Graceful, Grateful Moments

On a cool winter's night, think of cream brulee. Soft melting insides hidden below a thin crispy crust that is neither overdone nor too flimsy, but just with the right texture when you bite into it, savouring the flavour of infused caramel. Combine it with the sour-sweet sensation of fresh dark red raspberries and the nippiness of the evening air seems a distant window away.

The dessert is what you have been saving yourself for, after a light mains of seared scallops, juicy and firm, graced by sweet green long beans and refreshingly slim baby carrots. You recall the savoury cuts of john dory blending into the fettucine on another occasion, with the pasta pesto highlighted by spiced prawns. Tonite, the fettucine would have been too heavy with the cream brulee.

A meal is accentuated with the right company. Individuals whom I feel comfortable with and can relate to without effort. People who make me want to be myself, when politeness is not imposed but spontaneously accompanies relaxation and openness. There is no exertion at making conversation, it just comes naturally and logically, and each one of us at the same table enjoys expresssing what is uppermost in our separate minds. We might not have known each other long, but well enough. The interchange blends in well, with no embarasssment, as effectively as the tasty food served. Such is rare company, such is rare food!