27 August, 2015

Whipped Cream

What's your most embarrassing moment? I might have just had mine this past Friday evening.  I had organized a small dinner party for a friend who was returning to town for a brief visit after moving away a few years back. Two of her friends in attendance I met for the first time when they walked in the door, there were six of us gathered. We had a lovely time and lingered over dinner, all of us finally adjourning to the kitchen as I sliced up the Chocolate Chess Pie that I had baked for dessert. The refrigerator contained a bowl full of freshly whipped and sweetened cream for dolloping. I opened the door and reached for the bowl... it slipped from my grasp and hit the floor. I doubt that any of you reading this could even begin to imagine the distance or trajectory that whipped cream will travel before depositing itself at its final resting spot(s). It wasn't pretty. I was covered, literally... shoes, legs, skirt hem; the floor was bathed in frothy whiteness as was the wool hooked rug in front of the refrigerator door. I cleaned up the mess as well as I could while urging my guests to carry their now unadorned pie back to the dining room while I attended to the task at hand. Of course they waited for me. I cleaned up as much as I could and hurriedly made the kitchen presentable. Over the weekend the rest of the cleanup occurred: little dots of cream were removed from the pendant lights hanging over the kitchen island, from nearby and not-so-nearby cabinets, from underneath the refrigerator, from inside the refrigerator door, door shelves, door gasket, etc. I'd like to try and forget that this mishap ever happened, especially while attempting to be the perfect hostess... unfortunately those tell-tale sticky specks won't let me, they're mocking me. Looking on the bright side: it could have been worse, it could've been spaghetti sauce!
Life is Good!

16 comments:

jude's page said...

Gotta laugh now, but I bet it wasn't so funny at the time! At least you were wearing more than the cream, not like the lady in the picture!

Janet O. said...

Oh, what a lovely way to end an evening--NOT!! Think of it this way, you created a very memorable evening for your guests, and isn't that what every hostess wants? : )
And yes, spaghetti sauce would have been worse!
I remember that album cover. I don't know who owned it that I would have seen it (certainly not at my house), but it is very familiar.

stitchinpenny said...

I owned that album in the distant past. I have also dropped so many things in my time of hostessing. A post like this or telling the story at a party or the hairdresser's would indicate my final acceptance that even though not perfect, the overall experience made me happy enough to share the glitch.

Quiltdivajulie said...

I had that album, too!

I am glad it was whipped cream and not spaghetti sauce or blueberry something .... Stains plus mess = triple ugh!

I'm also guessing that at least one of those guests has dropped and spilled something messy ...

Hoping the stickies are mostly vanquished by now!

Amy said...

My most embarrassing moment occured in 5th grade. We were taking a test and our family had beans and rice for dinner the previous night. Need I say more? The class erupted into laughter; the teacher left the room covering her mouth to stifle hers. I was mortified, but 40+ years later, I can see the humor in the situation. At least I didn't have a clean up like yours. All that lovely hand-whipped cream, which takes special care to make. Hopefully, Hannes was able to help.

Amy said...

My most embarrassing moment occured in 5th grade. We were taking a test and our family had beans and rice for dinner the previous night. Need I say more? The class erupted into laughter; the teacher left the room covering her mouth to stifle hers. I was mortified, but 40+ years later, I can see the humor in the situation. At least I didn't have a clean up like yours. All that lovely hand-whipped cream, which takes special care to make. Hopefully, Hannes was able to help.

Amy said...

My most embarrassing moment occured in 5th grade. We were taking a test and our family had beans and rice for dinner the previous night. Need I say more? The class erupted into laughter; the teacher left the room covering her mouth to stifle hers. I was mortified, but 40+ years later, I can see the humor in the situation. At least I didn't have a clean up like yours. All that lovely hand-whipped cream, which takes special care to make. Hopefully, Hannes was able to help.

Needled Mom said...

I've been there and it is NO FUN to clean up that mess. It is one for the memory books for you and I am sure all of your guests could relate.

Feathers in my Nest said...

Sounds like something I would do..yes, could have been worse..could have been eggs! Yuk!.I'm very much a klutz in the kitchen..especially with a knife in my hand!..have the scars to prove it!!Ha. Blessings

Debra in Ma.

NanaNor's said...

It sounds as if you made a bad situation less traumatic-I probably would have said I'm such a klutz and been very embarrassed. So glad that didn't happen; I'm sure that everyone thought it was a lovely evening.
Have a great Friday; I well remember and owned that album.
Hugs,
Noreen

Susan said...

So sorry this happened to you, but I'm sure all of your readers can relate. And by the way, I once dropped a plastic container holding pickled beets in our kitchen. I don't think I got rid of all the splatter until the kitchen was remodeled. 😀

Gloria said...

Oh, what a mess that must have been. I know it embarrassed you but sure that all your guests fully understood! I had/have that album and cover!

Nancy Near Philadelphia said...

Excellent story! I had the spaghetti sauce mishap years ago. And I actually own that record. I'm old.

lindsey said...

I can picture this, and yes it always amazes me just how far dropped food can travel! Also how far broken glass can travel too. Spaghetti sauce would have been far worse!

Tanya said...

Funny! And it could have been you dropping a bowl of whipped cream at some other hostesses house! Now THAT would have been embarrassing!

Jean said...

Too funny! I feel for you; those messes do come back again and again to haunt us don't they.
I have a funny to tell on myself! Years ago while we were stationed in Japan in the service, we lived off base in a lovely house that we rented from a stock broker from Tokyo. The kitchen was a tiny thing, barely enough room for one let alone two people. Thanksgiving came and I was trying to get things ready for the dinner we had invited several friends to attend. Dear hubby kept coming into the kitchen getting in the way! I asked him to please go out and teasingly told him that if he didn't I would use the can of spray whip cream on him. Ahem, he didn't leave as I asked; and he found out I meant business. We laugh about it all these years later. But he also knows not to push my buttons. LoL.....