One of the most memorable
meals I ever had was a special, for "couples only" dinner at a
certain fine restaurant. I've had many memorable meals during
my life, of course, both high-brow and low. But that night, thanks to
an extraordinary chef who really knew what he was doing, I,
literally, tasted romance.
I won't go into all five
courses, but the moment I knew that this meal was going to be very different
was when we got to the lobster bisque. One spoonful left both me and my special
someone amazed, lost in a bliss of heavenly flavors. We'd never tasted anything
so wonderful. By the third spoonful, however, something else started
to happen. I felt amorous. Sultry. Warm. Unable to help myself, I left my side
of the table and settled on the couch-like opposite side, next to my beloved.
We spent several moments
snuggling and even considered leaving the restaurant right then and there to do
more! Days later, when I'd regained my senses, I thought back on the remarkable
magic that had happened between the two of us all thanks to a mere half-cup of
rich, creamy lobster bisque. Up till that point I'd viewed the saying:
"food is love" as just a show of love—like a mother baking her kid
cookies or a husband making his wife a special breakfast. But after that
meal I realized that if the flavors were just right, food could make two
people want to gaze into each other's eyes, want to kiss, want to retire
to a room and deepen their adoration.
A fine meal could literally create
love.
Not long after that revelatory meal I chanced upon a post by one MsJess125, a foodie
with a certificate in pastry arts. She was hoping that some aspiring
author might create a story for her of a girl seducing a sexy guy with gourmet
cooking. Flashing back on that extraordinary meal, and being, myself an ardent
foodie, cook and baker, I e-mailed Ms. Jess, letting her know that I wanted to
take a stab at this culinary challenge.
With editorial help from a
restaurant Chef named Dan, I whipped up a story that more than satisfied
MsJess—and in words recreated a little of what I had actually felt during that
wonderful dinner. Originally called "The Garden of Earthly Delights,"
it is now known as "Savory & Sweet" and has been republished by
Fantastic/Forbidden Fiction.
It is a story that is as much a celebration of the
culinary arts as it is a romance between two lost souls. I hope that it will
remind all who read it that if we put in the effort, we can create not only
nourishment with what we cook up, but love.
