Time to Live Your Best Days

Since time immemorial, I’ve been a great fan of my mom’s cooking.

I mean, it hit the spot over and over and over again.

And being the firstborn, and a boy at that – something my sister still grapples with – I can say I received enough attention and spoils, especially in the kitchen, getting away with almost anything.

I’d beg for a tiny piece of fried chicken before it got the gravy treatment. I didn’t like gravy, or too much of it at least.

But in Momma’s kitchen, there was no “I don’t like this, I want this”. If you didn’t want what was served in front of you, you’d sleep hungry that day.

That built up a tolerance for a lot of things, because, even though I was a bit of a picky eater, I could not necessarily back away from some foods; that meant sleeping with an empty tum.

I believe there is a famous chef somewhere who opened a restaurant with an overarching theme: you can order whatever you want from the set menu. The catch? No substitutions, no exclusions, no rebranding, no changing, no cooking it the way you want, etc.

And the steak was served as he wanted it to be enjoyed – medium rare to medium.

If the dish had eggs, nuts or other allergens in it, it was because the dish had to have those elements. Without them, he argued, it would not be the same dish and would not represent what he wanted.

This, I found rather intriguing, and thought to myself you must be pretty gutsy and loaded to pull that one off.

Try that in Windhoek and we’ll see how far your business goes.

Fine dining is not for the masses, and with our limited population, you’ll be out of clients pretty soon.

I mean, I love Stellies, both the wine bar and the tasting room, and it is no secret that it’s my favourite place to dine in Windhoek, but I do not go there every single day.

The fact that we are not a huge population means the restaurant industry can’t choose to be picky and stuck up (even though they try to be in some spots), because butts in seats pay wages. Whether I’m dining at Leo’s or Isabel’s, it’s the same thing really. I love it, in small doses, spread over time.

The rest of the time, I’m whipping up my own gourmet dishes in my home. My person wonders why we eat out sometimes. She flatters me (insert cute side smile here).

Anyway, back to Momma’s cooking.

Eating out when you can afford it warrants a good time, and I hope you take the time to see what others say about the spots you are going to, remembering to take everything with a pinch of salt though, as food reviews can be really subjective.

Bring the feeling of eating out home. Go the extra mile. Set up candles, dress the table nice, serve soup as a starter, in a plate on top of another plate, with some rolls on the side for that dining-out feeling.

Put out three forks: one for salad, one for your main and the other just because, or because you’re having a dessert that calls for it.

You deserve it.

Pour some wine, or champagne, or better yet, juice in a wine glass. It works, too.

It’s about reminding yourself that even though you are not ‘out’ you can still have a memorable moment.

Momma was good at this, making ordinary family diners something special.

She had a way of transporting us from one magical land to another, just from what she cooked up in the kitchen and how she set it up.

So, I urge you to do the same for your loved ones, or yourself.

It’s time to live your best life.

If not you, then who? If not now, then when?