Beach Ball

Come summer and the majority of Americans toss off winter's traces and head unerringly for the cool and casual attractions of ocean, lake or pool.

The summer outing is a delightful ritual that has held sway here since turn-of-the-century swains, decked out in boaters, ice-cream pants, nature-defying celluloid collars, and mandolins, went down to the sea in style with their Gibson girls.

The season and the place have remained the same but, happily, modern mores and technology have turned the waterside wingding into a combination unfettered bash, casual banquet and mecca for the sports-minded (and especially the surfing set, that rapidly burgeoning legion of hardy seafarers who dig the kicks to be found on the crest of a breaker). The range of food and drink, fun and games at the beck of aquanauts and their mermaids is well-nigh limitless. Most of the activities and all of the provender set forth in the following apply whether you're beachbound or headed for some woodsy inland picnic site.

Given any form of transport, from a station wagon to a roof-racked sports car, Neptune's sons and daughters can become swingingly self-sustaining for a day-and-night seaside revel. From surfboards to nautical gocarts, from King Kong-sized chess sets to completely portable hi-fi rigs, from geodesic-domed tents to banquet-sized thermo chests, the accouterments and accessories currently available to set up a temporary kingdom by the sea are spectacular in their variety.

Granted the casual aspects of boy-girl beach parties are what give them much of their charm--a spontaneous game of water tag, or the breaking out of sandwiches and beer when the inner man demands, can be a ball--still there is much to be said for organizing your outing.

There are the logistics of who brings what, the planning of menus that are bracing, bountiful and interesting, the judicious providing of amusement--physical, mental and aesthetic--that will keep matters lively from the initial establishment of your beachhead right on through to the dying out of the last campfire ember.

We offer here a variegated and antic assortment of games active and cerebral, food plentiful and savory, drinks cooling and quenching--all of them designed to keep the fun unflagging and the company convivial.

Fun & Games

The fun of a day in the sun--particularly if the celebrants form a sizable coterie--can be delightfully enhanced if there's just the right kind and amount of organized play to release high spirits, generate happy and intimate informality, provide "something to do" (to ward off aimlessness), and make everyone feel on equally companionable terms with everyone else. Once the games are under way, reticence vanishes, vivacity rules and the day's splendidly launched.

Although the games collected here have sea and sand as their playing field, many are adaptable to poolside, riverbank or meadow.

Dragons: The group is divided into two equal teams, guys and girls alternating, forming a conga line, with each teammate gripping the waist of the person in front of him. A girl brings up the rear of each line and has a handkerchief "tail" dangling from her waist (a girl with a two-piece suit should be given this assignment, since the handkerchief has to be tucked in place; if it's tied, she runs the risk of having her suit ripped off--conceivably, this ploy might be saved as a capper for the last round). Object of dragons is for the "head" guy in each line to try snatching the hanky from the "tail" of the other line, each team doing its wriggling best to keep its rear out of range of the other team's "head," while simultaneously attempting to maneuver its own "head" into tail-grabbing position for the opposite team's handkerchief. It doesn't matter which side wins this contest. The usual reward of playing is utter collapse into exhausted hilarity.

Water Knights: Out in the surf, the girls clamber aboard the guys' shoulders and everybody meets in free-for-all combat. Object is to unseat other riders without drowning one's own steed in the process. Eliminated riders are supposed to give in gracefully and go ashore, but the odds are that they'll clamber aboard again and spur their mounts right back into the fray. Game is over when all the knights are spent.

Water Relay: Two teams line up, the leader of each line holding a broad dish or other container (hubcaps will do in a pinch) brim full of water. At a signal, each container is passed backward, overhead, from person to person until it reaches the last member in each line, who then runs to the front of the line and starts the container back again, the idea being to keep from spilling any water while racking up the greatest number of completed passes. The process continues until one side's container is empty, or one side is three passes ahead of the other. As a reward, the winning team's container is filled with beer for a group chugalug. Ditto for the losing side--it's the spirit that counts in this game.

Surfballing: The group divides into equal teams, one forming an outer ring and the other an inner huddle, at least waist deep in the water, to impede legwork. A floating beach ball is then used by the outer team to hurl at the inner one. Anyone struck must join the outer circle. The object is to see who can longest avoid being tagged by the ball. Hiding under the water is fair although generally futile.

Chameleon Cross-Tag: In the usual game of cross-tag, the person who is selected to be It announces the name of the person he first intends to chase. Once the chase starts, however, any other person running between It and the chasee becomes the chasee, and It must go after that person. In the chameleon version, It must not only pursue the guy or girl crossing It's path, but must pursue him while duplicating his method of locomotion. In other words, if the person crossing is hopping on one foot, It must pursue him or her while hopping on one foot; the crosser, however, must continue in the same fashion until someone else crosses between him and It. Should he, in the instance given, let his other foot touch the ground, then he becomes It, and the game continues. Depending on the agility of the players, the variations on this game are endless, as the crosser somersaults, duck-walks, cartwheels, or even--a dirty trick on It--runs backward between It and the former chasee. The water, of course, is on limits. (For more games, turn to page 126.)

Beach Ball : Fun(continued from page 62)

Back to Back: Pair off in couples, sit down back to back, link arms at the elbows and then, not unlinking, couples try to stand up. First pair up with arms still linked wins. Penalty for the last couple is this: They lie prone, facing each other, hands behind their backs, and kiss--then try to regain their feet without breaking the kiss, while the rest of the crowd leisurely sings Sweet Adeline. On the other hand, this can be a reward for the winners.

CAT AND MOUSE: A blanket is laid on the sand. A male Cat and female Mouse are selected and blindfolded. At opposite ends of the blanket, they crouch down and place one hand on the blanket. At a signal, the Cat starts after the Mouse. Neither may remove the one hand from the blanket, but either may go to the left or right, whichever way they think best for their own benefit. If the Cat catches the Mouse, he may claim a kiss; a new Cat is chosen, and the game goes on. If the Mouse evades the Cat for a certain amount of time (a minute or two), the Mouse wins and has her choice of a new Cat, or may name a new Mouse to take her place.

COUNTDOWN: This is a gag to be played on an unsuspecting member of the party, rather than a game. The leader talks at length about how important a sense of balance is to astronauts. The patsy (preferably a she-patsy), is offered a chance to show her sense of balance, is blindfolded and made to stand on a surfboard, which--she is told--will be lifted aloft while she balances on it. What actually happens is that, once she is a few inches clear of the sand, all the others begin slowly sinking down as they tease her, give her encouraging pats--first on the head, then moving down her body--warn her of the peril of slipping, and so on, all designed to enhance the illusion of being lifted. Finally, when everybody is flat on the ground (the guys at the two ends of the board are lying prone, with only elbows propped to support the board "aloft"), and the girl is still holding her balance, the leader yells "Look out!", the girls begin to scream, and the pair holding the board tilts the girl off it. In this instant, before she realizes she's only been a short distance in the air all along, she may do some screaming herself. Because she's been such a good sport, a kissing line is then formed and the girl is rewarded by each male.

SURF RELAY: This is played waist deep in the water, the party divided into two teams, each standing in line, one player behind the other, legs apart. At the starting signal, the person at the rear of each line rushes to the front, dives underwater and swims back through his teammates' legs (he can be pushed through, if necessary), to the rear of the line, then turns and leapfrogs over their backs to the front and remains standing there. The moment he is in place, the player now at the end of the line runs to the front, swims through, and leapfrogs back to the front, then the next person, the next, and so on until the team is once again in its original-line-up position. First team to return to its original line-up wins.

TOWER OF SAND: This game is hard to beat for sheer competition. Two teams are selected, and at a signal, each-- in a designated area of the beach--attempts to build a tower of sand in a given time period (three to five minutes is about right). The taller of the two towers at the end of the time limit wins for its builders. Symmetry of form is no criterion: The sand can be stacked any which way, as long as it balances and continues to rise above the beach. It is also fair for the team members to stand on one another's shoulders to augment the height of their tower. For variety, more than two towers may be constructed, perhaps on a couple-against-couple basis. In any case, the hurling of sand balls or other spur-of-the-moment missiles at a competitor's edifice is considered foul play.

MAN IN A PINK OVERCOAT: This game is best played at the cocktail hour or around the fire after the last morsel of food's been gobbled. Seated in a circle, the group listens carefully as the leader says, "I saw a man in a pink overcoat." The next person says, "I saw a man in a pink overcoat wearing green spats." The next says, "I saw a man in a pink overcoat wearing green spats carrying a refrigerator." And so it goes around the circle, each person adding any detail he can think of. In this game, however, the leader does not get off by starting anew when it comes back to him. He must add a new detail to the last person's composite, and keep the growing description moving about the circle. If any person fails to repeat a detail, he or she must chugalug and the next person in line must say the statement correctly--or pay the penalty. There is no limit to the details each player may use in his turn, except that the person making it up will sooner or later have to recall it himself or suffer the consequences.

THE LAST WORD: This, also being a sedentary game, is best played at day's end. A leader is chosen to go to each person and whisper the name of some item common to the beach (sand, pebble, shell, bather, tide, cabana, umbrella, blanket, water, beach ball, diving platform, etc.). He then selects a second person to start telling a story about a day at the beach. However, as soon as the raconteur says a word that has been whispered to any person present, that person must jump up, take a drink, turn around once, sit down again, and then take up the story where the other left off. If the word "seashore" is mentioned, all must stand up, take a drink, turn around, sit down, but the same storyteller continues. The leader has silently assigned himself a word, too, at whose mention he must respond as indicated. The big kick here is trying to remember just who has which word, in order to keep that person jumping up and down and drinking. However, no one may say the word of the person from whom he just took over the storytelling. Should he do so inadvertently, he himself must stand, drink, turn, sit, and continue the tale.

Food & Drink

Among the happy pleasures of an outdoor party, the joys of hearty alfresco meals rank high. Their appetites whetted by fresh air and active play, the celebrants will fall to with gusto in a spirit of uninhibited informality. If it's a beach party, the heady salt tang from the sparkling sea and the brief attire that's suited to sun, sand and surf will add an extra ingredient of exciting anticipation to the feasty festivities.

The one great American gastronomic adventure that no foreign fare ever attempts to challenge is the New England clambake. Years ago, an authentic clambake called for an excavation engineer rather than an amateur chef. In long trenches dug hours before the party, stones were heated white hot. In time, seaweed was added, together with lobster, corn on the cob and sacks of steamer clams. Many hunger pangs later the clambake was ready. Nowadays you send for a mail-order clambake, one of the few 20th Century discoveries that--from the epicurean standpoint--equals the invention of the wheel.

To keep your beach crew from duplication of effort, and to make logistical matters both convenient and a fun-filled challenge, have the troops (those who have not been assigned or have volunteered to tote the games, cooking gear and sundry beach paraphernalia) pick the food and drink they would like to prepare and/or bring from a master check-off list. Tableware, napery and utensils, in the main, should be either disposable or unbreakable. (Plastic flatware, plastic-coated paper dishes and insulated plastic tumblers will fill almost every food-and-drink bill, the exceptions being those occasions calling for a carving set and grill utensils.)

To make your picnic list useful, it's important to throw light on the four departments of any good beach blowout--the prepared food as well as all ingredients that go into food to be cooked; the cooking gear--French knife, spatula, tongs, etc.; the tableware; and finally, the potables and drinkingware. It's wise to first go through a mental dress rehearsal of the steps necessary to get the food or drink from the raw state to the mouth. A good amateur bartender, for instance, concentrating on tom collins in his sober mind's eye, will reach for ice, lemon juice, sugar, spoon, soda, gin, mixing glass and shaker, and drinking glass. Elsewhere in this issue (page 94), the reader will find High Spirits by Food and Drink Editor Thomas Mario which combines hip how-tos on the preparation of cooling mixed drinks in quantity before your merry band departs for its festive destination, with a series of temptingly imaginative and highly serviceable recipes that will add variety to the potable carte and make the bartender-designate's on-the-scene duties a breeze.

Modern beach menus will be most successful if you keep the food and drinks as simple as possible. We will take it for granted that such surfside staples as weiners, burgers, spare ribs, cold fried chicken, marshmallows for roasting, the omnipresent beer barrel for draught-brew fanciers, and the cooling confection of ice cream will be part and parcel of the beachnik's equipe as either supplemental fare to the more elaborate picnic menus we offer in this text, or as substitute nutriment for those who insist that their fare be completely casual. It should be pointed out, though, to picnicking primitivists, that the beach funfest doesn't necessarily become complicated because it calls for filet mignon rather than fried chicken or for champagne rather than beer. In the latter case, each must be iced. There are some foods that are buoyed more happily by beer than by champagne. A rare roast filet of beef is actually easier to carve than the usual standing rib roast. Our seaside moral is clear: Make your collations as luxurious as you please and sufficiently bountiful to satisfy outdoor appetites, but keep them uncluttered.

The 1964 models of insulated picnic bags, wide- and narrow-mouthed vacuum bottles, completely fitted wicker baskets and traveling bar cases are sufficiently varied to suit every need. A special word should be put in for the synthetic foam coolers and ice buckets. They weigh next to nothing and, while they have a limited life, their insulating ability is as good as the best of the heavy-duty equipment.

Foods prepared beforehand in casseroles that are then blanketed with several thicknesses of paper will usually keep warm for two or three hours. Be sure that all cold fresh foods are nestled right alongside the ice or are buried in it. Frozen foods like chops and steaks may be removed from the freezer and permitted to thaw en route in time for cooking. If you're going to eat lobster or joints of chicken right out of the hand, moist towels wrapped in foil are a very civilized adjunct.

Herewith are four menus designed to assuage the hungriest outdoorsman and win the approbations of the most particular gourmet.

Menu I

Lobster and Clam BakeCorn on the CobJulienne PotatoesSalt-Stick RollsIced BeerBeefsteak Tomatoes, Chive Sour-CreamDressingGreen Apple PieCoffee

The Maine seafood dinner ordered by mail is an iced container of lobster and clams nestling in seaweed. The container becomes the cooking pot. Although live arrival is usually guaranteed for 2000 miles, be warned that the succulent quarry may come a day late. As a sensible precaution, order it for arrival the day before your beach binge. Store in a cool, dark place, and replace some of the ice if it's an unusually sultry day. Cooking instructions will arrive by mail before the seafood itself is delivered. Just before taking off on your beach journey, lift the metal can out of the outer wooden keg. With a heavy screwdriver or pliers, lift off the lid of the metal can and fill it with the surrounding ice. Remover seaweed if you plan to serve the clam broth, otherwise let it remain. Be sure to carry a can opener to punch the metal top for an opening when the dinner is steamed. The printed instructions will tell you to pour a quart of salted water into the pot before cooking. At the beach, instead of water use 1-1/2 quarts of ice surrounding the seafood.

Corn on the cob should be placed on a grill rack above the hot coals. Leave husks on corn, but remove silk. Dip in cold water, and place over flames. Turn corn from time to time until it is medium charred on all sides.

Wrap prepared julienne (shoestring) potatoes in several thicknesses of aluminum foil. Place over fire to warm. Cut rolls in half lengthwise and butter before departing for beach. If salt sticks are unavailable, buttered finger rolls are a fine understudy. To make sour-cream dressing for four picnickers, combine 1/2 cup sour cream, I teaspoon lemon juice, 2 teaspoons minced chives and 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt. Keep well iced. Put generous dollops on sliced tomatoes.

Menu II

Shrimp DiableCold Roast Filet of BeefTossed Green Salad, Roquefort DressingFrench BreadChampagne CupPeaches in Grand MarnierCoffee

[drinkRecipe]Shrimp Diable[/drinkRecipe]

(Four appetizer portions)

[recipe]1 Ib. fresh shrimps[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup tomato juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup bread crumbs[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon Pickapeppa sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon concentrated beef extract[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon Chinese oyster sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon monosodium glutamate[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon pepper[/recipe]

Worcestershire sauce may replace Pickapeppa sauce, and soy sauce may be used in place of oyster sauce, if these two ingredients aren't in your bailiwick. Cook shrimps in 2 cups lightly salted boiling water 5 minutes. Save 1-1/4 cups cooking liquid. Peel and devein shrimps. Combine reserved cooking liquid with butter, tomato juice, bread crumbs, Pickapeppa sauce, beef extract, oyster sauce, monosodium glutamate and pepper. Stir well. Bring to a boil and simmer 3 minutes. Add shrimps to sauce. Keep hot in casserole or widemouthed vacuum jug until serving time. Both Shrimp Diable and roast filet should be prepared at home.

A whole roast filet of beef will provide from 6 to 8 portions. Have butcher remove outer fat, leaving only enough to keep roast juicy, and tie thin end of filet under, for uniform roasting. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 30 to 40 minutes in preheated oven at 425°. Carve at beach encampment. Carry salad and dressing separately; mix just before serving. Cut French bread diagonally in large enough slices to hold beef slice.

[drinkRecipe]Champagne Cup[/drinkRecipe]

(Ten six-oz. glasses)

[recipe]2 26-oz. bottles iced dry champagne[/recipe]

[recipe]4 thin slices seedless orange[/recipe]

[recipe]4 thin slices lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]1 pint strawberries, stems removed[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1 oz. triple sec[/recipe]

Cut orange and lemon slices in half.

(concluded on page 127)Beach Ball: Food (continued from page 64) In a bowl combine orange and lemon slices, berries, sugar and triple sec. Let fruit marinate in refrigerator 3 to 4 hours before departure time. At the beach combine the fruit mixture and iced champagne in large pitchers.

Peaches in Grand Marnier are available in quart jars, which provide six portions. Serve icy cold.

Menu III

AntipastoSaltimboccaItalian Whole-Wheat BreadChilled Orvieto WineFresh FigsCold ZabaglioneEspresso

[recipeTitle]Saltimbocca[/recipeTitle]

(Serves six)

2 Ibs. Italian-style veal cutlets Salt, freshly ground pepper,

[recipe]1 teaspoon leaf sage[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 Ib. very thin prosciutto ham[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

Saltimbocca may be made either at home or at the beach in a large sauté pan over an outdoor fire. Be sure the veal is the best quality, pinkish-gray slices from the leg, not the shoulder. Have the butcher pound the veal as thin as possible without tearing it. Cut meat into pieces about 1 1/2 in. wide and 2 to 3 in. long. If your sage has been standing on the spice shelf more than six months, buy a fresh bottle. Chop it fine with the heel of a French knife. Sprinkle veal lightly with salt and pepper, turn it and sprinkle other side with sage. On each piece of veal place a piece of prosciutto ham. Prosciutto should be cut so that it just covers meat. Fasten ham to veal with a toothpick in each piece, threading it so that ham is securely fastened. In the sauté pan over low to moderate heat, put butter and oil. When butter has melted, add veal and sauté until light brown turning once to brown on both sides. Add more butter if necessary to complete sautéing. Remove veal from pan. Add wine to pan and cook until reduced to half its original volume. Pour over veal.

Buy the long, thin Italian whole-wheat bread. Place one or two pieces of veal on each slice of bread. A 21-oz. jar of fancy. Italian antipasto in a piquant sauce is sufficient for six seaside appetites. A bottle of Orvieto, the pale gold wine of Umbria, will provide six glasses. If fresh figs aren't in the local fruit stalls, ripe peaches or pineapple may be used with the cold zabaglione. Cut figs in halves and spoon zabaglione over them.

[recipeTitle]Cold Zabaglione[/recipeTitle]

(Serves six)

[recipe]6 egg yolks[/recipe]

[recipe]1/3 cup sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup marsala or dark sweet sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons sugar[/recipe]

Put egg yolks and 1/3 cup sugar in the top part of a double boiler. Beat well with a wire whisk. Add wine and beat well. Place in double boiler over simmering water. Top part should not be in contact with water. Beat constantly with whisk until sauce is thick. Scrape bottom and sides of pan frequently. Remove from fire as soon as mixture is thick. Turn into shallow bowl and chill in refrigerator. When mixture is cold, beat cream until thick. Fold 2 tablespoons sugar into cream. Fold whipped cream into egg-yolk mixture. Cover with tight lid and keep ice cold until serving time.

Menu IV

Smoked-Oyster Dip, Celery HeartsKing Crab and Avocado SaladFried NoodlesPimm's Cup No. 1Whole Fresh MangoesCoffee

[recipeTitle]Smoked-Oyster Dip[/recipeTitle]

(1 1/2 cups)

[recipe]1 cup sour cream[/recipe]

[recipe]3 2/3-oz. can smoked oysters[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons lime juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon light rum[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon grated onion[/recipe]

[recipe]3 dashes Tabasco sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]1/8 teaspoon salt[/recipe]

Put all ingredients in well of electric blender. Blend until smooth. If necessary, stop machine and force unblended ingredients into bottom. Keep ice cold.

Use celery hearts or 2-in. celery wedges for scooping smoked-oyster dip. Pieces of fennel or cucumber slices may be used.

[recipeTitle]King Crab and Avocado Salad[/recipeTitle]

(Serves four)

[recipe]2 6-oz. packages frozen Alaska King crab meat[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium-size ripe avocado[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of half lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup celery, small dice[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon finely minced scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon soy sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]2 canned pimientos, small dice Salt, pepper[/recipe]

Thaw crab meat. Drain. Peel avocado, cut into small dice and sprinkle with lemon juice. In a large mixing bowl, combine crab meat, avocado, mayonnaise, celery, scallions, soy sauce and pimientos. Toss all ingredients, adding salt and pepper to taste. Keep ice cold.

Fried noodles are available in cans or may be bought fresh at Chinese restaurants. The recipe for Pimm's Cup No. 1, the original gin sling, will be found on the back of the bottle. Whole fresh mangoes should be peeled from top to bottom, petal style. Any unripe meat clinging to skin should be left there, since mangoes ripen from the inside out.

• • •

The gemütlich amalgam of sun and water, games and gourmandise that comprises the beach party will quickly dissolve the stresses and strains of the workaday world. Luring landlubbers down to the sea, it is the happy antithesis of the Lorelei. So what are you waiting for? The beach beckons.