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Ehden Lebanese American Club - ELAC
in Wolcott, CT - suburb of Waterbury, CTA Journalistic Review
of the Ehden Lebanese American Club - ELAC Winter Hafli
Aqua-Turf Club - Southington, Connecticut, CT
I first heard about the Ehden Lebanese American Club (ELAC) in 2005 when someone I met said he was driving 3 hours to CT to go to the the Ehden Lebanese American Club because he heard that the Ehden Lebanese Club gets the largest "Lebanese" crowd in the North East at their Winter hafli and Mahrajan and he wanted to find out what it was all about.
So, since 2005, like I do with other Lebanese events, I have been advertising their events on www.lcnj.com as a courtesy to fellow Lebanese that I did not even know..
This year, I called Michael Macary and informed him that I planned on attending this year and asked for his help in meeting the Lebanese Community in his area so I can conduct interviews in Lebanese.... I also included Prominent advertising for their Winter Hafli on www.lcnj.com.
As the date of the Hafli drew near, I was very excited to explore a new Lebanese Community 3 hours away and to experience all that "fun night of music & dancing" that they advertise.
My Lebanese friends in my area were divided between those who called me crazy for wanting to drive more than 6 hours and those who said "you go... and if you think it is worth it, we will all go next time...
After being called "crazy", I felt the need to find some pictures of an ELAC Hafli or Mahrajan but I could not find any pictures of their events whatsoever... none on their website ehden.org ... none anywhere...
Still, to make a long story short, on Saturday February 17, I set out on a grueling 3 hour drive to Southington, CT to what I really expected to be the hottest Lebanese Hafli in Northeastern U.S... I really looked forward to some Lebanese Mazza... and, while I did not expect Lebanese mashawi, I still was looking forward to the sizzling "New York Strip" that I ordered for $55 when I made the reservation. In my mind, I expected a really succulent "Longhorne" style steak... (For the record, I get a sizzling 9 oz Filet Mignon at Longhorne for just $20).
So, at $55, I really expected a little better NY Strip than what I was offered!...
When I arrived, I met Michael Maccary whose first words to me were "That will be $55, please" and gave me a table number to join. Later, when I asked him whatever happened to our agreement, he started "spinning" and did absolutely nothing in return. In the best of Lebanese traditions, to Maccary, I was just another $55... nothing more... nothing less!...
I walked into a ballroom that, with exception of the band and a few people talking in Arabic, showed no signs of life or a "Lebanese" hafli... I sat down with nice people. On a table of 10, only 3 were Lebanese.
The friendly people at the table pointed me in the directions of the Hors D'oeuvres... Yup... you guessed it... In the best of Lebanese hospitality, you get unlimited amounts of crackers, bulk cheese and sliced pepperoni in a foil container... I kept remembering my friend Mourad's reference to "Government surplus cheese" for some reason...
We were then treated to unlimited amounts of cold bread and non-alcoholic drinks (see picture: tap water) by very courteous servers...
Then, after a dingy pasta dish with some tomato sauce, the much anticipated Lebanese Mazza was served. See picture: a tossed salad with very salty creamy dressing!... Shameless!
Finally, the "Sizzling New York Strip" came!.... and with it went away all my hopes of getting anything good from this long journey to the Ehden Lebanese American Club Winter Hafli!... All it took me was one lousy bite of that pathetic looking, extremely salty NY Strip to get me to realize that I made a very big mistake...
So, I put my jacket on, said a friendly goodbye to the nice people on the table and went to a diner nearby to have dinner.
If I wanted to go to an American Party, I could find many "better" American parties within 15 mile radius from my home... with better food... and better everything!...
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