The Crew of the SS Brunch

I realized on my first post that I mentioned a bunch of us go out to brunch together regularly.  Since these cohorts of mine will feature in my columns, I figured I should introduce them to you.  All names have been changed to protect the guilty... and because it is more fun that way.
First, there are the originators of our weekly brunch extravaganza, two of my closest friends.  Let's call them El Generalissimo and The Red Queen.  Why?  Because I feel like it, damn it.
I first met The Red Queen in Boston in a former incarnation.  She was a dramaturgy MFA student at the American Repretory Theatre.  We became fast friends and have remained as such even when we ended up being flatmates for the first two years I spent in NY.  She's a tall redhead with an uncanny resemblence to "Six" from the Battlestar Galactica series.  I rely on her for much of my food info.  She always seems to find new and interesting places to eat, and we have a similar sensibility about eating sustainably and ethically.
Her consort (read: fiancee) is El Generalissimo.  Tall, dark, and not swarthy.  EG is a fighting master.  He choreographs stage combat, performs stunts for films, and is a Wing-Tsun instructor.  For those who don't know, Wing-Tsun is a bad ass kung-fu, whose basic principal seems to be: "Fuck up your enemy as quick as possible before they can mess with you."  It was originally a "woman's martial art," and somehow I find this totally appropriate.  Now, the funny thing is that he is probably the nicest guy you'd ever want to meet in a dark alley.  Like a big stack of pancakes smothered in syrup, he is unbelievably sweet, but can kill you.  Although, I still find it laughable to imagine he could destroy me in under a minute.  Needless to say, we all try to stay on his good side... and it's not that hard.
Our third most consistent brunchateer is another dramaturg, my current roommate.  Let's call her the Lady of the Book, because if she's not at brunch, it usually means she's off watching rehearsal or researching some obscure, but deathly important fact for her director.
Then there is The Kung-fu Master and his Wife.  They are bosom chums of El Generalissimo, and the Kung-fu master is actually El Generalissimo's teacher.  KFM looks even more unassuming than EG, yet could probably kill you in half the time.  And unlike EG, he doesn't play fight.  No siree, this man is all business.  He is also chock full of fun and bizarre stories of the kung-fu world and its crazy inhabitants.
The Boys round out our usual crew.  They are a couple, one of which is my best friend from New Zealand.  We'll call him The Kiwi, appropriately enough.  He moved to the States right when I was moving to NYC, so he, The Red Queen and I all lived together for a year, until he met the love of his life, LeCoque, who promptly stole him away from us.  LeCoque and the Kiwi are also in the theatre world and run their own company.  LC is the more extroverted of the two, but together they are like a perfectly mixed cocktail.  All the elements adding up to a delicious whole.
Occasionally, there will be additional folks joining us, such as The Neighbors (EG and RQ's) neighbors, or more friends from the kung-fu school or other places in our lives.
So hopefully, this has given a little snapshot of the crew of the SS Brunch.  Now, I can finally get to writing about the places we actually go.
Happy Brunching.
Brunch Baron