sorry, i can't eat that

I love to entertain, but I don't host nearly as many dinner parties at the manor, as I used to. One tricky thing about feeding a number of people is food restrictions. It seems today they are even more common than ever before--no red meat, no carbs, gluten-free, non-dairy--the list goes on forever. A host can go nutty trying to accommodate a crowd. If I'm hosting a small dinner, I always try to find out if there's any allergies or restrictions, a few of which I happen to have myself, ahead of time, so my manor guests can completely enjoy the meal.

Even then, it can be a minefield of potential hostilities. Years ago, we entertained a guest from Egypt for several days. One evening, after being out and about all day, we ordered gourmet pizza. Did he like pizza? Oh, yes, he loved it. Fine. Upon its arrival, he began asking about the pepperoni and if it contained pork. He became almost hostile, refused to eat the pizza, even if the pepperoni was removed. I had no idea he was a practicing Muslim with religious restrictions. Why didn't he say so to begin with? Embarrassed, I quickly cooked him some chicken. Thank God for the defrost feature on the microwave.

There was also a certain manor guest, whose list of food allergies curiously changed with every visit. I began to think this individual was pulling my bluff. They would sulk and hold it against me, if I happened to serve even one dish they supposedly could not eat. Eventually, I decided to include this person's mutable set of restrictions into the "short-term elective dietary" category, like no-carb or fad diets, which I think are okay to politely ignore.

My two cents? If you are invited to dinner, make sure you tell your host any major restrictions or allergies. If you're hosting, always ask. And that's all I have to say about that. Happy eating, my friends.



image shamelessly stolen borrowed from Bon Appetit

hand to mouth

Have you ever wondered who sets the criteria for which foods are acceptable to eat with your hands? Grilled corn, artichokes and an occasional asparagus spear are okay, but why not tomatoes or string beans? We're coming up on the season of summery food, and I'm anxious to fire up the patio grill. I don't know about you, but I happen to be a hands on kind of eater. I love the whole gloriously tactile experience of eating hand to mouth, so to speak. Fries just don't taste the same eaten with a fork. They must be hand dipped in a large puddle of ketchup and slowly brought to the mouth. And if ketchup gets on the fingers, the fries taste all the more delicious. The same goes for all kinds of grilled foods and dips.

I am known, to cut a large sandwich or burger in half, before picking it up with my hands, but I never eat a taco, ribs or fish and chips with a knife and fork. It's too remote. Finger licking, on the other hand, is right out. I don't care if it is fried chicken. By the way, do Europeans always eat everything with a knife and fork, or is this perception just urban legend?

When eating out, I usually take on the conversational eating style of the dining companion. Personally, I am very good at gleefully diving into both food and conversation at once, speaking gracefully out of the side of my mouth, even when it's full. One dear friend, in particular, not only refuses to use her hands for anything, she only speaks after she has chewed each bite 50 times, and will daintily raise up her index finger in front of her mouth, as a signal for me to wait for her food free response. Needless to say, conversation is slow and lunch goes on for hours. She probably thinks I eat like a pig. However, I do savor every bite, especially if I use my hands. And not to worry. I always use a napkin.

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate -

you know someone's fingers have been all over it.

Julia Child

photo from google images