Photo credit: Derek Farr (DetroitDerek) on Flickr.

Detroit, and Detroiters, need you to read this: The Courage of Detroit, by Mitch Albom. It’s about more than just sports.

With the economy in the crapper, people must be getting bored. Can’t afford a night on the town? Or a trip to the movie theater? I know, why don’t you throw on a mask and become a super hero?! Seriously.

Meet Razorhawk (video clip). This guy’s a real-life superhero in Minneapolis who fights crime in his flamboyant, yellow costume (incidentally, he’s a costume maker from 9-5).

Which made me think – if you could be a “real” superhero and choose a super power, what power would you pick? I think I’d like the power of invisibility. Or the power to get inside people’s heads and see their thoughts. Too bad I wouldn’t have the first clue about how to make a bright, flashy costume. Oh well. I guess I’ll leave the crime fighting to Razorhawk.

Photo credit: Misserion on Flick

We’re just a tequila kind of family. But we haven’t always been. My brother’s father-in-law, Jesse, introduced me and mine to the tequila tradition several years ago. And now, at our family gatherings, it’s customary for shots of chilled tequila to go ’round the room… and ’round again… and ’round again…

While I enjoy a good tequila, I understand the seemingly common aversion to it. A lot of my friends have this aversion and it typically stems from some under-age or just of-age incident where one imbibed massive amounts of horrifyingly bad, bottom-shelf tequila and what ensued was a rather unfortunate, unpleasant and/or completely unremembered experience. If that sounds familiar, I can’t say I blame ya for not wanting to taste tequila ever again, but hear me out on this one.

There’s a trick to tequila drinking. It’s not a complicated thing, but if you don’t follow these rules, the probability that you’ll have a less than satisfying experience greatly increase.

How to drink tequila the right way

Tequila and food go hand-in-hand.

It doesn’t matter what you eat, just keep it comin’! Tequila makes such a perfect drink of choice at our family gatherings because the one thing that’s sure to always grace these events is a huge amount of delicious, homemade and often traditional food. The idea is to eat a little, drink a little, eat a little, drink a little. And repeat until you feel fat ‘n happy.

Brand does matter.

If you’re not drinking the good stuff, then my sincerest good luck wishes to you! Bad tequila is just that. Bad. It’s not only bad when you’re drinking it, it’s consistently bad through the next morning when your head is pounding and your stomach is turning. Bad.

There’s so much good tequila out there that it’s just unnecessary to pick the bad stuff. Just like wines, tequila aficionados have different tastes and preferences about what they think is “good.” Personally, I’m a Cabo Wabo girl. Jesse and his wife, Helena, really enjoy a tequila called Oro Azul. When you get the good stuff, it’s also good by itself. The traditional way — plain, without salt and lime.

Whatever you choose, it should be 100 percent Agave (the plant tequila’s made from) and shouldn’t contain fillers like sugars. Agave itself already has its own sugars and they’re also fructose-based, making it easier for your body to break down. Other “filler” sugars that are often in types of tequila called “mixtos” may be harder for your body to break down and may contribute to a nightmarish hangover.

Age isn’t just a number.

Different ages of tequila will taste differently. There are five basic age classifications of tequila:

• Blanco: Or “white.” Clear in color and generally un-aged (sometimes, blanco is aged for up to two months in oak barrels).
• Oro: Or “gold.” Oro is like a blanco in that it’s un-aged, but it has an extra ingredient (sometimes sugar, oak extract, or just coloring) to give it the illusion of being aged.
• Reposado: Or “rested.” Aged at least two months but no more than one year in oak barrels. Has a caramel coloring.
• Añejo: Or “aged.” Aged at least one year, but no more than three years in oak barrels.
• Extra Añejo: Or extra “aged.” Aged at least three years in oak barrels.

I like a good blanco because it has a clean taste to me. If you appreciate the smoothness and complexity of an aged liquor, then you might be more of an añejo fan.

Always drink tequila in good company – and with good company.

Tequila is a social beverage. Drink it with people you like and love, and make sure to share!

Like I said, there’s not much to good tequila drinking. Yet, so many unfortunate souls still make the mistake of drinking bad tequila and paying the consequence. Don’t let this happen to you. Respect your tequila — with good food, a top brand, your choice of age and good company — and your tequila will respect you.

I have an enduring fantasy about causing a scene in some public setting, grabbing a bunch of plates and smashing them into pieces. I’m not sure where I might have the occasion to make good on said fantasy, other than maybe a restaurant or a catered event, but fulfilling this dream would be rather cathartic for me.

The wish originates from a friend’s real-life experience. He’s a chef and has frequent access to plates and other dinnerware. He once worked in a restaurant where the rest of the staff and management were schlubby and useless. One day, his frustrations got the best of him, so he smashed some plates before walking out. I’ve been jealous ever since. Just imagine how good that must have felt.

If only I was in San Diego, I could visit Sarah’s Smash Shack. It’s a real, honest-to-goodness business where people can go, select an object for a fee (dishes, glasses, ashtrays and more) and smash away! How awesome is that?! So my plea goes out to Sarah of Sarah’s Smash Shack… Sarah, there’s a lot of folks out here in Michigan who are stressed and could use an outlet. Think you might expand to, say, the Ann Arbor/Detroit market? I think you’d “clean up.”