Author: Emily Keith

hic rhodus hic salta

the story of how I climbed way up to the 44th floor and then fell all the way down but didn’t quite squish myself

On By Emily KeithIn 5-cylinder sense experiences, ephemera, libations, new to me, new to you, PortlandLeave a comment

I’m rattling around Alphabet Town these days. My new professional gig provides a vantage point for the big possibilities in life that can so often dampen and darken if you stand out in the elements too long or turn the volume too low.

"do do du dut do do du dut" - Suzanne Vega
“do do du dut do do du dut” – Suzanne Vega

Today I dropped into the Pearl District for lunch at Byways Cafe. I listened to “Left This World” by La Sera on my headphones, volume all the way up, and I thought about New Things, Old Things, and Things I Haven’t Seen Yet. These concepts are all around me as I swim upstream – gathering strength for the next invertebrate drift.

Now You Are New
For Now, You Are New

At 2:00pm on a Wednesday Byways Cafe is as locals-only as Yur’s Tavern up the street. I chatted with a few people at the counter about our respective books and gazed in wide-eyed wonder at the awesome interior.

You Are Exactly As You Should Be
You Are Exactly As You Should Be

I settled into one of my main Life Skills, ordering.

You Are An Arnold Palmer It Is Too Early For John Daly
You Are An Arnold Palmer It Is Too Early For John Daly

Whatever the importance of ordering as a Life Skill, it’s infectious. The two people on either side of me replicated my selections without hesitation.

Multnomah Melt - You Are Fresh Fruit
Multnomah Melt – You Are Fresh Fruit

Twice grilled Challah, smoked turkey, ham, havarti, red onion, avocado. This is about as perfect a sandwich as I can imagine. My Life Skill brethren and I jawed into this serenely cloudy lunch, melty and giddy. The waitress behind the counter beamed while espousing how good three Multnomah Melts smell when lined up together.

At the end of The Hudsucker Proxy, the movie responsible for the origin of the post title, Moses The Clock Man shoves a broomstick into the gears of a large clock allowing time to stop and the hero of the story to live; not only to survive, but to commune with an Angel of Advice. Life braces and the weather keeps falling. On my terms, this is exactly what Peace is about. For the past few weeks the Hudsucker finale has played over and over, both waking and sleeping, on the Super 8 reel in my brain.

Whoever my Moses is, wherever the realm my Moses inhabits, whatever Moses had to shove in the grinding gears of my life to keep me from squishing myself, to suspend me in truth and grace; I am deeply and extraordinarily thankful.

May we all have lunch every Wednesday.

*a very special birthday to my best friend extraordinaire, and Clock Man Contender, Mr. John Waggoner Junior.*

following the masses

On By Emily KeithIn brunch, hits and misses, judgy mcjudgerson, missing people, Portland, unsolicited adviceLeave a comment

Just because you order wisely doesn’t mean you order well. It’s possible to be ‘good at food’ and simultaneously good at very little else. Food is not a virtue.

the mug says it all
the mug says it all

Lots of people eat at Mother’s in downtown Portland. Lots of people wait in line, tourists shove their luggage into a doorway the width of a very petite woman. The name of this establishment dictates its patronage; there will be children. You’re an adult with no children in tow, you will wait 45 minutes for brunch because someone you trust says that you should.

crumb
crumb

As you dodge launched Animal Crackers and Sippy Cups you might as well get the pecan cinnamon bun/strudel/whatever. You can finish it for dinner.

SOUP

The matzo ball soup is Worth It. Very few places in Portland serve it, even fewer make it well. Get a cup, not a bowl. The bowl makes you look like a glutton.

B & G
B & G

I’m a surveyor of biscuits and gravy. I have opinions. The high point of these is the half flour/half corn meal biscuit dough. The gravy is under-seasoned. The eggs are transcendent, see the edge crisp on the over easy? Get yours.

IMG_1894
Dungeness Benedict, Esquire.

This is the brunch special on your one and only visit to Mother’s. The hollandaise is whipped to a thick and velvet meringue, the crab is sweet and new, the potatoes are treated with animal fat.

The waiter compliments the two of you on your fine ordering skills.

Food is not a virtue, get the hell out of there.