For my first post, I thought I would focus on what I find to be the essence of eating food, deep personal satisfaction. No matter what you chose to eat invariably the dishes and ingredients you are drawn to hold great significance. You could simply love the taste or the contrast in textures, or your reasons can be more intimate drawing upon childhood memories, a sense of home and tradition.
Regardless the motivation, we all have a group of foods we are consistently returning to, which begs the question, what would your last meal be?
Photographer Melanie Dunea attempts to get at the heart of this question in her touching and wonderfully crafted book, My Last Supper.
In her collecton of portraits, interviews and recipes, with top chefs of our time, Dunea manages to capture the softer side (the spirit if you will) of these giants. What we find is a lot less pretension and a lot more heart. Interestingly enough, many chefs chose rather simple dishes, compared to the skill of the individual, such as Helene Darroze's "My Friend Suzie's Best French Fries In the World." Others are more lofty and whimsical like Ferran Adria's "Cod Foam With Honey-Flavored Baby Onions." Either way the common threads in each interview were the themes of home and family.
What this tells me is that the "last supper" is less about the ultimate gourmet experience but more a celebration of the sensory memories that bind us into communities. eating apple pie isn't as basic as eating. When you take a bite of a a beloved food you are transported. within that one bite you can experience a lifetime of happiness, heartache, change, growth and love.
I think Dunea would agree with me that when we reflect upon our last meal, what we select says a lot about who we are.
As for me, I think I would like to be sent off with a pear and guyere tart encased in a flaky crust of peppercorn pastry served with a glass of brillant reisling...a couple dollaps of unsweetened whipped cream wouldn't be unwelcome either. What would you chose?
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