Annapolis Capital Punishment

This story took place one Thanksgiving many years ago when CP was guest at the home of the Australian Ambassador, whose son was a schoolmate. Foreign dignitaries and their families came, and the Ambassador consulted with American friends as to creating a "real" American holiday feast. The Ambassador called the 70 or so guests to their tables, welcomed them, made a few remarks about the future of Australian-American relations, and contrasted the differences between Australia's founding as "The Fatal Shore" for convicts versus that of America, as the land of hope and freedom etc., etc.

Toasts were made as I glanced around the room at the faces of the many different people from at least a dozen countries. Candles were lit, a prayer was said and the Ambassador called out, "Bring in the meal". Doors opened and a dozen chefs walked in with dishes, platters and bowls piled high with the scrumptious meal. Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the ambassador's dog "Darwin" or at least I think that was his name, bolted up and made a mad dash for the kitchen, running into the head chef along the way. The chef teetered and slipped, his pan flew up as he elbowed the assistant chef who lost his balance, throwing his plates into the air, hitting the other chef right in the gut who fell sideways on to the ambassador's lap.

The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion but I remember it as if it were yesterday, including the pained and puzzled looked on the face of the ambassador's wife who instantly put her hands to her cheeks, screamed and broke into tears. Everyone scrambled to her aid and started to brush her off, help the chefs to their feet and somehow recompose the meal. The Ambassador took charge of everything, ordered champagne all around and we managed to somehow clean up and enjoy the evening, which otherwise went off without incident.

The next day I reported the entire incident which ran across the front page of The Washington Post as a banner headline:

International Collapse at Australian Ambassador's Home--Guests Witness The Downfall of Turkey, Splatter of Greece, Guinea Most Fowl, The Fall of Chile, and the Complete Breakup of China. Malta gets Milked, Masses Romania Hungary and ask for Samoa, Others demand to take it Togo, Question remains--Where Did The Ice-land? What About the Moldova the Floor? Is Sweden Low? Left-overs Placed on Iraq, Iran Away

Enjoy the holiday.....


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