Classing up Cannabis’ Biggest Holiday
When you hear the date 4/20, it’s likely a few things come to mind. You’re probably thinking that it’s April 20th. Logical. Or maybe you’re thinking of the fact that it’s national cheddar cheese fries day (not shabby), or that it’s two days before Earth Day, but if you’re anything like most people, what you’re actually thinking is it’s time to roll up a nice little doobie in honor of what 4/20 really stands for: national weed day. And thanks to our friends at Session Goods, we’re classing up our glass to celebrate in a much more sophisticated manner. Goodbye gas station snacks and Gatorade bottle gravity bongs, hello fine dining, nice looking vices and a rather relaxing evening.
A brief history on 4/20
How did Mary Jane get its own unofficial but now-sort-of-official holiday, you might wonder? It’s all thanks to The Waldos—the group of San Rafael High School stoners who made it a tradition to meet up at 4:20 after practice to get a little stoned in the groovy year of 1971. A timeless act. But how the date and time of the toke really stuck was due to none other than the Grateful Dead. The Waldos spent a lot of time with the Dead—seemingly making sense—and the phrase caught on. Deadheads began handing out flyers that read something along the lines of “Meet here at 4:20 on 4/20 for some 420-ing.” And the rest is history. And people think being stoned won’t help you get anything done.
How to celebrate with Session
The kids usually spend this day hotboxing the back of their older friend’s car while darting into the gas station to grab chips hoping the cashier (who is more than likely also just as stoned) doesn’t realize how red their eyes are. Even if they didn’t, the Top Ramen, Slurpee and Sour Patch Kids are a dead giveaway.
But not this year. Instead of a dry-mouth-inducing smorgasbord of your favorite processed snacks, we’re keeping it sleek, fresh and slightly tropical. We’ve had the itch to go to Hawaii for a while now, but the accountant simply won’t have it. Thus, we thought it a perfect opportunity to bring the island lifestyle to us. A little of the green stuff, a little sunshine, and some fresh fish. Perfectly paired with our current strain of choice: Maui Wowie.
We’ve prepared a light three-course meal (munchies are a real thing) to help you celebrate 4/20 in a calming yet classy way. If the weather permits, we suggest spending this one outside with some reggae bumping in the background. Make today the vacation you deserve. The average person spends 93 percent of their life indoors, so you might as well spend 93 percent of 4/20 stoned and outdoors. While also eating a nice dinner that will really put you on island time. Let’s see the menu, shall we*.
The Appetizer
There’s something about tangy lime juice that really brightens up the day. Also, legend has it that if you eat mango after you smoke weed, it will make you higher, so needless to say there is mango in course one. Diving into a nice fresh citrusy, yet fruity bite after taking a nice hit from the Session Pipe is really going to get your holiday started the right way. Perfect to pass to a friend, it’s ideal for a dip. While you puff your friend dips and vice versa. Never two hands reaching for the bowl at once. Ahhhh.
Dish:
Shrimp Ceviche
Piece:
Session Goods Pipe with Dream Blue accessories from the Surrealist Color Collection
Recipe:
Serves 2-4, takes about 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1 mango, sliced and diced
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- ⅛ cup diced jalapeño (if you want to spice things up)
- 1 lb raw peeled and deviened shrimp, also chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup lime juice (fresh is best)
- 1 avocado, sliced and diced
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions:
- Mix together the mango, tomatoes, red onion, and jalapeño in a large bowl.
- Stir in the shrimp and add your salt.
- Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes. The lime juice will cook the shrimp (they’re done when they are opaque).
- Before serving, stir in avocado and cilantro.
- Enjoy and aim for bites with mango.
The Main Course
The most important part of the evening, therefore needing to be accompanied by the most important toke of the evening. Maui Wowie is a Sativa so you shouldn’t even feel too tired yet, but a pro tip: pre-cook your rice. Pop open the lid of your Session Stash Jar and put your Maui Wowie into the bowl—the one for friends of course—and light that thing up. After that nice, smooth bong hit, prepare to have your mouth explode with flavor and freshness from all the different ingredients coming from your bowl of freshness. Everything in a poké bowl is optional, so feel free to let the bong rip guide you like Remy in Ratatouille.
Dish
Poké Bowl
Piece:
Session Goods Bong with Desire Green accessories from the Surrealist Color Collection
Recipe:
Serves 4 (or two if you’re a really hungry hippo), takes about 30 minutes
Ingredients:
Poké:
- 2 (4 oz) sushi-grade tuna [or fish/protein of your choice] steaks, cubed
- 3-4 cups cooked sushi rice
- 1-2 mini cukes
- 1-2 avocados
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 1-2 tsps red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp sesame chili oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- Optional: 1-2 cups mixed greens
Any other toppings you might fancy. A few that we like:
- Edamame
- Mango/Pineapple
- Cilantro
- Wasabi + Ginger
- Seaweed Salad
Spicy Mayo:
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 1-2 tbsps Sriracha
- 2 tsps soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
Instructions:
Poké:
- Combine tuna [or protein of choice], soy sauce, sesame seeds, chili oil, green onions, red pepper flakes, and cucumbers into medium bowl and mix.
- If desired, you can add in your toppings of choice and mix together here or wait and add them to the top.
Spicy Mayo:
- In a small bowl, stir together mayo, Sriracha, soy and honey.
All Together:
- Scoop rice and mixed greens [optional] into your bowl and top with portion of poké mixture.
- Add toppings of your choice and drizzle spicy mayo on top.
- Dive on in.
The Dessert
If you know anything about anything, you know that you always have to finish on a sweet note. Especially on a holiday like this one. Keeping it fresh, we figured a nice pineapple sorbet would be the perfect cool down to such an eventful evening. Considering this is a two-handed meal, the Session One Hitter was the obvious option. Perfect for holding that little doobie we mentioned earlier while also holding a frozen dessert and your spoon in the other. It’s called multitasking. We suggest taking this one outside and sitting with your pal for a nice puff, puff, pass and pineapple. Make sure you bring out the Session Ashtray with you. Genius-like and designed with a lid, it’s safe to carry even with such full hands. Like we said—multitasking.
Dish:
Dole Whip
Peice:
Recipe:
Serves 2, takes 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup chopped frozen pineapple
- 1 frozen banana
- 2-2 ½ tsps powdered sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- Pop it all into a blender and hit blend. Don’t forget to put the lid on.
- Garnish with a little umbrella or slice of pineapple and spark up the joint. Voila.
Then wait 30 minutes before swimming.
Special thanks to Session Goods for keeping our smoke style sleek and sophisticated. Paired with a pretty damn good meal, we’d have to call this year’s 4/20 a success. If that doesn’t fill you up, we’ll have to direct you to the nearest gas station. Wouldn’t that be ironic? For more from Session Goods, visit sessiongoods.com
*Please keep in mind that the pairing of these dishes with the strain Maui Wowie was put together by a stoner. There is no real science behind the pairing, just the fact they both embody a vibe. But as long as you use your Session Goods and like the ingredients, we’re sure it will taste good. Also, please be cautious when consuming seafood. No one likes food poisoning, especially when you’re high.