Brews, Belle and Sebastian, and Dichotomy
Two weeks ago today, Tuesday May 24th, I had the pleasure of attending a show of one of my all-time favorite bands, Belle and Sebastian. I hopped in the car with Mac and another one of my Brew Flowers friends, Rose Hips Butter Kuppers (yeah, I added onto her name for fun), and we headed to Asheville for the evening.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the show was pushed back a couple hours, which gave us more time to grab a meal and a few brews.
We had wanted to hit up Chai Pani for dinner, but unfortunately, they were closed. My brother highly recommends their Sloppy Jai. Next time!
We ended up at Chestnut. It had great reviews and looking at the menu posted outside my mouth was watering! The décor was dark and lovely. Each table had a hand-made vase and fresh flowers. You know, I loved that detail!
They had a great beer, wine, and cocktail list. Butter Kuppers had the gorgeous Midnight Mass cocktail, consisting of bourbon, blackberry liqueur, blackberry-thyme puree, fresh lime, and rhubarb bitters. Mac had a dry Irish stout from Birds Fly South called Nights like these (4% ABV). I did try a sip of Mac’s and it was delicious! Very dark with a smooth creamy head, coffee and cocoa notes, but also somehow light and refreshing. I had a sour from Edmund’s Oast, Sour Curuba (6.5% ABV). I was excellent. Not too sweet, not too sour, not to sound like Goldilocks, but it was just right! It was light in color and somewhat cloudy, my guess is from the fruit. I discerned light notes of passionfruit and I could really see enjoying this one by the water on a hot day.
Our meal was excellent as well! To start, our waiter brought out a “treat from the kitchen.” It was a crostini topped with savory goat cheese and pickled strawberries, served over a strawberry coulis. Butter Kuppers is a big fan of shellfish, so she ordered the Low Country en papillote. I now know that “en papillote'' means in the paper, which was exactly how it was served. I love fried green tomatoes and I love pickles, so I had to try the Pickled Fried Green tomatoes! My tomatoes were beautifully stacked and in between each delicately fried tomato was a spread of smoked gouda pimento cheese! If that wasn’t enough, the stack was atop a helping of BBQ tomato jam decorated with crispy kale and drizzled with a sweet bourbon sorghum. Mac went all in with Chestnut’s signature burger made with Kobe beef and topped with crispy pork belly, white cheddar, and jalapeño slaw. Mac’s burger came with a side of incredibly rich truffle fries! I can confidently say with the plates before us and good conversation, we truly enjoyed our meal!
Due to the show being pushed back and the great service at Chestnut, we still had time to explore a bit more before the show. Right next to the music venue is the Wicked Weed Brewpub! We headed to their downstairs courtyard to try one of their brews before the show. We shared a pitcher, thanks to Butter Kuppers, of Uncle Rico’s Mexican Lager (5.5% ABV). It was a delightful amber ale with a perfect amount of lime zest. It was also served with limes! This ale was exactly as advertised, a great amber with a hint of lime! Our discussion evolved from college memories to neuroscience and before we knew it, it was time to head to the street above and join the crowd congregating on the sidewalk in front of the Orange Peel.
I was curious to see what the other Belle and Sebastian fans would be like. They were both fabulously interesting and incredibly diverse, especially when it came to age. It was perfect, because it was one of the few “all ages” shows listed on the venue’s website. Though they started late, I did not mind in the least. You never know when you go to see a band, if they will be as good live as they are on the album. Belle and Sebastian were even better. The first few songs were some of my favorites and I was awestruck! It took me a bit to come to grips that I was actually seeing them! I could not believe that Stuart Murdoch’s voice was real! Seeing that sound coming out of a real person, blew my mind. Furthermore, the band is incredibly talented with the breadth and depth of the instruments they played. They were charismatic and really connected with the audience. We were fortunate to be in front, which amplified the experience.
I greatly appreciate the band’s humanity, especially on that day. If I’m being honest, I don’t keep up with the news on a daily basis. I try to do a check in on major events a couple times a week. While it was jarring, I appreciate that Stuart Murdoch took a moment to acknowledge the events that had unfolded in Texas earlier that day, citing that “we’re parents too.” I hadn’t heard about the shooting. Waking up from the euphoric night before, I checked the news and my euphoria turned to despair. I am a former teacher (for almost 10 years) and currently a mother of an elementary-aged child.
I deeply feel this dichotomy of enjoying the wonders before me, while grieving and processing the turpitude in the world today. I feel it on a daily basis, though. I want to share my love of beer and flowers with the world, because those are things that bring me joy. At the same time, I feel the gravity of the challenges we face as a global community — while I want to focus on just the good, I can’t and I don’t think we should. The Hebrew phrase “tikkun olam” is something I like to reflect on and do so often. It means “Repair of the World.”
While I want to share only the joys of my evening with you, I feel a responsibility to share my inner turmoil as well. Also, my desire and need to act on behalf of our future, our children. I’m not Jewish, but this quote from Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson speaks to me:
“If you see what needs to be repaired and how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that God has left for you to complete. But if you only see what is wrong and what is ugly in the world, then it is you yourself that needs repair.”
I don’t know exactly what the answer is, but I feel strongly to act. If you feel the same, I urge you to start by contacting your elected officials. If you live in the U.S. reach out to your congressmen and senators. House.gov is a great resource to start finding out who your congressmen are. Senate.gov will direct you to what senator(s) represent you. If you call or email, please be polite and to the point. Tell them your concern and what you think they should do about it. For example, if you think the area of mental health needs attention, contact your representative and ask them to support and pass bills that will increase funding and access to mental health services. You can actually google “mental health legislation” and see what has been done recently and what is coming down the pipeline. If you feel like gun control needs to be addressed, let your representatives know! Most importantly don’t feel like your efforts won’t make a difference! Every call, email, and vote matters!
While we continue on and enjoy the brews and music of the summer (as we should), don’t forget you can still be caring deeply and making a difference. Thinking of Belle and Sebastian and the fact that playing their first show in the United States, and Stuart Murdoch felt compelled to say something should remind you that we are all living in a sort of dichotomy.
Enjoying our time doesn’t mean we don’t care about the adversity in the world today. If anything, it should remind us to appreciate the perfect moments that we do share, especially over a good brew and with great company!
