Next week, we're headed to Santa Fe, NM for a lovely weekend with friends, delicious food, light hiking, spa time and...opera! If you aren't familiar with the Santa Fe Opera it is an amazing venture that brings in some of the best talent from around the globe for a spectacular summer season. In addition, the Santa Fe Opera House is one of the most unique in the world as it features open air views of the amazing New Mexico mountains on the sides and right through the back of the stage--a backdrop like nowhere else. Are you getting it? Now add to that the combination of two of America's favorite pastimes--opera and tailgating.
Tailgating? That's right, one of the many traditions of Santa Fe opera is tailgating like you have never seen before. And this trip, we're all in--but, how to prepare. I'll show you what I'm packing and you should let me know if I'm missing anything.
For starters, I pulled out my beautiful picnic basket that will hold just about everything. I bought this several years ago at Target and it is constructed of woven strands of plastic with contrasting handles and a large hamper. There are many choices out there, but if you are tailgating at the opera, make sure yours is either festive (comme le mien) or elegant.
What to put the food in? A tiffin! Mine is melamine, but you can find a variety of different sizes and shapes online. Tiffins are great for tailgating, because you can arrange the food before hand at home and then just unstack the dishes and lay them out on the table (yes, we are packing a small table to set up in the parking lot!) to be admired and comsumed.
Common paper plates? Mais, non. These elegant melamine versions of the picnic classic will add a dash of wimsy to our tailgating. Packing the Rosenthal (this isnt Out of Africa!) would be out of the question, but these will do just fine.
And what shall we drink from? Because there will be chilled New Mexico bubbly, rosé and other delights in the cooler. I could use these little stemless glasses everyday, with their beautiful warm colors, but they are reserved for drinks or dinners on the patio or picnics.
Paper napkins would just bring the party down--and possibly blow away--so I put in these easy cotton ones and my faux bamboo flatware.
Of course, I put in a few other small containers for sauces or olives or other little nibbles and a couple of spoons, mixing and matching everything for an eclectic and interesting table.
And vintage opera glasses! Don't forget those...