The Cross & Cleaver. Where Heaven Meets Earth
Viva la musica … or … “shut that blinking bouzouki off!”
William Shakespeare (a.k.a. “The Bard”), put it quite succinctly in The Merchant of Venice: “The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils; The motions of his spirit are dull as night, And his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted. Mark the music.” Which simply means that if you know someone who does not like music, such person should, to continue in British English, go boil their head.
The bouzouki quote in the title comes from the Monty Python’s sketch “The Cheese Shop.” It is quite an apt portrayal of the music’s presence in a public place. From being enjoyed to being more than just a nuisance. Isn’t it often the case when you go to a restaurant?
Sometimes the food experience is enhanced by the music corresponding to the ethnicity or the overall ambiance of the place. Sometimes it is a generic, non-descript Muzak ensuring nothing more than you should not eat in silence. Bars, sport or otherwise, are an entirely different kettle of fish. I say blessed are those with hearing problems, for in such places their ears shall not be assaulted by a cacophony of incoherently put-together songs mixed with a multitude of sport commentaries coming from a variety of TV’s. You can tell by the last sentence I am not a fan of bars, though I like the food.
Church services are no different. Often the music experience will make you want to come back or walk out halfway through. The liturgical churches I wrote about before, have a rich tradition and resources of hymns suitable for numerous occasions. Enhancing the ambiance, if you will. In Advent you will hear about waiting and repentance, in Lent there might be a call to penitence, there will be joy of Easter, and you are all familiar with Christmas tunes. There will be an opening hymn to set the tone, of a gathering, hymn echoing the theme of readings and/or sermon, a hymn sending you out. Some other churches might just assault your senses with something reminiscent of a disco.
I like to snack when listening to the music. The mention of Monty Python’s sketch made me peckish (or esurient as John Cleese puts it) for, yes you guessed it, some cheese. So here are a few classic ideas of how I like to enjoy cheeses (some of them not anymore due to allergies).
You can either make them like small canapés or heap the ingredients onto a plate or a tray. In either case, use a baguette or plain crackers for the base. Unless you really know how to mix flavours, avoid those artsy-fartsy creations thrice baked with dried fruit, nuts and herbs. Keep those for plain cheese and nothing else. Well, I would anyway.
Pear, any blue cheese (Danish blue, frequently on sale, will be much cheaper than customary Roquefort), drizzled over with honey and crumbled walnuts or pecans.
Apple, Brie or Camembert (at room temperature, maybe even a bit runny) and fig jam (if you cannot find it, use blueberry or blackberry).
Tomato, large shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, drizzled over with balsamic vinegar (or reduction), garnished with basil leaves.
Cucumber, feta or goat cheese, drizzled over with rich olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice and sprinkled with oregano, pepper and coarse sea salt.
P.S. If you want to see something interesting by way of food and music, type in “Vegan Black Metal Chef” in your search engine and enjoy!
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