Please Check Out My Other Blogsite

Friday, July 2, 2010

There is Always a Moment in Childhood When The Door Opens and Let's the Future In"

                   (Cary Grant - The man I most wanted to be like ,act like and dress like)
That quote from author Graham Greene is so true to many of us, to me it's perfect to describe my love of life and food.
For me that door openned very early in my childhood, in 1952 to be exact. The generation of my parents and their friends as rule, went out to dine, never with their children. We stayed at home with a baby sitter. They vacationed away from us, except for once a year when we where taken along. But god forbid, if you were unruly or not well behaved, you where never taken out again for many years to come. Fortunately for myself and my brothers, we had Edwardian grandparents who taught us how to comport ourselves in every thing social. They were based on the mores of the 1900's to the early 1930's. I am forever grateful to them for their instruction as it has made my life that much richer.

The moment that 'door' opened for me was during our 2 week annual stay at the Hotel Del Coronado Hotel in San Diego.

As the rule, for dinner for my brothers and I, it was brought to our room and my parents ate later in the formal dining room. Not until we were in our late teens were we allowed to dine with them when we vacationed, save breakfast and lunch. Dinner was their time together, for in those days, our parents, certainly loves us and took care of us, but they did not live their entire life for us, unlike most parents today. I always thought that was more civilized and a wise approach to raising a family.

So, one evening, I asked my father if I could go down to the dining room and have dinner by myself. Being well brought up, dressing well and knowing all the rules of dining, they said yes.

So I wore my best suit and tie, shined my shoes to a polish and went off to the formal dining room. Here I was treated as an adult, because I acted as an adult. Even as a child of 13, I recognized how important that was and that has served me all my life.

It was a wonderful meal and I found that dining by myself was something I enjoyed. I enjoy the theatre of eating a great restaurant and the good service along with well prepared dishes. That dinner proved to be a very happy affair for me and I knew at that moment that was going to be very important in my life and living.

I have become attached to restaurants, some are old friends -the atmosphere, the food, the staff - all become a pleasing part of existence. Restaurants such as d'Chez Eux in Paris have enhanced my life of 67 years.

I must say that most dining today is like dining in a playpen -the buzz, the trendy, the noisy, the slovenly dressed clients, and the silly food concoctions etc.

What I expect from a restaurant (and that is why no one today would want me as a critic) is a grownup restaurant: An attentive reception, a civilized ambience, a well groomed staff and clientele, polished service and a halfway intelligent menu and wine list.

Fine dining (to my mind) like great art , music, and literature ought to be keen-minded, luminous and uplifting.