Prom Dress Girls

I once wrote a song titled “Prom Dress Girls”. To me, it’s very cute, at Prom Time, to see so many young people, in restaurants, and around town, all dressed to the nines, noisy and confident, as they participate in the prom ritual. For boys, I think, generally, it’s just a way to get with girls. For girls, it’s a much bigger issue, like a wedding, and takes planning, and a lot of thought.

And those dresses, man, they’re expensive. The boys, they rent. But the girls mostly buy dresses, and some plan their evening for months. I get a kick out of it. I have two daughters, and they both went to their prom, when they were in high school. And they were sure to stop by and see their Dad, allow him a few photos, and that was really nice of them.

I try not to tell other people’s stories, but there is one, related to prom dress girls, I just have to tell. I have an acquaintance, who, when she attended her first senior prom, was only a sophomore. So, she would have been maybe 14. The restaurant of choice was a very spendy Portland restaurant, back in the day, maybe 1964, a restaurant in a fancy hotel, known as “The Benson”. The fare was mostly French at the time, and understanding the menu, for a naive 14 year-old picky eater, was a bit challenging. There was only one thing on the menu that struck a chord, and looked as though it was something she would eat, and that she could order with confidence. When the waiter came to take orders (there were 3 couples at the table) she assertively ordered her meal, a meal whose title she understood.....
”Cherries Jubilee”. Of course, Cherries Jubilee is a grande and flaming “prepared tableside” dessert, not an entree, so the waiter begged to assist in the selection of a suitable entree. However, trying her best to appear mature and collected, she insisted that she was certain in her selection. The waiter relented.

About half an hour later, as the “Steak Au Poive”, “Salade Nicoise”, and “Columbia River Chinook Bernaise” began to arrive, several waiters pulled the black leather dessert prep table into view. Then, as my friend’s prom date, and the other couples began to eat , the waiters got busy creating, “tableside”, a huge and fancy flaming Cherries Jubilee dessert, complete with mounds of ice cream and brandy from the sky, which my friend then devoured as her entree. Just right for that Prom Dress Girl. Perhaps you've noticed that I haven't used any names, above, to well, uh, protect the innocent.

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