Being present is a present (Really… only in English)
So I’ve already screwed up this whole blog posting thing, but I believe it was a mistake worth making. The other night I made this fabulous dinner for a couple that I have known for close to 25 years. I got up early in the morning and started making a stock out of kelp and mushrooms to marinade the braised short ribs. The whole time I had the blog in mind and though this dinner would make great content. As I marinated the short ribs I started to prep the other dishes. I paired the meal with pineapple and lobster fried rice and crispy garlic green beans. I wasn’t done there though, I made fresh caramel for the salted caramel creme brûlée and baked those in a water bath to serve for dessert. We also had a little sashimi and sake to start. It was a really great meal and while I think each dish had at least one thing I could have done better they said: “it was the best meal that they have ever had”.
So this is where I messed up and why I’m glad I did. After slaving away most of the day on this meal expecting to showcase it, not one of us took a picture. I am that annoying person who takes pictures of meals and still not one picture, not even dessert. The reason for this snafu is that we were so busy being present, talking about music, playing songs for each other and enjoying each other that nothing else was as important as each other and the moment we were sharing. I’ll even go as far as saying it wasn’t the best meal ever but the combination of great conversation, music, passion, and love was a compliment to the food like a great glass of wine.
Thankfully my friend got at least 1 picture, and of course it is of her being served by two men. Remember, a food pic for your instagram or blog post can’t be more valuable the experience your having.