“
I ’ m not a trained chef or food critic . Not even sure I ’ m a foodie — merely a French Mediterranean guy who was lucky to be exposed to amazing cultures , food experiences , and a lot of love . It would be my privilege to share that with you .
“ we just came back from a chabbat couscous dinner at my grandmother ’ s . During these dinners , our grandma Rachel would make us have seconds , thirds , fourths , or otherwise she would look straight at us with the eyes of guilt saying , “ You don ’ t love me !” So , what could we do ? Nothing ! We ate !
Back at our building in Paris , my brother and I jump out of the car and start chasing each other for fun . I ’ m not sure how we are still able to move but we miraculously are ! Getting to the door of our building , we notice that our mother is not there . We look around us ... no mom in sight . We decided to go back to the car and there she was . She hadn ’ t moved from her seat , door closed , arms crossed , giving us the look of fury because we both forgot to walk around the car and open her door . I swear she would have stayed there the whole night . There was no winning with her against her . Actually , even the thought of competing was a lost cause . Her character was forged with fire , spices , and velvet . Seemingly soft , but ready to fight any battle at any given time , and she was someone you wanted on your side .
Lesson # 3 : Food is character . An intense and intentional experience of life and panache .
Our mother never taught us how to cook . She taught us how to live and how to taste . She never settled for experiences that were not worth living and she refused to compromise for any adventure that would not meet her or her guests ’ expectations . She infused memories , bliss and character in our blood and no ingredient in the world encapsulates my mother ’ s memories , thoughts , and emotions better than orange blossom water .
What ’ s the recipe ? How would you quantify bliss ? Can you calibrate pleasure ?
Add drops of the powerful and subtle orange blossom essence , taste , and look for the smiles . That ’ s how you know .
July | August 2021 27