On Your Knees!

I am a bit in amazement over the date of the Alibi’s Annual Spring Crawl event. This year it was chosen to be had on the night of April 23. This night happens to be the start of the Jewish Holiday of Passover. Passover, a sacred holiday commemorating the exodus of the Jewish slaves out of Egypt, is celebrated by every Jew around the world in the evening during a dinner and service called the seder. Passover lasts eight days and during that time a number of things are followed, one of the most important being a ban on a number of foods, including bread and alcohol.

I am upset and appalled over the fact that not only is Spring Crawl during Passover (something that could be forgiven), but it is on the first night, a night spent in prayer with family. I do not know who is in charge of coordinating the planning of such events, but I consider this a major error on their part. What is even more curious to me, is that with all these organizations and people involved, no one said anything about the date of the event coinciding with the start of Passover. And, if someone had, the fact that nothing was done or said about it.

The Alibi is a source of open mindedness in the community that people look to and it’s a shame that Jewish readers have been ignored.

The Albuquerque Police Department claims the intentions of its “Party Patrol” program are noble. They say their purpose is to decrease under age drinking, reduce DWI, and save kids lives by providing medical assistance for individuals who require it. This plan sounds terrific, but is the Party Patrol effective in reaching these goals? Not currently; they need to reevaluate the way they do things if they would like to save any lives.

It has been my experience that the Party Patrol are not as helpful as they claim to be. I have been at parties that were busted and after the police cited everybody they just send them off to drive home without making sure they are sober enough to do so. This is encouraging DWI more than it is reducing it. Safety is not increased in any way by these actions and something needs to be done about this.

The APD may succeed in reducing the amount of parties that occur but under aged people will still drink. This is something they need to realize. Kids will just drink in smaller groups to avoid encountering the police. The real problem arises when someone in one of these small groups actually requires medical attention. Through their current course of action the police have frightened kids of contact with the authorities, and so the kids will fear calling for help because all encounters with the police result in punishment. This puts the person in need at serious risk. The Party Patrol is supposed to keep people safe but busting kids and giving them citations only pushes them away. The APD should be providing a service that is welcoming so when someone does need help kids will not be afraid to contact the police. The current situation is contradictory to what the police claim they are trying to accomplish and this should be changed.

While I thoroughly enjoy the Best Of Burque edition of your splendid publication, I was compelled to respond to your less than accurate presentation in the Best Wine Shop category [RE: “Eats and Drinks,” April 7-13]. I took offense at that person's comments regarding the wine selection and expertise of the staff at Cost Plus.

As your reviewer implied, not all of us can afford to shop in Nob Hill, but low prices are not what attracts me to Cost Plus. My Cost Plus wine shop experience, as well as a number of my wine-devoted friends, stands in direct opposition to the comments your reviewer offered. So, I am writing to set the record straight and balance what I see as a biased evaluation in this category.

For those who read this letter, know that the staff at Cost Plus has always demonstrated knowledge and expertise regarding the more than ample international wine selection. And like Jubilation's owner, John, Cost Plus's wine maven, Sarah, has on many an occasion married my menu to just the right wines. Compliments have ensued. In addition, the Cost Plus staff bring genuine good-naturedness to the forefront during their weekly wine tastings and their shelf of recommendations.

If you are really curious about the taste of human flesh and want to satisfy that curiosity without doing anything illegal, here’s an idea: When I was about eight months pregnant and was getting all sorts of unsolicited advice from perfect strangers, a parent at my kid’s day care suggested that after the birth I should eat the placenta. She had done just that after the birth of her child. In particular she recommended placenta smoothies. She also pointed out that this was the only way one could eat animal flesh without having to kill a living creature.

Well, I had my baby and asked to see the placenta. It was a magnificent piece of flesh but looked a little too much like organ meat to me. I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea of a raw liver smoothie (or ingesting my own flesh for that matter). But fried up with some shallots it might not be bad. So the next time a friend of yours is about to have a baby, ask if she’ll turn over the placenta for some culinary experimentation. Then again, maybe not.