Act One is the unfurling of the napkin, the reading of the menu, the clink of wineglasses as you toast each other.
Act Two is the meal itself. The lead actor, the chef, has perfected the part by creating a meal that should surprise and satiate you. Like an actor, a chef sets out to woo you so that you’ll come back again and again. Unlike the theater, where the audience is by and large passive, the diner plays a critical part. The meal should be composed not only of good food but also good conversation. A meal is not complete without fine repartee, whether it be a heated discussion of that day’s headlines or saucy bantering back and forth between two people heady with wine and potential romance.
Act Three is dessert, the denouement, where the last bite should sum up your meal, your conversation. It’s the amen. That’s why I’m a pastry chef. I get the last word.
Excerpted from Beat Until Stiff by Claire M. Johnson, Copyright © 2002
Published by Poisoned Pen Press, Scottsdale, AZ
www.poisonedpenpress.com
Claire M. Johnson