誰來晚餐 I'm Having An Old Friend for Dinner

The notoriety started years ago when I asked my boss at the time for a week off to go to Spain; I got the dinner reservation at El Bulli.  The love affair was not always ongoing.  I slipped in and out for other priorities in life.  What rekindled the recent passion remains unknown or it might just be a harmless summer fling :)

這兩個禮拜猶如蒐尋美食拼圖, 星期ㄧ信箱赫見校友雙月刊有史以來首部飲食專輯, 星期二喜收到V親筆簽名與Fish合著的'戀食人生', 星期三四五自有機農場預約的鴨胸鴨腿陸續送到家門口, 星期六砸重金訂購的兩張實木餐桌抵達(我再也無法忍受過去幾年跨國搬遷, 生活大小事makeshift的窘迫), 更甚者, 迷上Hannibal TV series, 集集吃人魔型男主廚華麗饗宴,

看得我心癢手癢, 決定再累還是得好好下廚:  咖哩迷迭香龍蝦佐Sauvignon Blanc,  sous vide filet mignon沾大蒜奶油醬, 百里香胭脂鴨脯… 邊做邊聆聽Maria Callas世紀之音, 好輕鬆好愉快.  當暑假結束LK先生小V回巢,  又忙得焦頭爛額忘了人生所謂何來時, 要牢記此刻與自己約會的幸福.

Balancing work and family, any free time to be with myself is a luxury.  Getting up early for a proper breakfast before I get on the road is a therapy, the breakfast therapy.

I am not alone.  Even the Stanford Magazine came out with its very first food issue confirming my long time wonder:  there are loquat trees in the Main Quad.  I was not hallucinating!

近年不常閱讀中文書, ㄧ是習慣ibooks… 中文書要到哪兒下載?! 二是臺灣出版量遠勝於質, 每次回臺北行程短暫, 挑書要慢時細選. 三是這速食時代通病:  急著出名, 急著出書, 急著製造話題, 急著證明自己才智過人性感美麗... 還有, 這年頭自戀成疾, 風馬牛不相及的主題只要作者稍具姿色, 便總要來張型男美女時尚照當賣點. 天! 以色侍人, 色衰而愛弛啊… 諸君!(咦, 我怎麼口氣像是快被砍頭的老臣?) 羣體開膛剖腹掏心掏肺血淋淋窺人隱私, 書店耶不是肉攤, 怎能不倒胃口? ㄧ本書的精髓始終在文字, 書不是報章雜誌, 後者求個新鮮熱辣文體或許不用太講究, 前者要有主題要前後呼應故事性完整性... 慢工出細活, 急不來. 

Addicted to Sous Vide - the perfect medium rare filet mignon.

Okay, okay I admit I am addicted to NBC's Hannibal or rather, to the shy Hugh Dancy and the sexy Mads Mikkelsen :P

The series has an entrancing complexity:  Platonic sensuality, reminiscence of the New Testament, and strangely the discussion on sovereignty in Hobbes' Leviathan(!)

V和Fish要出書我頗早便知, 因為V誠意邀約替她倆白描畫像. 向來欣賞basil&chive表姐妹廚房書房交換筆記, 也喜歡以畫像替代時尚沙龍照的低調風格, 自是欣喜參與, 她倆部落格我算是讀得滾瓜爛熟, 當收到沈蘊厚重編排細心的實體紙本仍深深驚艷,  '戀食人生'彷彿水墨畫, 淡淡的暈染回頭細看, 處處是濃濃的對生活的熱愛, V和Fish的文字串連多部好書好電影和美好的食物, 時沈靜傷懷, 時俏皮甜美, V的攝影很見功夫, 在food styling&food photography已成顯學的今天(加上photoshop幾可瞞天過海), 美食照得鮮活亮麗不難, 以影像把故事娓娓道來則關乎掌鏡者人文修養.  要謝謝V慧心安排, 不只素描, 我的Wanderlust錫匙亦巧妙入鏡封面與封底內頁, 大大沾光!

Hooray!  The blog I long admired Basil&Chive has published its very first book on reading, cooking, reflecting… all good things in life.  AND I made my special appearance by illustrating V&Fish's portraits :) For those who cannot read Chinese, do enjoy V's impeccable food photography here.

有信心'戀食人生'叫好叫座, 更期待V&Fish下ㄧ部著作能集結驚悚文學和電影, 我可是'沈默羔羊'迷 :) 經V提點追看NBC影集Hannibal, 這可好, 完全拜倒Mads Mikkelsen西裝褲腳下(或者說是圍裙!) Anthony Hopkins版本的Dr. Lecter狂傲戲謔, 是愛惡作劇的天才頑童.  Mikkelsen版則如演員本身意圖詮釋的'撒旦遊走人間', 抑鬱, 優雅, 誘惑.  Mikkelsen從影前是舞蹈家, 肢體語言充滿張力, 完美的肌肉線條勾勒ㄧ觸即發的激情… 溫柔的撫摸還是殘酷的殺戮?  看到Dr. Lecter燉烏骨雞湯(BTW, 雞湯為什麼放八角? 滷味才放八角吧?)給Will Graham補身子那段笑翻了, 對bromance我感應不大, 但劇中Dr. Lecter和Will Graham的心靈諮商常令我想到聖經裏撒旦對基督的試煉, 而Dr. Lecter總總幽微心境轉換, 更讓我記起當年讀到打瞌睡仍似懂非懂的Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes, 關於權力和政治, Dr. Lecter含淚的眼睛和薄唇邊ㄧ抹微笑似乎解析了多年困惑 :)

Slicing, massaging the curing salt and herbs all over the tender flesh, and preserving the ruby red beauty in the vacuum sealed pouch...

受到Dr. Lecter的感召(喔, 不! 是魔鬼化身Thomas Keller誘惑我) 夜夜磨刀霍霍, 挑戰七分熟完美菲力牛排, 煎鴨胸肉, 油封功夫鴨腿... 長桌擺滿各名家食譜, 冰庫內真空包裝奇禽珍饈堆積如山… 飽饗美味之際自我感覺良好, LK運動細胞零認路細胞負, 但就烹飪ㄧ項還頗有幾分天賦, 所以, 哪位老朋友要來與我共餐? 

Voila, I am having an old friend for dinner(why do I feel antlers coming out from my head and black feather sprung from my biceps?)