an ice-cold mixture of whiskey, sweetened cream, coffee, anisette and absinthe;
potted shrimp, spiced goose liver or smoked salmon and capers on crackers;
chicken sausage soup simmered with wine, broth, garlic, tomatoes, spinach and tortellini;
hot beaten biscuits and butter;
dry white wine;
horseradish-cruted roast venison;
seasoned grilled potatoes;
late asparagus;
a winter salad of pickled vegetables;
warm breads;
red Pinot Noir;
pastries;
glazed fruit-tarts;
ice-cream with hazlenuts;
liqueurs;
coffee.
5 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
One thing I wonder about is this: how often do SERIOUS political debates or argument happen at meals? I mean, serious discussions of real ideas about the state and society. I would have thought that any such discussion would be too INTERESTING to occur at meals--or, if so, then the debaters would forget about the meal and focus on the matters under discussion. A good meal and a good debate deserve to have attention focused on them SEPARATELY.
Sean
Sean,
This time at least they manage it but I reread the chapter for the food!
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
I guess I better reread Chapter Fourteen of LORD OF MOUNTAINS too!
I also thought of Chapter I of Tolkien's THE HOBBIT, "An Unexpected Party." Thorin & Company dropped by on the thunderstruck Bilbo Baggins, and feasted and dined off his sumptuous food stores and got down to business only AFTER the meal. Which I thought was logical.
Sean
Human beings tend to relax when they're eating and talk more freely -- and they also tend to be more relaxed with people with whom they're sharing food. I suspect this is instinctual, and also the source of a lot of social taboos about who you can eat with.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
That is true, but another convention is for people to get down to serious business only after the meal is over. The idea being that only non consequential matters would be discussed during that meal.
Sean
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