Back in 2009, when I was 11 years younger and hunting exhibitions were not as massive as they are today, I decided to dress up as a pigeon at the Houston Safari Club Show. Well… I was supposed to be a dove but my 95-year-old tailor could not tell the difference between the 2 birds. She was clearly not a hunter ;)

So there I was, trying to fit my 2-piece pigeon suite in my only suitcase and I can tell you it was not an easy job! Finally, we landed in Houston both my pigeon suit and I, safe and sound.

JJ and I remember the first day of the show like if it was yesterday and we are still laughing… Right after lunch, the busiest time of the show, I came out of the convention bathroom feeling like a Hollywood star! My pigeon suit was 7ft tall so even the Parking lot guard could see me. All eyes were on me while I wandered through the corridors cooing like a dove and offering the most exciting and fun Argentina dove hunts! Attendees were so fascinated with my costume and the idea of an Argentina hunt that they started asking for pictures, haha, literally a Hollywood star. I spent the first 10 minutes talking to potential Argentina dove hunters and eating popcorn from the bar table, as doves and pigeons love corn!

15 minutes after my appearance I felt someone grabbing one of my wings… Convinced it was my teasing partner JJ, I kept on walking and cooing. Suddenly, my other wing was lifted so I felt something was not right. I looked over my left shoulder and saw JJ with his cell phone recording the whole situation and laughing out loud. 1 minute later I was escorted to the entrance by the convention guards. Bummer :(

Fortunately, the gastronomy manager and friend Hugo and two of our US friends from The Detail Company, David Bodai and Wyatt McCulloch, intervened and I was let into the show again with the only condition that I had to stay inside the booth. A standing ovation welcomed me and my pigeon back to the show and there I was high fiving my crowd, haha.

A year later I wrote a cooking book which shares my love of life, friends and cooking at Sierra Brava Lodge and took two autographed copies to the Houston guards that had to cope with my sprightly humor. It was a funny day and clearly reflects our lively spirit at Sierra Brava.

El Topo

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