When tequila shots lead to thoughts of Lysistrata. (Top Chef 6, Ep. 2)

Once again, I find myself more interested in talking about drama than food.

The chefs were broken into teams, boys vs. girls, and given the challenge of creating food for bachelor and bachelorette parties.  Team Male had to prepare food for the bachelorettes; Team Ladies had to cater for the bachelors.  Both teams had to match their dishes to flavored shots, the favorite drinks of the soon-to-be-wedded couple.

The girls seemed significantly less thrilled about this challenge than the boys.  Jen, the clam shucking girl wonder from episode 1, is shown complaining to the camera that selecting the teams based on gender is sexist -- what she was really trying to say, I think, is that she's tough enough to hang with the boys and doesn't want to be stuck in some girlie kitchen ghetto.  But it was Ashley, who looks like she should be on the boy's team, who really flipped out.  It's unfair, she says, that she and the other gay contestants are forced to cater for a bachelor party when they don't share the same legal right to wed.

Say what?  I'm with you that it's criminally unfair that gay couples can't enjoy the same rights as hetero couples.  I agree completely.  But what confuses me is the idea that she shouldn't have to produce food for someone else's wedding until she can have a wedding of her own.  So... you're saying you would want to refuse to professionally have anything to do with heterosexual nuptials?  If a man called to make a reservation at your restaurant, and asked for help in making the evening special because he planned to propose to his girlfriend, would you tell him to take his straight ass to Burger King?  Let's face it -- except for the super-wealthy, the most likely reasons a regular American would either throw a splashy party or go out to a very high-end restaurant revolve around love and marriage.  Engagements, weddings, anniversaries.  Would you seriously throw away all that business because of politics? 

I'm not the only one who thought Ashley was out of line.  The cameras show her trying to recruit fellow lesbian Preeti to her cause, but Preeti's response seems to be no more than "whatever."

But it did get me thinking... what if Ashley and every other GLBT person in the country refused to do wedding-related business until the laws are changed?  What if every gay restaurant owner and chef refused to allow proposals, anniversary celebrations, or rehearsal dinners to occur on their premises?  What if gay fashion designers made no wedding or bridesmaid dresses?  What if gay event planners wouldn't work with brides?  What if every gay waiter and bartender in the nation put down the trays of mini crab cakes and stopped mixing Grey Goose and tonic until such a day when they could cater the wedding of Tom and Harry?  Think about it.  No gay hairdressers.  No gay calligraphers.  No gay photographers.  No gay florists!  It would bring the country's bridal industry to its knees.

Might be worth a shot.  Your move, Ashley.

Comments

[Adouma]

There's actually a restaurant/bar that will not do wedding-related activities (bachelor/ette parties, receptions, etc) until same-sex marriage is legalized. I wish I could remember the place, but they stand firmly in their decision and are awaiting the day they can hold festivities for every nuptial.

Thanks for taking the time to do the blog. I'm usually just a lurker and I enjoy reading your writing.

[StephLove]

Not a bad idea and timely for me coming upon the post months after you wrote it-- what with the referendum in Maine going the wrong way this week. I should mention it to my friends who own a flower shop, though I doubt they could afford to lose the business in this economy. Sigh.

[invertir forex]

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