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Dippers Are What They Eat,
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My last survey of Diplomacy players, on the emotions they experience while playing the game, in The Diplomatic Pouch (you can read the results for yourself in the Spring 1997 Retreat issue) was such a resounding success, I've decided to do another one. And this time it is one you can really sink your teeth into.
We all know that armies march on their stomachs. The quotations books are filled with variations on that theme. But what about diplomats? Do they "lie on their stomachs?" Perhaps Adlai Stevenson, once the US Ambassador to the UN, put it best when he said, " Diplomacy consists of equal parts of Protocol, Geritol, and Alcohol." Stevenson was a two martinis for lunch man himself, by the way.
What about Dippers? What's the WDC track record on food? WDC I was known for its university cafeteria food; which meant fish, chips, and peas. Period. WDC II was known for pizza, despite David's barbeque. WDC III was known for its shrimp on the barbie. WDC IV was left-over fish, chips, and peas from WDC I. In fact, I saw a few peas on Shaun Derrick's plate at IV that had been on mine at I. I recognized the dimples in them. WDC V was known for its bagettes, a kind of a long, skinny, dry pizza dough bread filled with pate made from cat livers (which is why you don't see many cats on the streets of Paris). WDC VI was known for its food courts, perhaps the best thing the event offered. WDC VII will go down in history as the swillfest --- unquestionably the worst food ever served by a host site. No wonder the Swedes all looked so pale! David Hood is again offering his Southern style barbeque for next year. Even J-L Delattre, the host designate for WDC IX in Belgium has gotten in the act by proclaiming, "Let them eat chocolates!" However, chocolates in Belgium are pralines, not some See's variety. Still, sounds good to me.
If I do say so myself, no American DipCon cuisine can compare with the one I hosted in San Diego some years ago, when attendees feasted on a gourmet Russian dinner of Chicken Kiev, Noodles Stroganoff, and Strawberries Romanov. It was so good that Duck Williams ate enough for two -- and a half!
What does this all prove? Obviously, that all great Dippers love to eat! And from the looks of them, it appears that their favorite course is dessert. What can we learn about Dippers and their just desserts by studying what they eat for dessert? Plenty. However, before spilling the chocolate sauce, I need some data for analysis. So, here's a very simple questionnaire for you to fill out and return to me. You can send hard copy, email, whatever, but please do it by 1 October. Send your response to me, Larry Peery, 6103 Malcolm Dr., San Diego, CA 92115, or to peery@ix.netcom.com.
I will list seven types of desserts. I want you to rank them in order of your personal preference (one top, seven bottom).
Here is the list, and the order in which they appear here means nothing.
And yes, in case you were wondering, this is a serious project and there is a serious purpose behind it. If you have a recipe for a special dessert that you like very much, you can send it to me and I will post it on my home page on the Internet. By the way, if your list matches the final one, and you show up in Namur in 1999 for WDC IX, you will be feasted with Belgian chocolates!
Now, get out those calorie counters and start counting your dots, ah, calories!
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Larry Peery (peery@ix.netcom.com) |
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