First Published 3/21/08, Myspace
When the boss said "meeting will be at the patio"
and turned to me, I thought it was time to amp things a bit - ordering Japanese
for the regular monthly meeting has become too trite, and Im sick and tired of looking
at plastic coteries housing the luscious and crunchy rolls. The tight
assed budget would be hell to play with, but a gourmet spread was
possible. Max, the ex-chef (french trained) minding the kitchen while he
was scrounging for Eric's replacement, was no help - I guess a french
temperament came with the training but he gave a nod when I said I planned to
serve - melon slices wrapped in prosciutto and bruschetta for starters, pasta
alfredo al verde, and roast chicken with pepperoncini and smoked sausage for
the entree polished off with tiramisu. It was a week before the spring
solstice, but the weather came great - the sun complementing the slight nip in
the air.
One lesson learned though it was pretty impressive with
turned up napkins - never serve prosciutto on melon al fresco - it was soggy in
less than a minute in open air. The renewed interest probably spawned by
midnight reviews of Top Chef made me think it was time to replicate the osso
bucco from faint memories of countless lunches at Cafe Rizal.
On another note, the prospect of dining alone seems to be a
morbid idea, even in this day and age, and is relegated as a lonely exercise
best done with a burger or take away Chinese. The horror is much more if
you have to do it in public.
But, it is when you dine alone that you actually do great
service to the food and the effort of so many people behind its creation -
timed to the precise minute for your steak to come out medium rare, your
carrots julliened to perfection, the deliberate thinness of your carpaccio, the
flourish with which it is presented to you.
Only then can you appreciate edible art, and properly
compose yourself in a leisurely trip from your salad to your dessert without
worries. No listening to some boring topic about his car, their children,
her love affair, no need to turn your head 45 degress down to the side so he
wont see the full glory of your bad teeth when you open your mouth to swallow
that morsel of sushi. Unless the lonely guy sitting across the room
happens to be looking at you this time.
So, the next time you feel you are brave enough to venture
out alone for dinner, splurge and order the nicest dinner you can and give a
large tip.
Unlike masturbation, there's no worry about your teeth
falling off for indulging in a little self gratification...
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