What things remind you most of the places you've been to? For me it's always been the food. In November last year I had just moved back to San Francisco after several years of living abroad and traveling. I always had a strong interest in food but not sure what to do with it so I held an "undergroud dinner" at a friend's house. The dinner was called "The Warmth of Familiar Places". Over five courses I shared a tour of California, Vietnam, France, and England.
If you've never been to or heard of an underground dinner before, it's a cross between a restaurant dining experience and a dinner party. The exact location is disclosed at the last minute and diners come together with strangers in a communal setting to enjoy a restaurant quality meal.
I served ten guests a menu of:
Permission salad - California
Tamarine prawns with papaya and mango salad - Vietnam
Red-wine braised shorts ribs with celeriac mash - France
Cheddar with apples - France
Passion fruit mousse with white chocolate - California
It was a great evening that I was proud to have accomplished but more work than I had ever imagined. I was stressed out the whole evening because I had never "charged" anyone for my food before (although it was only a nominal payment). It's very different when you're cooking for friends and family versus cooking for money and I'm still not sure if I like it. Being the perfectionist that I am though, I handed out anonymous surveys at the end so my guests could provide open and candid feedback which overall was very positive. I'm not sure if I will attempt another underground dinner but I hope will. I just need to be a bit less of a perfectionist next time perhaps.
