Mind the Gap…
A meal’s magic moment…
I wondered to myself whether if I put it down in words whether the magic might disappear. It’s a part of the evening that just seems to happen, and yes, I’ve considered that if I think about it too much, it might not.
THE GAP.
A hiatus between main and dessert, a short punctuation where the combination of satiety and a perfectly sufficient dose of wine loosen the synapses and the tongue, and a fascinating intersection of imagination and conversation take place. We might recline from the table, head out for a quiet smoke, or perhaps lean over the verandah, listening to cicadas and watching the distant lightning on a summer evening. It’s a moment of comfort and company, and one we should savour.
In this seventh-innings stretch we dream and scheme, full stomachs and flights of fancy. Debates from a totally new perspective, or wild ideas for the future. Six years ago it was a series of these gaps that led to the birth of our tiny winery. Could we? And should we? became how? and when? across dinner tables and back porches as the summer went on. Six months later, our first bins of grapes rolled into the winery. Tons of fruit into a crush that only existed in the creative nook between main and dessert. It’s a moment in the meal where discussions somehow seem more real, something we can act on, than the late-night, whisky-fuelled ramblings that, let’s be honest, we’ve all descended into much later on…
If our small (but happy) family venture could be born of these intermissions, I wonder what else can or could happen. Could you find your next big idea, or a new way of looking at something, as you let your tummy rest and you finish that luscious shiraz? What notions might take form when you ask the waiter for a break before perusing the dessert menu. I wonder if our world leaders, with the stiff chains of international diplomacy loosened by a mouthwatering meal and a few local libations, retire to the verandah for a catch-up, a few laughs and sketch out a roadmap for peace while they’re at it?
Perhaps they should.
CM.
