Ricardo - Enabler

In every case of abuse there are those that are abusing and those that enable the abuse. Ricardo, one of my associates in Chicago, clearly is in the later category. Now I will admit it doesn't take a whole lot to get moi into the abusing mode. But Ricardo does it with such smoothness and finesse that you hardly even see it coming.

Yesterday, we are in the Chicago office. Lakeview Coffee has left for the day when we get a phone call that a prospect Lakeview has been developing is going forward with us. Yay we're all happy and pumped. I'm staying with Ricardo this time around so we're heading to his place. Originally we had planned to buy some fish to grill up for dinner - nice - modest - controlled. So as I said we're heading to his place feeling good about the sale and I say, "we should get a good bottle of wine to celebrate the sale. Joe would want us to do that." Rich of course concurred. So we get said good bottle of 2003 Bordeaux and nice 2007 Tavel to start out with.

Then I say, "You know Rich we really can't be eating fish with this red wine. How about some lamb chops" Well Rich is full agreement mode. Never a word such as no we should stick with our original plan or anything like that. So we get to Whole Foods and I say, "You know Rich, a nice piece of cheese would be great after this meal. Do you like blue cheese?" Well of course he does. And we'll need some chocolate for the Armagnac you have at home for after the cheese of course.

Right, so our modest fish dinner has now morphed into shrimp cocktail, lamb chops, roasted asparagus, sauteed fennel with pecarino cheese. Tavel with the shrimp. Saint Estephe with the main course. Some how in the midst of all this I notice that we have completely polished off the Bordeaux, and finished half the Tavel. And during this whole period the enabler is calmly pouring, encouraging, smiling.

That's all right he got what was coming to him dealing with me and my after effects this morning.