Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Rich people is Crazy
Last night I left work a tad early and headed to volunteer at the Chef's Best fundraiser for Food & Friends. In March I had done their dining Out 4 Life fundraiser, in which 100+ restaurants in the DC area donated 25-100% of their proceeds that day to F&F. Turns out that was the fundraiser for the plebs. First off, tickets were something like $250 a head (I'm not positive, as that is my monthly food budget) -- and it sold out. At this event the fabulous mingle, sample free food from 60+ top restaurant chefs in the area, drink heavily, and then bid in silent and live auctions.
So I arrive and I'm assigned to raffle tickets. Sigh. I have to walk up to people and try to sell them raffle tickets for the first part of the evening. Hell, why don't you just ask me to sell magazine subscriptions door-to-door with the impossible hope of winning something like a trip to space camp? My evening is saved by two additional factors: First, I am paired up to sell tickets with "Annette," a teacher in Arlington by day, a drag queen with a massive panoply of fruit in her bouffant by night. Second, everyone there either has a ridiculous amount of what is probably someone else's money, or their place of employment bought a table and gave them the ticket. In their case, they didn't spend a nickel on what amounts a rather swanky night, so they for damn sure are buying my $5 raffle ticket.
At any rate, Annette's shtick is simple enough: We stand by the entrance to the hotel where people were picking up their tickets, she bats her eyes at one that is staring at her caked on makeup or 5 inch lashes, and then we make our sell. Candy from a baby, folks. Mostly sold tickets 5 at a time (for $20). We raked in about $700 in an hour. I even saw one person I know. An AcquaintanceSter, or perhaps a YourDatingMyRoommateButWhoIsntSter. He bought one raffle ticket. I'll bet that $5 his ticket was paid for by his law firm and another $15 that his six figure salary could have sprung for more than a $5 night out. [Pay no attention to the angry gay man.]
Raffle ticket selling was done, and it was time to sample the food. Favorite was by the chef at Red Dog Cafe, in Silver Spring, no less! I had spent the first two hours in the lobby and the side room that I thought was the center of the attraction. I'm not sure why. While all of the silent auction items were in the side lobby, there were clearly only a half dozen chef tables, not 60+. Regardless, when I finally went "downstairs" to the live auction, I was awestruck by the MASSIVE International Ballroom, packed with people. I'm not sure where they came from, because the thousands of people packed in to the ballroom certainly didn't all pass us in the hour we were in the lobby.
I met up with Benji at this point, who was a "spotter" for the live auction. We were in the far back tier, so it was our job to wave our flags frantically if one of our table patrons decided that $7000 for a trip to Montreal was their cup of tea. Suprisingly, two items were won by our little section. There were also cards on each table for people to give of their credit. One nice gentleman discretely dressed in a polo handed me the card with a $500 charge on it. All in all, it was great fun... and completely not my world -- yet, or possibly ever -- but it was fun to visit.
So I arrive and I'm assigned to raffle tickets. Sigh. I have to walk up to people and try to sell them raffle tickets for the first part of the evening. Hell, why don't you just ask me to sell magazine subscriptions door-to-door with the impossible hope of winning something like a trip to space camp? My evening is saved by two additional factors: First, I am paired up to sell tickets with "Annette," a teacher in Arlington by day, a drag queen with a massive panoply of fruit in her bouffant by night. Second, everyone there either has a ridiculous amount of what is probably someone else's money, or their place of employment bought a table and gave them the ticket. In their case, they didn't spend a nickel on what amounts a rather swanky night, so they for damn sure are buying my $5 raffle ticket.
At any rate, Annette's shtick is simple enough: We stand by the entrance to the hotel where people were picking up their tickets, she bats her eyes at one that is staring at her caked on makeup or 5 inch lashes, and then we make our sell. Candy from a baby, folks. Mostly sold tickets 5 at a time (for $20). We raked in about $700 in an hour. I even saw one person I know. An AcquaintanceSter, or perhaps a YourDatingMyRoommateButWhoIsntSter. He bought one raffle ticket. I'll bet that $5 his ticket was paid for by his law firm and another $15 that his six figure salary could have sprung for more than a $5 night out. [Pay no attention to the angry gay man.]
Raffle ticket selling was done, and it was time to sample the food. Favorite was by the chef at Red Dog Cafe, in Silver Spring, no less! I had spent the first two hours in the lobby and the side room that I thought was the center of the attraction. I'm not sure why. While all of the silent auction items were in the side lobby, there were clearly only a half dozen chef tables, not 60+. Regardless, when I finally went "downstairs" to the live auction, I was awestruck by the MASSIVE International Ballroom, packed with people. I'm not sure where they came from, because the thousands of people packed in to the ballroom certainly didn't all pass us in the hour we were in the lobby.
I met up with Benji at this point, who was a "spotter" for the live auction. We were in the far back tier, so it was our job to wave our flags frantically if one of our table patrons decided that $7000 for a trip to Montreal was their cup of tea. Suprisingly, two items were won by our little section. There were also cards on each table for people to give of their credit. One nice gentleman discretely dressed in a polo handed me the card with a $500 charge on it. All in all, it was great fun... and completely not my world -- yet, or possibly ever -- but it was fun to visit.
