The Cross & Cleaver: Fancy Schmancy
Happy New Year!!! And of course, the blessings of peace, joy and happy meals together because of the new-born baby Jesus, as we are still in Christmas season! đ ⊠until January 7th anyway.
While I am not keen on New Yearâs resolutions, that moment in time can serve as a point of reference for some decisions. Reflection on the dynamics between Christmas and New Year can be a ground from which those decisions spring. Decisions that are dietary, culinary or otherwise.
So let us reflect.
Christmas celebrations, with its religious roots, are a family affair. Something that is seen as intimate, though not necessarily casual. Which is why there is a white tablecloth, the very special dishes from grandma, and everyone is expected to look their best. Which sometimes means a requirement for pulled up pants, tucked in shirts and perhaps buttoned up blouses. All of it accompanied, of course, by a traditional dinner fare.
Then the New Year Eve celebrations come, and everything goes topsy turvy. Men are making sure everyone can see the brand of their underpants The womenâs fashion provides for the display of a brassiere âs label, if such is worn in the first place. Donât be shocked at me writing such observations ⊠I am a clergyman, not a blindman đ.
Allow me a bit of generalising here.
By and large, the Christmas Eve dinner fashion and dishes jive together. More modest/less racy wardrobe and scrumptious, festive yet not ostentatious dishes. White blouse with brown trousers pairs beautifully with roast turkey, just as black suit with pink ham and red cranberry sauce. Overall, the tables bending under various roasts, vegetables, potatoes, and overflowing gravy boats. All of it offering the experience of community by way of shared bowls with one spoon.
New Yearâs Eve offerings and opportunities are such a contrast! Wardrobe-wise the proverbial LBD has become a staple of what ladiesâ wear while being seen on the last night of the year. BTW, the acronym stands for Little Black Dress for the uniformed, the naĂŻve, and the innocent đ. Apparently, like at a wedding, very few people care what men wear. There is a reason why every major awards event is followed by numerous âbest and worst dressâ articles. There are very few âtightest pantsâ features, and never on the first page.
Are you hungry yet? I am!!! ⊠and right now, I am hungry for the posh, fancy, and pretentious nibbles that are the hallmark of New Yearâs Eve gatherings. Because for such event almost nobody wants to sit down to soup and salad. People want to mingle, chat about nothing, check out each otherâs fashion sense (or nonsense as I can attest). And, of course, they want to eat tasty nibbles. There is no need to make âTimbales de saumon fumĂ© Ă lâavocat citronnĂ© et Ă la cibouletteâ because on that evening nobody will care, trust me. Your guests will want to mingle, sip their drinks, and casually chew on whatever you place all around the rooms.
Once again ⊠no recipes but some suggestions. Often enough it is easier and cheaper to go shopping to local store and get whatever can be done in the oven. Preferably at the same time and at the same temperature. My last scouting visit yielded âAsian-style appetizer assortmentâ, âBacon wrapped scallopsâ, âMeatballs varietyâ and âcold-cut antipastoâ (donât forget baguette or crackers with that one!).
I begin this year with reflection on wardrobe and food; with microwaving the ready made as opposed to working with ingredients. Yet ⊠my resolution, and promise, to you is that this year I will balance inviting you to try the simple, the wholesome and the rustic, with the posh, the fancy and the unpronounceable.
Yours at the table (dressed one way or the other đ)
The Rev. Piotr
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