October 1, 2007 Archive

A Very Wicked Tea
By Laurie Nienhaus
 

"That’s why I call myself a witch now: the Wicked Witch of the West, if you want to know the full glory of it.  As long as people are going to call you a lunatic anyway,
why not get the benefit of it.  It liberates you from convention.”
Elphaba in Wicked

  Witches at tea.  The mere thought of it conjures up bubbling caldrons of possibility. And here we have Halloween right around the corner. But, wait, we’re grown up women and couldn’t possibly indulge in such foolishness (could we?) Thank goodness there’s Gregory McGuire’s Wicked (1995) to cast a spell of respectability back upon our tea tables!

  Like a fractured fairy tale, Mr. McGuire tells the story of Oz from a unique perspective – that of Elphaba, the wicked witch of west. While using elements from the original story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, and the 1939 movie classic, The Wizard of Oz, McGuire’s tale is edgier, full of irony and brilliant twists. While the book and movie characters were one-dimensional, McGuire’s are far more complex.  He also raises issues of sexuality, the cost of love, the nature of evil, and the definition of beauty. 

  It’s an excellent book, lending itself to excellent discussion and, of course, to a very wicked tea. 

Discussion Questions for
Gregory McGuire's Wicked.

1.  Wicked abounds with strong female character’s.  Where does each draw her strength? Is Elphaba’s strength her downfall or her eventual triumph?

2.  One of Wicked’s main themes is the nature of evil. Was Elphaba evil? Why was she perceived to be so? Were her actions evil? Or, was she a pawn in the larger scheme of the Wizard and Madame Morrible? Can evil become good? What do you think McGuire believes about the nature of evil?

3. What meaning does our society attach to the color green?  What then is the significance of Elphaba’s green skin?

4. McGuire also forces us to question the concept of “goodness.” What is Galinda’s real significance to the story? How is her character developed?

5.  McGuire attempted to deconstruct traditional notions of “different.” If he succeeded, you might now find the wicked witch of the west an endearing character. Do you?

6. The ruby slippers become silver in Wicked and now play a different role. Why did McGuire do that? Was it her own evil or the shoes became the downfall of Nessarose?

7.  What is McGuire really saying about the nature of the witch in literature and legend?

8. As most of us grew up with the story of the Wizard of Oz, did you find the revisiting of familiar characters seen in a different light to be engaging or did you find it difficult?

Wicked (and rather green) Recipes

Frozen Champagne Grapes
Soak firm green grapes in champagne for 4-6 hours and then roll in sugar. Place on a tray and freeze. Remove from the freezer immediately before serving.

Opened-Faced Cheddar Round
Grate Derby Sage Cheddar  (green in color, it’s available in gourmet groceries and at Sweet Bay Markets) Cut bread into rounds and butter . Top each round with the grated cheese. Pipe a small amount of pesto onto the center of each round.

Baby Tomatoes with Peas & Mint
Cut a small slice off each end of six baby tomatoes so they’ll sit balancedup on a tray. Cut each in half and scoop out the centers. Mix 1/3 cup thawed peas with a teaspoon of mint and ½ tablespoon of sour cream. Fill tomato halves with pea mixture.

Carmelized Onion & Green Rice Tart
1 small bunch spinach
21/4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoons olive oil
11/2 cups jasmine rice
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3 eggs

2 tablespoons butter
4 cups sliced Vidalia onions
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup grated Harvarti cheese
1 cup grated smoked Gouda

  Blend spinach, stock and salt in a food processor for 3-4 seconds until the spinach is finely chopped. Heat oil until hot and add rice. Stir for 5-7 minutes or until the grains begin to brown. Add the broth and spinach mixture. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low.  Simmer for 15 minutes before removing the pan from the heat. Let sit covered for five more minutes.  Put three cups of the rice in a bowl  and add the Parmesan cheese and eggs. Mix well and press in the bottom of a 10” cheesecake pan.

  Melt butter and stir in brown sugar. Add sliced onions. Turn heat to medium and slowly cook onions until caramelized.  Spread caramelized onions over rice. Blend cheeses together and spread over onions. Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven.

For Dessert: Serve small bowls of Pistachio Ice Cream with a quarter of a peeled kiwi fruit tucked into the side of the bowl.

Décor
1. Mix it up with elements from Wicked and from The Wizard of Oz.

2. Stuff a pair of old socks with batting and place old shoes, sprayed either red or silver (they’re silver in Wicked), so that your guests must walk by them as they appear to be sticking out from under your house.

3. Use green glitter and witches hats on the tables.

4. Place small metal funnels embellished with a guest’s name at each place setting.

5. Put a straw broom in a corner and a green balloon with a basket hanging from it in another corner.

6. Paint a roll of brown paper so it looks like a yellow brick road and place it from the inside of your front door to your tea tables.
 

Resources:
1. Bookrag.com: For $4.99 you can purchase a 20 page study and discussion guide for Wicked.

2. OzClub.org: The International Wizard of Oz Club

3. To read all you ever wanted to know about Dorothy's ruby slippers,
click here.
 

Follow up your Wicked Tea by attending Wicked the Musical,
different even from McGuire's version.

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