By Lim Soo Ping
No, it’s not any special dish, home-cooked or delivered. And not any fine wine either.
We simply had an interesting time preparing some dishes, and an engaging conversation over the dinner. We began with sharing views on how the dishes turned out. We didn’t use any recipes; we were trying out new ideas on combination of ingredients. The wine added zest to the food and conversation.
During this time of Covid-19, dinners at home can become boring after a prolonged period of no eating out for the family.
But this need not be so. Once in a while, a home dinner can be a delightful event especially on a Saturday or Sunday when all are home.
What makes a home dinner a special event? It can be cooking a special dish or ordering a special item from the family’s favourite restaurant. We can splurge a bit on the dinner.
Family members can take turns to prepare a special dish. We do that in our family. If there are small children in the family, involve them as well, for example, in laying out the plates or bowls on the dining table.
The cooking need not be laborious. We usually do not prepare dishes with complex recipes such as Peranakan food. Our favourite is Mediterranean cuisine, e.g. Italian pasta and Spanish paella. Such cuisine is also healthier.
To make things even simpler, instead of cooking vegetable dishes, have fresh salads instead. For example, you can have water-cress as a salad, instead of cooking it as a soup.
End your dinner with fresh fruits or cakes from your nearby bakery. We buy our pastries from Serangoon Gardens Food Centre.
When our dinner ended, we felt satisfied not only from the food and after-dinner coffee or tea, but also from the warm chats we had at the dining table.
Before long, we look forward to the next home dinner.
Do occasionally make your home dinner a special event involving all in the family in the food preparation and in the dinner chat.
Lim Soo Ping
(Feature image by Karolina Kolodziejczak on Unsplash)
