And on with the show.....
A couple weekends ago I went to Napa Valley for the weekend with some friends. These wonderful women (we'll call them C and K for now) saw it fit for us to escape reality for a couple days. C and K whisked me from the concrete streets of San Francisco to the serene, farm land of Napa Valley.
For being a beginning foodie, I am not much of a drinker. Blame it on my allergies, blame it on the "Asian Red" that happens when I take 3 sips of wine and then turn so red it looks as if my head will explode into Pulp Fiction type pieces, or blame it on uninformed taste buds. Whatever the case, I drink about once every 3-4 months and it's usually just a glass of red wine or a Guinness on tap. For special occasions I might let my hair down and have two glasses, but I'm usually holding onto something for balance at that point.
So what is there in Napa if not acres and acres of vineyards? Napa to me is a little like Vegas. Even if you don't gamble, there's always something else to indulge in. For me, it was all about the food, spas and a little outlet shopping. We had swedish massages in Napa, dipped into some thick and hot volcanic mud in Calistoga, shopped, and best of all ate great food!
The mud baths reminded me of the episode from Rob and Big. Ya, kinda like that.
The first night we had a great dinner at Celedon. I had pork belly and watermelon. Yes that's right pork belly and watermelon. Either one of the two would have gotten me, but the combo was amazing. The salty, fatty pork coupled with the cool refreshing bites of the watermelon, sprinkled with feta...mmmm. I went to sleep relaxed, almost buzzed, and full. That was a good night.
C and K were kind enough to humor me as we want to Ad Hoc the next night and Bouchon Bakery for breakfast the next morning. I tried to explain how both were owned by Thomas Keller who is one of the top chef's in the Bay if not the country. We couldn't afford a meal at French Laundry ($250 per person), but we could try a prix fix meal at Ad Hoc and some pastries to go.
Ad Hoc was great. Simple, unpretentious and all about the food. Their tag line is "temporary relief from hunger". We had 4 courses ranging from "duck ham" (duck that was cured to the point where it really tastes like ham), tri-tip steak and chard, a cheese course and finally buttermilk panna cotta. C loved the panna cotta so much I turned to say something to her and she had already inhaled the whole thing! The next day we went to Bouchon bakery where I had them fill a pastry box for me full of eclairs, macarones, bouchons, and other chocolaty delights. They melted on the way home, but I ate them all happily later anyway.
The thing that struck me about this trip was how funny my friends looked at me when I talked about Ad Hoc being on the Chronicles top 100 Bay area restaurants. I talked more about Thomas Keller and the other chefs that I love here. They gave me the kind of look you give to your child (and a couple of my adult cousins) when they are explaining the nuances of Harry Potter; "that's sweet you're excited but I don't really care".
Why do I care so much about food all of a sudden? I used to eat just to sustain myself. Food was more about the social event for me than the actually eating. But now I love the whole culture around food. It has become almost spiritual.
It's a natural fit really. In Jewish tradition meals are part of the religious holidays. As people gather to celebrate they take time to share stories and remember God's provision for their people. In Christian tradition, taking communion or partaking of the Eucharist (depending on your tradition) has become a ceremony of remembrance of the Last Supper. Jesus was often found eating and drinking with people. Sometimes he ate just with his disciples, sometimes with the crowds that followed him from town to town, and sometimes with people thought to be at the bottom of society's standards (gasp!). He ate with hookers and hustlers. I thump my chest with a fist and nod with respect at this. Jesus ate like a homey.
If you know a Filipino family, this painting may be above their dining room table.
For Filipinos, eating is a part of sharing with one another. Gatherings are centered on the food we share with each other. Auntie Cecile's fresh lumpia and Uncle Dan's BBQ are essential parts of family gatherings. Food is cultural. Food is spiritual. Food is a reminder that God continues to sustain us and provide for us. Sharing food is sharing God's grace to us.
I know there are some that struggle with the idea that if there is a God why are there hungry people? Well folks, that's on us. There is plenty of food to go around, it's just that some of us use, hoard, and waste more than others. Remember when your mom told you about the starving children in Africa (for the me the Philippines) when you wouldn't finish your dinner? She was right. Whatever we've been given was meant for us to share with others. Sometimes we think of sharing as us "losing". But there is truly a greater "gain" in "losing" for someone else.
God gives to us so that we can enjoy the things we've been given. God blesses some of us with mini vacations to Napa and 4 star restaurants, trips to Trader Joes or Safeway, bread (or rice for that matter) on the table and most importantly people to share with. At your next meal, take a moment, give thanks for eating one more meal and consider who we can share with next. Bon appetite!
