Slow down and enjoy your dinner!
Last night I had a fun time visiting with friends at a Carrabba’s Restaurant. We don’t get a chance to see much of each other and I wanted to spend a couple of hours eating and talking about our lives, our travels, and what’s new. Sometimes that’s tough to do at a restaurant where the focus is good food, quick service, and rapid table turn-over. By suggesting that we slow down and order one course at a time I was able to get the message across to our waitress that we wanted to enjoy our meal and conversation. I was lucky, she got the point and helped make the evening pleasant.
My travels have taught me that dining can and should be the main event for the evening, a culinary culmination to the day’s activities. You see we Americans are often so focused on doing stuff, that we don’t take an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the moment. Sometimes we think eating is a necessary evil…something that’s wedged in between other things we need to do. That’s not the way it happens in Europe…there, dining is taken seriously and when you reserve a table for dinner it is yours for the entire evening. There is no rush, just time to relax and enjoy!
So my challenge to you this holiday season is to slow down, enjoy the moment, go out to dinner with friends and make dining and visiting the evening’s focus. You’ll be amazed at the experience.
Bon Appétit!
