Anyone who knows our family knows that food & mealtimes are an important part of how we do life. Bernie & I love to prepare a great meal for an occasion. Much planning & fussing will go into moment, with the aim always being to really give people not just a good meal but a good experience. I’ve come to understand that a great meal is not just about great food. In my mind, it’s about the food, the setting, the occasion, the wine, the music, the loving preparation & most important, the company that you share this experience with. I have had many memorable meals; one from Easter in the early 80’s, when we spent the weekend with a group of good friends. We all went to a restaurant in Maldon called “the Mill” where we proceeded to share a meal that took the whole afternoon to consume, not because of the volume of food, but because of the occasion. I guess it was my first experience of “slow food”. They had a couch & a coffee table that you sat at before the meal, & in between courses, & this had all sorts of tidbits on it. So there we sat, reclining for hours, munching on some incredible stuff, drinking great wine & with some fine friends.
Our worst experience; we invited a group of about 15 friends for a special meal. We spent all day preparing; the guests arrived & sat down, we served the food in front of a roaring fire in mid winter, just as I had served the last meals & plated up my own dinner ready to sit down, more than half the friends finished their food & left. The people that remained were great company, but the experience of being stood up by our other so called “friends”, left a sour taste in ones mouth. (I’m over it, really, I am, honest!!!!)
I would love to experiment further with the whole idea of slow food (like our Maldon, easter experience) with some of our friends of the current era. I love the idea of allocating time with some people that we love doing life with, and just keeping small amounts of food & wine appearing over a long period of time. Who would like to be part of that?
Sooooo, what are your memories of good & bad meals? What in your mind makes a great meal, & if you had to choose a last meal, what would you choose?
MM

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