French quiche: hedonism on the dining table
"Those who can clearly distinguish among desires will make bodily health and peace of mind the highest guiding principle in all their choices and avoidances, and will regard these two as the sum and final goal of a happy life."
Life should be wasted on beautiful things, and Epicurus judged whether a thing was beautiful by the feeling of pleasure. He believed that the beautiful things in this world are friendship, freedom, a rich spiritual life, and a small dish of cheese on the table in a simple little house.
Franki told me to go pick cherries in the yard, both green and red ones, "And don't forget to put flowers in the glass bottle."
We did not even have vinegar, so we stole a few lemons from the tree next door, sprinkled the lettuce with salt and lemon juice, and eating it together cut the greasiness of the savory pie.
With no wine or drinks, we added less than half a jar of leftover jam, squeezed in lemon juice, finely shaved lemon peel, and made a small pitcher of lemonade ourselves. The lemons we grew ourselves had no pesticide sprayed on them.
We moved the table and chairs into the yard. Even the sun is lazy in a French summer, going down late, and the evening sunlight was so warm and gentle that it made you want to stretch like a cat. We spread a snow-white tablecloth and decorative cloth, then laid out napkins, knives and forks, glasses, and plates in a row, while in the center a hand-thrown ceramic jar held a big bunch of sunflowers.
The green cherry salad served as an appetizer; the main course was a savory pie as brilliant as sunlight, its presentation no worse than the goods on the shelves of a pastry shop; for dessert, the extra dough trimmed off while shaping the crust was baked until crisp, then drizzled with red cherries cooked in brandy, with a spoonful of jam on the side.
As long as no one said anything, no one would know this meal had actually been improvised by clearing out the fridge. This table was beautiful enough to be on the cover of a lifestyle magazine.
Good taste in living? In Taiwan, China, the poor who rush around for three meals do not even have a life, while the rich, who are stuffed full, cannot buy taste.
"Bon appétite" Franki cut a big piece of savory pie, put it on my plate, and then we spent three hours comparing travel stories until it got dark and we lit candles, but even then we could not see each other's faces clearly.
Epicurus said: "A wise man who makes himself content with a simple life understands better how to give than to take."
Such a wise man knows how to live and eat, is skilled at creating a priceless pleasure at the table, yet is not a food snob, blindly chasing stars, worshiping famous chefs, and rarely bowing down at the mere sound of a big name.
No matter how tight money is, one can still use leftovers to put together a beautiful table and give friends a happy time.
(End of article)
* Traveling at Foreign Dining Tables New Book Sharing Session *
Date: 11/1 (Sun) 14:30-16:30
Location: Taichung City, Aoki Japanese-Western Dining
A friend with a heart as kind as Buddha's was afraid I would really go sell intestine noodles, so they organized another new book sharing session for me.
Aoki restaurant will prepare the foods that appear in the book, so guests can listen while eating and eat while listening.
Do you want to try the Kude black tea, French savory pie, and Indian milk candy that appear in the book?
What? You have never eaten anything while listening to a talk?
Then what are you waiting for? Sign up now!