You can tell by the (relatively) low number that this was on my list waaaaaayyyy back in March 2010 when I started my plan of a year of Daily Awesomeness. Since then I’ve been studying manners for my steampunk book, so when I couldn’t get inspired by anything awesome last Sunday and I glanced at my wall of awesomenesses and saw #113, it was a beautiful moment.
I needed to not spend any money – but I love a challenge, especially a ridiculous one. The traditional five course meal is made up of:
1. Appetisers
2. Soup course
3. Salad course
4. Meat course
5. Dessert
I. . . adjusted the traditions. Of course. I adjusted even more when my sister-in-law invited CJ and I out to dinner and I counter-invited them to our increasingly complex soiree (luckily, they also bought wine*). My aim was to manage five courses for four people based on what was in my house at the time (I had originally planned to have sushi that night, mainly because we had half a cucumber that needed eating). Since I’m eating healthily these days, I also needed to use very small portions.
For fun, I decided to go nuts on the table settings and be as ultra-classy as possible. And so it was that I donned regency garb and strolled nonchalantly next door to steal some of their best roses**.
Here’s the final result of the table organisation, moments before we ate.
Our appetiser is cashew nuts, served in the two green bowls (cutlery: teaspoons). This was followed by “Invisible soup” served on bread and butter plates “with”. . . well, bread and butter (is there anything more delicious than soft white bread spread with real butter?) Our salad course featured cucumber, avocado and Asian mayonaisse served inside sushi rolls (or whatever they’re called. For that, the cutlery was chopsticks). For the meat course, each of us ate one-fourth of a single forlorn yet delicious piece of lasagna I discovered in the freezer, solving the dilemma of how I whether I’d share it with CJ or eat it when he wasn’t looking (cutlery: knives and forks). For dessert we partook of fruit salad (with dessert spoons, naturally). We drank water, orange juice, and wine.
The ladies used serviettes (cloth, naturally – we’re not COLONIALS for goodness’ sake), although the gentlemen declined them (which was a good thing, since I could only find two that weren’t disposable).
It was a delicious meal, and I recommend you see what you can scrounge up from your own cupboard when a five-course mood strikes you.
*And lots of it. This later altered the whole “don’t spend money” thing and the “eat healthily” thing (see http://shootingthrough.net/2011/01/23/266-late-night-ice-cream-run/), and was totally worth it.
**not for the first time, and certainly not for the last.
Tomorrow: See “The King’s Speech” at Dendy Premium cinemas – yep, I’ll be reviewing it for you.