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-   -   The Oldie 'Always dance in the kitchen' comp by 13th November (https://www.ablemuse.com/erato/showthread.php?t=25389)

Jayne Osborn 10-14-2015 05:33 PM

The Oldie 'Always dance in the kitchen' comp by 13th November
 
I’m not quite sure what to make of this one. (I can think of much better advice for a happy marriage… ;))

Jayne

The Oldie Competition
by Tessa Castro

Competition no 196.
Asked for advice for a happy marriage, a friend was told: ‘Always dance in the kitchen’. A poem of that title, please. Maximum 16 lines.

Entries, by post (The Oldie, 65 Newman Street, London W1T 3EG), fax (020 7436 8804) or email (comps@theoldie.co.uk) to ‘Competition No. 196’ by 13th November.

Don’t forget to include your postal address.

Brian Allgar 10-15-2015 08:03 AM

I’d been married twenty years or so, and life was lacking spice
Till I got my best friend’s recipe, and followed his advice.

We were dancing in the kitchen, and my hands began to rove;
There was something spicy cooking, but not only on the stove.
As she nibbled on the starter (no, I don’t mean chicken wings),
I discarded all the dressing, and untied the apron-strings.
And to follow, a carpaccio of tender, well-oiled rump
While I let the main course simmer till the breasts were nicely plump.
Then the moment came to lay that scrumptious dish upon the table,
So I grabbed the bird, and spread the legs as fast as I was able.
(All was natural, organic, for we don’t believe in faking.)
A voracious appetite soon had us steaming, boiling, baking -
But I got a nasty shock as I was serving up the sauce;
My wife had come home early, and it ended in divorce.

Let me offer you this moral that will simplify your life:
If you’re dancing in the kitchen, just be sure it’s with your wife.

Adrian Fry 10-16-2015 02:07 AM

Brian, that's a marvellous poem!

Tom Parker 10-16-2015 02:36 AM

As bad as the phrase sounds now, I did actually laugh out loud when I read that Brian.
Delicious.

John Whitworth 10-16-2015 03:03 AM

Lovely, Brian, but I don't think Tessa likes them rude. Lucy is more earthy altogether. So here's something very clean for her. Apart from a bare derriere of course. Could some kind person stick the French thingy on derriere? Jayne?

Always Dance in the Kitchen

Always dance in the kitchen
If you kiss on the stair.
Feel those shoulders a-twitchin’
Knees and ankles are itchin’.
Trousers burst through their stitchin’.
Shake that bare derrière.
When you dance in the kitchen’
Dance away all your care.

Always dance in the kitchen.
Wear a rose in your hair.
Stop that moanin’ and bitchin’.
Flyin’ feet are bewitchin’.
Park your troubles and pitch in.
Print those steps on the air.
Dance for joy in the kitchen’.
Love means wanting to share.

It ought to have a tune to go to.

Brian Allgar 10-16-2015 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Whitworth (Post 357435)
Lovely, Brian, but I don't think Tessa likes them rude.

Rude, John? But there is nothing in my piece that cannot be read as the perfectly innocent description of a meal. Is it my fault if Tessa has a dirty mind?

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Whitworth (Post 357435)
Could some kind person stick the French thingy on derriere?

Just cut and paste this, John:

è

Roger Slater 10-16-2015 08:34 AM

ALWAYS DANCE IN THE KITCHEN

Gordon Ramsay told me once,
"To find a happy niche in
The world of haute cuisine, my son,
Always dance in the kitchen.

"Do not prepare a French soufflé
Or macerate a mango
Without a box step or plié,
A can-can, jig or tango.

"Don't bake a cake or ginger snap
Or render chicken schmaltz
Unless you are prepared to tap,
To square dance, or to waltz."

My first job out of cooking school,
I did the bossa nova.
Was Ramsay joking? I'm a fool.
My short career is over.

John Whitworth 10-16-2015 11:24 AM

Thank you, Brian.

Here's a version in four-line stanzas. More singable somehow.


Always Dance in the Kitchen

Feel those shoulders twitchin'.
Love means wanting to share.
Always dance in the kitchen
When you kiss on the stair.

Flyin’ feet are bewitchin’.
Wear a rose in your hair.
Dance, dance, dance in the kitchen
When you kiss on the stair.

Trousers burst their stitchin’.
Shake that bare derrière.
Dance for joy in the kitchen
When you kiss on the stair.

Park your troubles and pitch in.
Print those steps on the air.
Always dance in the kitchen
When you kiss on the stair.

It sort of goes to 'Dance around in your bones'.

Julie Steiner 10-16-2015 12:00 PM

John, when I hold down my "e" key, it eventually cries for mercy and gives me 7 choices onscreen:

è é ê ë ē ė ę
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Then I just type the number of the one I want, and it appears in my Sphere post. Similar things happen when I hold down other letters with variants, e.g.:

ñ ń
1 2

Do others lack this superpower? When you hold down your "e" key, do you just get eeeeeeeeee? Maybe it's a Mac thing.

Brian Allgar 10-16-2015 12:10 PM

John, the accent has disappeared again from your new version!

Julie, when I hold down the 'e' key, what I get is a string of eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee's, so it must be a Mac thing.

John again, if you use Microsoft Word, you can get the accents by clicking on the 'Insert' button at the top of the screen, then clicking on 'Symbol' in the scroll-down menu.

Julie Steiner 10-16-2015 01:34 PM

Sorry to hear that, Brian.

When I used a Dell I saved the following toolkit of diacritical doohickeys as a separate document. That way I could quickly find, copy, and paste what I needed, instead of hunting through a bazillion "Insert" options for the elusive ¿ :

Spanish:
Á É Í Ó Ú Ç Ñ Ü ¿ ¡
á é í ó ú ç ñ ü ¿ ¡

French:
Ç Œ Á  À É Ê È Î Ô Û Ù Ë Ï
ç œ á â à é ê è î ô û ù ë ï

Misc:
£ Æ Œ æ œ

Roger Slater 10-16-2015 01:42 PM

Go here, find the character you want, click on it, then you can paste it where you want it.

John Whitworth 10-16-2015 01:52 PM

Yes it does seem to have done. However, it is on the version I have for sending. Just imagine it's there.

eeeeeee

Yes, Juli. I can do that too. But to what end?

Jayne Osborn 10-16-2015 01:52 PM

I was going to say: "Alternatively, let the Fairy Godmother (my new nickname, it appears) do it for you, John", but I've been out all day and you've beaten me to it!

John Whitworth 10-16-2015 01:54 PM

You can still do it, Jayne.

Roger Slater 10-16-2015 02:06 PM

John, do take note of the site I just linked to. It has every conceivable letter and typographical symbol. You need only click on the one you want, then return to where you were writing and hit Control-V for that letter or symbol to appear. Try it.

Julie Steiner 10-16-2015 02:28 PM

Yes, Roger, but who wants every conceivable letter and typographical symbol? Personally, I just want the ones I use. YMMV, of course.

Slightly more on-topic:

Always dance in the kitchen.
Be spontaneous, yet
plan ahead and envision
every step, A to Z.

Always look before leapin’.
He who hesitates? Lost!
Good things come to the sleepin’
dogs you fail to accost.

Don’t reach into the blender
when your boat’s up a tree.
Neither a borrower, lender,
nor innocent bystander be.

Be prepared: don't go twitchin’
bin-less. Still, seize the day.
Always dance in the kitchen.
Congrats! You’re graduates! Yay!

John Whitworth 10-16-2015 02:28 PM

I shall, Roger. Thank you.

Tht goes to the same tune, Julie. More or less.

Roger Slater 10-16-2015 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Julie Steiner (Post 357486)
Yes, Roger, but who wants every conceivable letter and typographical symbol? Personally, I just want the ones I use. YMMV, of course.

I haven't tried it, Julie, but it says if you sign in you can create your own personal set of favorites.

PS-- Or if you want to spare yourself the bother, set their "Classic" set as your default page. It looks like a very good collection without too many obscure or extraneous entries.

RCL 10-16-2015 03:42 PM

Can Stand the Heat!
 
Always Dance in the Kitchen

I’m dazzled by her dance across the floor,
her beat the rhythm of a racing heart.
With restless energy, she makes her start,
glides to the kitchen pantry to explore.

With whisk in hand, she whips to slowly pour
some eggs with parmesan, the crucial part.
She tempts me with her culinary art
and sashays toward the oven’s open door.

Hips shifting high and low, a cheeky sway,
she slides her bright frittata (potatoes, eggs,
red peppers, onions) into our new Mugnaini.
In close embrace, caressing with my legs,

I dip her deep to stimulate romancing
and sweetly spicy after-dinner dancing.

Ann Drysdale 10-16-2015 04:03 PM

If you could bear to change "deeply" to "deep", the line would sing sweeter.

RCL 10-16-2015 04:11 PM

Ann, thanks! While you were helping that line, I was reworking it. I hope for the better.

Julie Steiner 10-16-2015 04:31 PM

Okay, Roger, I surrender:


Ann Drysdale 10-17-2015 02:01 AM

Not sure, Ralph - I think you've scuppered the scansion now.

I like the dipping deep because of the (additional) dance image - a lovely waltz move - I see Ginger bending over backwards (so to speak!) while Fred holds her, safe but at his mercy...

RCL 10-17-2015 11:16 AM

Ann, you're absolutely right, so thanks again! I had him behind her in the previous line, which would make for an awkward dip, so also changed Behind to Closer.

Jayne Osborn 10-17-2015 06:33 PM

“Always dance in the kitchen.” That is really crap advice!
I did a Boogaloo and spilled a two-pound bag of rice.
While waltzing with a pan of oil I slopped some on the floor,
then trod in it and nearly did a cartwheel through the door.
I rumba-ed while I peeled the spuds and tango-ed as I stirred
some soup, but did my back in and I thought: This is absurd.
“Here’s how to have a happy marriage:’’ someone said to me,
“Always dance in the kitchen.” I can’t see how that can be
the way to wedded bliss. I grilled some sausages and jived,
but burnt myself so badly it’s a wonder I survived.
The kitchen is a place to cook, and wash up; that is all.
It’s not for dancing in; eventually you’re bound to fall.
I haven’t even mentioned knives – I just can’t bear to think
of slipping while you do a quickstep straight into the sink.
You foxtrot, samba, cha cha, all you like – though I’ll ask, “Why?”
I’ve done a Risk Assessment and the danger’s far too high!

Douglas G. Brown 10-17-2015 08:36 PM

The night I first laid eyes on you,
You hesitantly looked at me.
Fate must have deemed our love was true;
We danced in the kitchen from supper to three.

At making love ... mere amateurs,
And now that ember barely glows;
But in out hearts the flame endures
As still we remember those passionate throes.

Our kids have grown and moved away;
Careers we cherished, laid to rest.
If starting over, I would say
I'd do it again, since you are the best.

There's no disgrace in falling ill,
And growing old is not a crime,
When every dawn repeats the thrill
Of dancing in the kitchen that very first time.

Roger Slater 10-18-2015 09:46 AM

Always Dance In The Kitchen

Hey, good looking,
I've sampled your cooking,
and flavor is not what it's rich in.

Your soup was near fatal,
so put down that ladle.
From now on just dance in the kitchen.

Jerome Betts 10-18-2015 11:18 AM

Nice pithy one, Roger. Typo For for From in Line 6 ?

Douglas G. Brown 10-18-2015 02:00 PM

Roger,

Some of this can be sung to the tune of Cole Porter's "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". Maybe you can expand on it a little in that direction?

Roger Slater 10-18-2015 05:52 PM

Thanks, Doug. I thought short was better, you comment caused me to try an expanded version:



Always Dance In The Kitchen


Hey, good looking,
I've sampled your cooking,
and flavor is not what it's rich in.

Your soup was near fatal,
so put down that ladle.
From now on just dance in the kitchen.

I shouldn't have swallowed.
The nausea that followed!
I'm grateful you wanted to pitch in,

but pay heed, my sweetie,
to this, my entreaty:
From now on just dance in the kitchen.

Douglas G. Brown 10-18-2015 06:45 PM

Roger,

Ahh .... the more, the merrier; especially Lines 10 and 11.

Nigel Mace 10-19-2015 05:10 AM

DANCE LORE

Always dance in the kitchen,
Never sleep in the hall;
Waltz away on the balcony,
Don’t let your love affair pall.

Chassé on past the sofa,
Don’t drop off by the fire;
Skip and zoom round the dining room -
Passion’s fruit surfeits desire.

Quick-step up on the staircase,
Never slump in that chair;
Pirouette on the landing, yet
Love’s a sure-footed affair.

Paso doble the bathroom,
Never pause by the glass;
Tango instead, swiftly to bed -
Dance partners’ rhythms have class.

RCL 10-19-2015 11:46 AM

Another Kitchen Dance

I could have danced all night
beneath the kitchen light
where we had danced before.

My partner tapped her toes,
minced an Italian rose
soon bopping in the oil.

The eggplant was exciting,
aromas so inviting,
we danced a pas de deux.

I only know when she
agrees to cook with me,
we dance, dance, dance all night!

Roger Slater 10-19-2015 12:30 PM

ALWAYS DANCE IN THE KITCHEN

Dance in the kitchen
Since what is romance for
If we only cha cha
When loose on the dance floor?

Come, cook on the dance floor
Since it's my ambition
To switch on your burners
While not in the kitchen.

Erik Olson 10-19-2015 01:22 PM

Always Dance in the Kitchen
 
Dance in the Kitchen as a Rule of Thumb
Utility and improvising meet
By cooking in the kitchen, tapping feet.
No other room will dancing yield spiced chicken
Than moving measures, dancing in the kitchen.
There if you blow some steam, or lose your top,
Dissolve the stress by tango with a mop.
Outside you'd pirouette or waltz on porch,
But rain obliges or the sun beams scorch!
The living-room has glass to overturn:
This high-priced painting! Watch that! Granddad's urn...
The dinning-room fills up, too fat for dance:
Men stuff their faces—give their mouths a chance;
Devouring food ill suits the dancer's grace,
Thus if you dance, the kitchen is the place!
.

RCL 10-19-2015 05:36 PM

That Grind We’re In

It’s dancing near the kitchen stove.
It’s love.
The foodies’ dance that raises stakes:
It makes—
when entrées for their tastes abound—
their hips grind round.
Those who dance in kitchens sound
like famished couples having fun,
and frisking so they’ll soon be one.
It’s love: it makes their hips grind round.

Erik Olson 10-19-2015 05:49 PM

From Whence Does Your Sprightliness Come? (The Kitchen Dance)
 
From Where Does that Sprightliness Come? (The Kitchen Dance)
I know now where your sprite is from,
Where you turn opposite hum-drum:
For here mid dance, you drum and hum.
You’re stony in that severe tomb—
Our never lived-in living-room.
In study-hall you sloth and slum.
In kitchens though you move your bum,
Th' effect on feet must beat one's rum!
.

Erik Olson 10-23-2015 01:07 AM

One Stodgy Philosopher's Advice to a Friend
 
Don't dance! Don't even step one foot in
that perfumed kitchen of my Wiccan
x-wife; better to be a chicken
fried well outside than in her kitchen,
roasted for non-participation
than Bacchus's fickle rotation.
Prelude to pandemonium,
she'll flick you suitor like a crumb.
Don't dance! For if you tap one toe
in, like Prometheus you'll know
Waltzing past warnings marries woe.
.

Erik Olson 10-23-2015 11:43 AM

Keep Out, nor Dance in the Kitchen: a Chef Apprentice's Warning)
 
Don't Dance in his Kitchen

His kitchen yields one rule of thumb:
stay out, by God! Nor dance, that's dumb.
A chef there lies whose dance reverses,
repays your pains with top-shelf curses;
you try again, but lips curl worse;
with him one step off-beat spills wars.
You lost the hymn beat of the Chicken
Souffle
past measure, putting fish in;
Like Beelzebub fudged out from Heaven,
You spoiled the high strung gastro-vision
of Gordon Ramsay. O what thunder!
assail a dopey kid to blunder.
Out, out of sync, against the flow,
most un-feng shui each way you go;
red Ramsey steams where sharp knives hang; o
stay out! It takes two chefs to tango.



.


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