Sunday's Stew

Ok...where was I? After consuming one can of Pabst(standard size, not a tall boy) at the polo game I decided more drinking was in everyone's best interest. So I went to the "across the street store" to pick up some beer for the crew of miscreants that make up the polo men(and sometimes women). After doing a careful price check I discover that while one could get a 12 pack of Miller Genuine Draft for $9.84, one would be an idiot to not obtain a 18 pack of Miller High Life for $9.99.
Now, I should pause to inform you, dear reader, that I am not so much a fan of cheap beer. I like beer. By which I mean I like to drink good beer. When I am buying for my own personal supply I purchase quality beer such as anything made by Full Sail, Bridgeport, Sierra Nevada, and some other breweries. If Chimay is on sale, I'm all over that. If I'm feeling sentimental about certain vacations I'll hunt down some Hoegaarden-a tasty Belgian white beer that was consumed in mass quantities whilst in the Netherlands back in 2001.A brief stay in Belguim of course heavily influenced my taste buds to seek out several variations of that country's beers.They know what they are doing when it comes to beer. Except with that frambroise merde, or any of the real sweet fruit beers-that just isn't right.But if you spy a Westmalle Trippel sitting at your grocery store, try it out. You're gonna like it, if you really like beer.
However when buying beer for a group of guys, who just spent a few hours having fun whilst engaged in an extreme sport, I choose to be pragmatic. Will they drink cheap beer? Yes. Will they like it? Yes. Should I really invest anything over $10 in buying beer? No. So the decision is easy enough. There is a part of me that feels guilty, as if I should provide an alternative to bad beer, but I guess I don't care that much. Or my bank account isn't big enough. Either/or.
Sometimes I bring my own beer to ensure quality drinking, but sometimes you have to have a pack mentality. If I didn't plan ahead I'm certainly not going to buy myself a good beer and hand over the cheap stuff to them, that just isn't good manners.
As I cross the street with box o' beer in hand, "Danger" is approaching, planning on doing the beer run. Seeing that I have the task accomplished he forks over $5 to the cause. We return to the house ready to imbibe.
Talk of stew making had permeated the polo courts earlier and lo and behold, it is actually going to happen. The chefs will be Ben and John, with the occasional contribution from Drew or some random person. "Too many cooks spoil the broth" and I've never made a freakin' stew before so I stay out of the kitchen, except for the occasional wandering over to the pot to smell, inspect and taste the broth as it is on its way to being dinner. Chef Miller mentions the possibility of making rice to accompany the stew and eventually does so. Chef Campbell announces that the key ingredients to a good stew are celery, onions, and carrots. I think that is what he said anyhow. I made a mental note to remember this should I ever want to make my own stew, but as I'd checked my beer standards in at the door I was busy drinking. The result being, of course, that I can't remember precisely what he said.
As the stew simmered away an intoxicating smell filled the kitchen and living room and caused me to realize I was very hungry. Someone had the good thinking to get chips and salsa so there was available snacking. Not wanting to spoil my dinner, I only nibbled on a few chips.
When the stew and rice were finally ready everyone dug in with fervor and I'm pretty sure the consensus was the stew was a success. Of course, I wasn't actaully chronicling what anyone else thought. More beer had been purchased-and as cans were cracked open, bowls were refilled and all seemed right in the world.
Or at least at la casa de polo.