Membership has its privileges... and all that brouhaha

Last Saturday as we surveyed the incredible setting of Carmen and Kurt´s home at the back end of the Laguna del Diario, overlooking the marsh with its incredible birdlife, the lake, and further away, the buildings on the far shore bathed in a few rays of golden light that broke through the storm, we felt lucky just to be standing there.

This feeling only grew after we were treated to an amazing short recital by our star pianist, Carmen Alvarez, for a couple dozen guests assembled in her living-room. We couldn´t stop saying "What a privilege".

Our acquaintance with her and Kurt was made through the English Speakers Club, brought along by Silvia Haas at the insistencec of her gardener, of all people. That´s how things happen around here. Another thing we keep saying over and over again, is that the number of hidden and gorgeous places one gets to discover is seemingly endless. All this as a way to remind us that even in high season, as the place is maybe too busy for our taste, we find new reasons to love living in Punta del Este.

And now on to the brouhaha. Apparently Doris, the organizer of the Carnaval party, took my comments about the venue literally, and chose to share them with our friend Diego, the owner of Pizza Sing. She also chose to address most members of the club in a long email. Needless to say, the cultural gap that prevents Doris from understanding that my comments about Pizza Sing were tongue-in-cheek, not to be taken literally, are amplified in the case of Diego who has not, to my knowledge, ever lived in English and who was led to believe that I was accusing his business of being a den of perdition.

In our last email exchange, Doris even went on to say I had incurred in defamation of my friend´s establishment and that she thought her professional reputation was tarnished by the implications of my comments.

So let me clarify that nothing would be further from my intention that to imply anything IMPROPER about Pizza Sing. Hell, my mother has been there several times, and I cannot fathom my mother doing anything improper or frequenting a place where anything improper goes on.

So for those who did not read my comments with the intention I wrote them, that is, trying to equate it to the "indignities" (IRONY ALERT! IRONY ALERT!) of a Christmas party at the office where people get carried away partying only to regret it the day after, for example, let me say that yes, Pizza Sing is all about clean fun.

Let me describe it again. If you take one of those all inclusive vacation resorts where they have "entertainment" in the form of an MC, who encourages people to put on a wig, dance in a conga line and participate in an organized game, and if you cross that with a Karaoke establishment and add some pizza, that´s more or less what Pizza Sing is like.

If this is indeed something you would enjoy, then you would love Pizza Sing, I´m sure. Otherwise you may not. I hope this puts this subject to rest.