This is a special table. Then again, I suppose all tables are special. In today’s story, I’d like to tell you why this is so.
I don’t know much about this table you see in the photograph, nor do I know its history. I presume it didn’t cost any more money than a usual table of its make and size. In fact, there’s nothing really at all to distinguish this table from any others. It’s pretty common, even ordinary.
So what makes this table so special?
I’ll answer this question later.
But first, let’s talk about fine dining.
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Yesterday’s article triggered some interesting reactions, including a few I hadn’t expected.
Of these, the most notable was from a friend named Scott Harker, from Ohio. He posted the following comment on Facebook:
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Scott Harker I must not be a foodie, as no meal has ever actually changed my life. In fact, barring poisoning, I don’t know how an actual meal would have such power.
I think Scott may have missed the point. Or perhaps, I failed to make my point clearly enough. So, let me try again.
Nolan Dalla Blog…Take two!
Scott believes no meal has the power to change his life. Perhaps this is really true for some people. For many people, in fact. Not everyone enjoys, nor values, excellence and the pursuit of perfection. If you’re not into cooking or enjoying world-class meals prepared with meticulous mastery by culinary experts who have dedicated their lives to this unique craft, then I suppose nothing whatsoever can convince you otherwise of the complete sensory ecstasy of a five-course dinner at New York City’s famous Eleven Madison Park. The symphony of food, including its preparation and taste, either touches you — or it doesn’t. So, instead, go and enjoy that Big Mac! And don’t forget the fries!
Like music or the fine arts, some of us are acutely more connected to sensory experiences. We cry at sad movies. We get a lump in our throats when we hear the National Anthem played on Memorial Day. We feel all tingly inside when we listen to Christmas carols. There are people who like opera, and those who don’t. Some people are just more in tune with their surroundings than others.
The question posed yesterday about “life-changing” food experiences can apply to all things that we value and that we deem to be meaningful. Don’t we remember the first time we ever heard our favorite song? Or, our first kiss? Or, the first pet we owned? Or, the birth of a first child? Essentially, I think all things that provide enjoyment and create personal fulfillment are subject to the life-changing metric. Certainly, some things in your life caused you to be who you are, and today you’re the by-product of all those previous influences (even those you’re unaware of). More about “free will” in a future article.
Indeed, dining is far more than just food and drink. When done the right way — it’s passion. It’s the ambiance. It’s company. It’s conversation. It’s memories. More specifically, it’s about creating memories.
Special meals become special occasions. And the most special occasions become life-changing moments. Food and drink are merely the common campfires, attracting the firefly’s awareness to the light, opening the doors of perception. Dinner becomes the magnet for meeting new people, to become better acquainted, to renew friendships, and to learn, mature, and grow. In short, if you haven’t experienced a life-changing meal at some point, then I’m not sure you’ve quite lived a full life.
At the very least, such as a less-fulfilling life.
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You’re looking at a bottle of Murfatlar wine, vintage 1988.
Odds are, you’ve never heard of it.
This is a special wine. Just like the very special table, it rests upon in the photo taken above, there’s an unusual story behind it. And now if you’ve read this far, I’d like to end all the suspense.
This wine came from my late brother-in-law’s wine personal collection. As you may recall, Ion Petre passed away suddenly and unexpectedly last month. I snapped this photo at his home near Eindhoven when we visited The Netherlands in October.
This wine might not seem worthy of such attention. But consider its incredible story.
It’s one of the very last wines produced by the old Romanian Communist regime led by Nicolae Ceausescu. It was bottled exactly 25 years ago. I doubt that any of these bottles exist anymore, anywhere in the world. By the way, we also have a 1961 bottle of Murfatlar, which is almost certainly one-of-a-kind. It’s absolutely priceless.
To be clear, the wine isn’t great. That doesn’t matter. Rather’s it’s part of history. More important, it’s part of my family’s history. And there’s no price tag on that.
Note this bottle of Murfatlar sits upon a big oak table at the time of the photograph. Yes, the same table. One night, Marieta and I simply decided amongst ourselves that life is way too short and tender moments like this one are too precious not to be savored to the maximum while we can enjoy them. And so, that cork was popped open and the vintage Murfatlar flowed like a stream to a place we’d never been before. There aren’t many sips of any beverage that can quite match this one.
Now getting back to the original question of what makes that table you saw in the original photo so special — it’s all tied to the concept of LIFE CHANGING MEALS.
Ah yes, finally — the point.
I submit to you that many of the meals you’ve enjoyed were life-changing. Yes, indeed. LIFE CHANGING.
Consider the following: Thanksgiving meals with family. Christmas dinners with relatives, some now passed away. Maybe just a small romantic dinner with someone that you love. You’re first beer.
Please tell me that you have all experienced special moments like this. Moreover, haven’t we all tasted our mother’s special recipe, or our wife’s very best Sunday night dinner and thought it was marvelous? How can such magic NOT be life-changing?
And now, on to our special table.
You see that oak table in the photo, the one I talked about earlier? It belonged to my late brother-in-law. He’s gone now. I’ll never see him again. But I remember that table well because that’s where he often used to sit.
Before we departed Holland, we donated a number of furniture items to the local charity. Presumably, this table will be given to another family, probably living somewhere in Holland. Maybe it will be a Dutch family. Perhaps they will be new immigrants. Who knows?
In the days and weeks, and even years ahead — some family living somewhere will gather around this very table that you see. Wonderful meals will be served upon it. Conversations will begin. Perhaps fond memories, even life-changing ones, will be created.
The cycle of life continues and ultimately begins again anew, with a common table as the centerpiece to the next chapter of a new generation.
Hopefully, that’s a message we shall remember as this Thanksgiving holiday soon approaches. We’ll gather around dinner tables like this one. We’ll enjoy great meals. We’ll love the ones we’re with. And we shall imagine the possibilities of sharing a life-changing experience.