Sake is pretty gross

Marshall and Nathan both had end of the year school plays today. Marshall's group (all the primary students) went first, with an Olympics theme merged with animals. There isn't anything much cuter than a bunch of first graders dressed up like marsupials singing "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport". Then we went to a small going away party for one of Marshall's classmates, and I found that I would really like to have a gerbil for a pet. They're like rats, but have furry tails, thus boosting their cute quotient by quite a bit.

Then it was time for the older students to give their plays. The first group performed and abbreviated version of Electra (the Greek tragedy, not the super hero). The second group did an amazing rendition of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein, Nathan playing the role of the Monster. The best part was when the Monster gave a heartfelt monologue and the background music was another student playing blues guitar (and very well, might I add.) The last play was a modern and comic version of Faust that was written by the students themselves. Each of the plays was very ambitious, and like all good shows didn't come together until the last minute, apparently. But they were all great, considering that it was performed by 7th, 8th, and 9th graders.

After the plays we went to the Mandarin Courcelles for dinner. I had a duck, mushroom, and bamboo dish that was delicious. I've never had mushrooms like the ones that I had tonight and I have no idea where they came from, but I want more. We had complementary sake shots (Rob, Kristen, and I, that is) after the meal. I've never ingested something so disgusting. At least not to my knowledge, and not willingly. I've never tasted kerosene, but that does seem like the best description. I think I'll stick to the occasional glass of wine with dinner.