Yakitori at Uncle G's Obscure Gadget Show

Our friend Gordon (lovingly known as "G") called unexpectedly and invited Charlie and I to have dinner at his home. He'd gotten a yakitori grill as a gift and he wanted to use it, and since we hadn't seen each other in a while, he thought it would be fun if we could get together and catch up.

Now, it should be mentioned that Gordon is well-known for his abilities as a host. He is always opening his home for gatherings, large and small. Usually large. Gordon is also the source of a wealth of knowledge. He's a world-traveler and I really don't think there are a lot of places he hasn't been. The thing about Gordon is that he's not the type of person who makes you feel uncomfortable that he knows so much or has been everywhere. His experiences always fit comfortably into conversation. My kids have always sat around his table, transfixed at his stories.

Another interesting thing about Gordon is that he's got a treasure trove of "stuff". He has a gadget, bobble, or toy for pretty much everything. He's also an incredibly generous man and he always shares what he has. We often play a game, unbeknownst to Gordon. It's called the "Hey G; you got a _______?" Game. We begin the sentence, fill in the blank with some obscure thing, and 9 out of 10 times, he says; "Yeah, I got one of those!" and it magically appears from somewhere in his home.

So after we had a particularly fun time cooking our own skewers of expertly prepared meats and vegetables on Gordon's tabletop yakitori grill...




...the "game" commenced. In reference to the fact that none of us had ever enjoyed a private yakitori dinner in someone's home, the conversation moved to other forms of culinary endeavors usually experienced in a restaurant. Charlie asked if Gordon had his own Shabu-Shabu set up. "Actually, I have TWO! We should do that next time! Our friend Henry was talking about fine cognacs, which moved to hard to find liquors. "Hey G; you got any Absynth?". Suddenly, the essence of wormwood appeared on the table. Henry laughed and said, "Hey, we should go to a hookah bar sometime." To which G responded, "Why go out? I have a hookah!" and out of the house he trotted with a huge smile and a hookah. "I got this at a thrift store for $5. I thought it was cool!"

We were enjoying the cool summer night on G's patio, when the guys looked up at the starlit sky and Ron said.."Hey G; you got one of those starscope binocular things?" Into the house runs G, and minutes later he emerges with the fancy, Trekkie looking device, and off go the boys into the yard to get a better view of the night sky. Bryson was sharing that he had been looking for someone with a Sprint phone that they would sell for cheap because he broke his new phone after only two months. But it HAS to be a Sprint phone so they can transfer all his info. Uncle Gordon disappears for a moment, only to return with a brand, new $300 top of the line Sprint Diamond, still in the box. "I won this at a raffle a couple months ago." The game went on and on; a curly koa ukulele, a certain cigar cutter, a ferret toy, etc., etc.

I was feeling a little left out because everyone had come up with something that Gordon seemed to have and we had been laughing about how he was "magical". So I turned to Gordon and asked; "Hey G...you got Gerard Butler in the house somewhere?"

Yeah, I left empty-handed. But dinner was awesome!