WWW Day 19: The 5 Hour Supper
As my journey back in time continues, I find more “lost days” where I’m left to wonder what went on.
Day 18 was one of those lost memories, and so I give you day 19:
“The 5 Hour Supper”
8-6-12
The only thing I had to look forward to this whole day was supper.
This is an oft-recurring theme in my life as I bow to the demands of my stomach, but tonight was especially exciting. Tonight, I’m eating authentic Indian food. First, I’m sure you all know that I love new cultures, and I LOVE food, so food from a new culture? Perfection.
Our chef’s name is Alamgir, and he hails from Bangladesh. When he came to the door shortly noon, I was perplexed. “I’m here to prepare supper,” he stated, as if this were the customer supper-preparing hour. “But we just ate lunch!” was my distressed reply. I wanted to be hungry enough to enjoy this, after all.
Our host shook his head and smiled with a secret only he had the answer to, and replied “Just wait.”
And that we did, friends.
Little did I know the intricacies of Indian cooking, and had I been more on top of things I would have paid attention, or at least tried to glean some tips! Instead I sat enthralled as Alam told me of what led him to Ireland. While he talked, he cooked:
2 hours in we had our appetizer: Samosas!
Born in Bangladesh, he quickly decided that there had to be more to life than what he was living, more to see than where he was located, and so started a lifelong wanderlust. He told me about how he struggled to start his own business (Europa Embroidery) after spending years working for others.
The slow-cooked richness of the meal wafted through our conversation, coloring it in a way only bubbling spices can.
My first experience with Shrimp Curry – as authentic as it gets!
While the others spent the day lounging around the house or playing in the yard, I traveled with Alam all around the world. That small kitchen was never more alive than when he told stories about travel, about how many countries he’s lived in and visited, and about why he chose Ireland above all other nations to call home: “It was my favorite place, for the beauty and for the people.”
Those hours waiting in the kitchen for our meal were some of the shortest I’ve experienced in that house. When we finally sat down to eat, I was more than ready. Call me crazy, but just knowing so much about our multi-lingual chef (he knows EIGHT languages fluently, who knows how many more “partials”) seemed to infuse the food with extra flavor.
Lentil soup – not my favorite dish, but I was FAR from complaining!
The flavors of the food and the conversation were opulent and stimulating, and like all good things, they vanished too quickly.
Chai Masala was the perfect sweet finish as we wound down the evening.
In the end, I was left with more than I could digest, both mentally and physically.
what a fantastic meal,I love samosas especially!
Joan, it was my first experience with Samosas! I loved them!