting on the stash of tablecloths & sundry tablewares, so I'll be there early....maybe if someone would like to come up w/ a theme, or a challenge dish...it might inspire some creative efforts...

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I'm looking forward to a spring picnic, preferably after the crush of team dinners & before I have to throw a grad/promotion picnic in June-so May is better than other times (although we still have lax games every weekend, I can't wait until my life is not ruled by kids' sports). I'm up for smoking meats...& I'm sitting on the stash of tablecloths & sundry tablewares, so I'll be there early....maybe if someone would like to come up w/ a theme, or a challenge dish...it might inspire some creative efforts...

The two leading contenders for the date are May 5 and June 23, and C-2 is still available for both of them. I doubt it will be for much longer, so the poll will be closing soon. People who haven't voted should vote now.

If we do May 5, that's Cinco de Mayo, so maybe there's a theme in there somewhere? It's also apparently National Hoagie Day. That might be even better as a challenge. I've never celebrated National Hoagie Day before :) .

Once we have the date set, we'll need volunteers to help Thistle with the setup and for the other various picnic tasks.

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This paleo chick says please god no! to the national hoagie day theme. ;)

How does Cinco de Mayo work for you? :)

Any other suggestions? I'm not good at coming up with themes and was just trying to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

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This paleo chick says please god no! to the national hoagie day theme. ;)

The cool thing about sandwiches and Paleo is that so many sandwich fillings are fair game without the bread. Can wrap all the meats and veggies in large lettuce leaves or have on top of a salad.

Hmmm. Theme ideas if not Hoagie Day...

Guess Mexican is too obvious?

The Nationals will be playing at Pittsburgh (Pirates) that day.

Tammy Wynette, Karl Marx, Chief Bender and the actress who played Alice on the Brady Bunch all have May 5th birthdays. Could go in all kinds of crazy thematic directions based on one or more of those. :D

May is close enough to summer that it could be a BBQ theme. And, of course, zillions of great things can be grilled and smoked. :)

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I've already voted, & will try to make whatever date is selected, but I have to say, a combo of Cinco de Mayo, Tammy Wynette/Karl Marx bdays (southern/zakuski) sounds very promising, & thematically, could provide some interesting dishes...

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I already voted as well. We're at 36 now. Surely (hopefully) we can get at least 100 more people to vote? :wacko:

To be honest (and as great the Karl Marx/Tammy Wynette are), I'm surprised noone has picked up at all on the Chief Bender idea; maybe SeanMike and Don most of all. The name is wonderful but the guy is also in the Hall of Fame and, by many accounts, invented the slider. Those are heady accomplishments. Relevance to specific cuisines, excepting the cliched slider, less clear than relevance to beverages.

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It's booked for May 5th. (I never voted, since I created the poll, so consider one vote added to May 5.)

Because I stupidly created the poll in an existing thread, closing the poll will close the thread, so Don's going to have to fix things. No further votes are going to count.

Final vote:

April 14 (8 votes [10.13%])
April 21 (12 votes [15.19%])
April 28 (15 votes [18.99%])
May 5 (17 votes [21.52%]) + my vote
June 23 (17 votes [21.52%])
June 30 (10 votes [12.66%])
So Sunday, May 5th, Fort Hunt Park, Site C-2, from noon until 6. We have the site starting at 10, for those who want to come early to help with set-up. More to follow.
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So... Mexican, hoagies, sliders, southern, zakuski, bougie and proletariat food.... this will be interesting. What would a Southern Hoagie be? A po-boy maybe- that could hit three categories there, if you made it a slider you could hit four.

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My parents' 90th birthday. :wub:

(Yes, both of them!)

Sounds like a landmark, if you can join us, think of foods that your parents would enjoy (if you posed that question to me, I'd be up for days, trying to decide between stuff for my Mom & Dad)....these days, I try to pick foods that my kids will eat (my mom's a sweetie pie, eats anything I make, & praises me excessively, but that's what moms do)...it's spring, so most picnic foods will be great-smoked meats, veggie salads, decadent desserts-I'm already thinking about a sort of tart-ginger cookie crust, cheesecake/sticky rice, w/ a mango/candied ginger/lime topping...

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Yay! Hubby and car will be here by then, so we should be able to make it. We will be in our new apartment AND all of my kitchen "stuff" will have arrived from Atlanta, so I may even be able to cook something! So excited - it took many years of membership and two separate moves to DC, but this will be my very first DR picnic. :D

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Yay! Hubby and car will be here by then, so we should be able to make it. We will be in our new apartment AND all of my kitchen "stuff" will have arrived from Atlanta, so I may even be able to cook something! So excited - it took many years of membership and two separate moves to DC, but this will be my very first DR picnic. :D

That's very exciting! You've always have such great enthusiasm, and I look forward to your dish (and many, many, many more).

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I believe that we are in and I think I have some or most of the left over supplies from the last picnic. Please do not feel that you have to have cooking skills, I know that a cheese plate, some Utz potato chips, of a bucket of KFC is just as welcomed as a Spiced Ham terrine.

As usal everyone bring some drinks, posts will be made for everyone to bring wine, what ever paper products we need, utentials, cups, napkins, etc.

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The date works for us... partly. We're free, and we're planning to be there. But it's too soon! We only have one free weekend between now and then, which doesn't give me enough time to work on a plan I had for a bit of stunt cooking that would easily surpass the caja china for both entertainment value and porky goodness. Maybe this fall, if we can make it. No, I'm not telling. Yes, it's that good, potentially.

A suggestion for anyone who isn't comfortable cooking or who doesn't have time - since it's National Hoagie Day, go to Stachowski's in Georgetown and pick up some four-meat grinders.

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This is incredibly tantalizing-what are you planning? I'll help, if you clue me in (& I hear you on too soon, I just got my daughter's lax tailgate & snack schedule-at least someone had the cojones to just draw it all up & expect us to follow)...she has a game on picnic day, but I've already told her I'm calling in favors, maybe she can make it for the wrap-up....

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This is incredibly tantalizing-what are you planning? I'll help, if you clue me in (& I hear you on too soon, I just got my daughter's lax tailgate & snack schedule-at least someone had the cojones to just draw it all up & expect us to follow)...she has a game on picnic day, but I've already told her I'm calling in favors, maybe she can make it for the wrap-up....

I'm not planning anything for this picnic. In this case, too soon really is too soon. I need a couple of test runs first. It's not difficult, it just involves some techniques I'm not familiar enough with, a lengthy process, and one particular ingredient that may take some work to find. Can't be done in time.

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A suggestion for anyone who isn't comfortable cooking or who doesn't have time - since it's National Hoagie Day, go to Stachowski's in Georgetown and pick up some four-meat grinders.

I just had one of these last week. The vinaigrette penetrates the bread, so they don't keep as well as the straight pastrami, but boy are they good - and *huge*. And dirt cheap for the size - one sandwich feeds four, IMO.

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I can agree w/ testing until a later date-if you guys can make it to the spring picnic, no pressure, just come & eat some food, it IS a little sooner than most picnics....a fall picnic is a little more reasonable to shoot for...you have provided food for so many picnics, you should take a break....

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I can agree w/ testing until a later date-if you guys can make it to the spring picnic, no pressure, just come & eat some food, it IS a little sooner than most picnics....a fall picnic is a little more reasonable to shoot for...you have provided food for so many picnics, you should take a break....

Oh, we'll be there, and we'll bring food. I just need a new plan.

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I'll be there plus at least one. I'm planning to bring a cake and a shredded Swiss chard salad. Still contemplating something hoagie-related.

The picnic is in a month. I guess it's time to start the list of probable attendees and tentative dishes:

Thistle + number TBD: ribs, pulled pork, poundcake, and maybe fermented rib tips

bettyjoan + 1

lovehockey: Nanaimo Bars

agm+ 1: food :)

Pat + number TBD: shredded Swiss chard salad and chocolate stout bundt cake

Kibbee Nayee + 3: kibbee nayee, bread and trimmings

weezy + (1 - 3): gluten-free lemon bars + dish TBD

lperry: vegetarian dish with fresh produce + herbs

goldenticket (+1)

Ilaine + 1

goodeats: dessert

KMango + 1

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Bruce, maybe you could bring some kibbee nayeh? ;)

I'm not saying that kibbee nayee won't be there. I'll need to prepare the trimmings and bring the bread.....the sooner we lock down a date to work with, the sooner I can pull all the pieces together. I'll decide on kibbee nayee versus kibbee cooked on game day, based on weather.

Are we restricted from bringing imbibements? If not, I have a right-fine arak that will need some attention and love....

We will likely be KN, Lady KN and +2 but we'll correct headcount over the next month.

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I'll be there, +1 or 2 or 3 -- need to check with a few more folks about things. I'll make some gluten-free lemon bars and some other dish TBD.

I'm also going to be bringing my Edge-Pro and my partner in sharpening and we'll do some sharpening at $5/knife. Working by hand, we aren't very fast yet, so I don't know how many we will be able to get through, but we will try to do at least one knife for everyone.

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I'm in -1, as Mr. lperry will be traveling. Dish to be decided as the produce starts coming in (knocking on wood.)

If people can use them, I've got loads of herbs, as usual. The rosemary needs pruning and the mint "area" has expanded beyond where I want it. The Greek oregano will probably need cutting back by then as well. Let me know.

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Bruce, maybe you could bring some kibbee nayeh? ;)

I'm not saying that kibbee nayee won't be there. I'll need to prepare the trimmings and bring the bread.....the sooner we lock down a date to work with, the sooner I can pull all the pieces together. I'll decide on kibbee nayee versus kibbee cooked on game day, based on weather.

Are we restricted from bringing imbibements? If not, I have a right-fine arak that will need some attention and love....

We will likely be KN, Lady KN and +2 but we'll correct headcount over the next month.

The date is May 5 (see thread header). Kibbee in either form sounds great!

Beer and wine are permitted at the picnic area; other adult beverages may have made discreet appearances in the past, but usually not in their original packaging (think thermos...).

Weezy - great to hear about the knife sharpening! I'll have a couple for you.

Lperry - yes please, on the herbs :)

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Just a note -- I won't be able to do any serrated knives, scissors or ceramic blades at the picnic. The scissors take longer and more equipment set-up and adjustment even though I will have the right stuff with me to do them, but I can take those items back home with me and do them in my workshop. There would be some coordination needed on pickup after they're done -- I work in Old Town, Alexandria fwiw.

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