Yes, You May

Tra la! It's May!
The lusty month of May!
That lovely month when ev'ryone goes blissfully astray.

The best reason to spend a May evening with a wine seller is because he'll talk music to me all evening.

I could stand to learn a lot more about music, it's true, but I could also stand to learn a lot more about wine.

We met at Bistro 27 so he could get the scoop ("You were very coy on the blog") and I could hear about his recent shows.

With a little prodding (and a notable absence of overwhelming grapefruit and grass), I chose a French Sauvignon Blanc (Domaine de Bellemare) instead of my usual Gavi.

Even the mixologist extraordinaire had to acknowledge French superiority when it comes to restraint.

Even though I'd be the first to admit that May is not a month for restraint.

An unexpected bonus requiring no restraint was eating what the Brazilian cattlemen eat when they're moving herds.

Had I known what that was when I'd walked in? I had not.

Am I now wishing I could eat like a cattleman every day? I am.

A crispy mixture of red beans, collard greens, potatoes, bacon and sausage with a quail egg atop it all, the satisfying combination had a stick-to-the-ribs quality that would no doubt serve a hard-working man well as he moved bovine.

Personally, I'm all about any dish that has both bacon and sausage.

And all I move is words.

While we chatted, the annual May Day parade walked down Broad Street and, having participated in it several times, I could answer questions about what was going on to the uninitiated.

The real question was whether I'd sold out by being inside drinking wine when I could have been carrying a sign and marching for workers' rights.

Luckily for me, no one pressed me on that issue.

Instead we talked about Michael Hedges and e-bows, so that should tell you it was a learning experience for me.

We both got a lesson in Italian peasants and espressos via the lemon peel that accompanied my friend's caffeine fix.

I took mental notes while he told me about the difference in his basses and hopefully he did the same when he asked my opinion of Ashland Coffee & Tea.

I was fascinated by his story of how breaking up a band resembles breaking up a relationship.

Let's just say he's till not talking to those former bandmates and I get that.

Before we realized it, nearly four hours had passed, he still had an hour-plus drive ahead of him and I had places to be.

Therein lies the problem with May.

Tra-la! It's May!
That darling month
When ev'ryone throws self-control away.

Did I mention that May is my favorite month?