Big Dinners in Marbaix

I'm schizophrenic. One day you'd define me as an action-hero, only to find me contemplating under the kitchen table the next day. A thinker collecting the lost crumbs from weeks-old bread. Today I am on that side, dealing with serious matters, i.e. evaluating my weekend. On Saturday evening my sister Tine and I welcomed 18 respectable guests in our tiny Marbaix appartment for our fourth 'In the Kitchen' diner. For two days we had been preparing the menu (are you interested?) and arranging the rooms, keeping up appearances by being nice and shiny at 18.30 when first guests arrived. 'I'm sorry, I need a nap', wouldn't have been appropriate. During the evening my habitat was the kitchen, so I could concentrate on the dishes, trying to keep everyone at a distance by a sign 'please don't talk to chef while he's cooking'. The regular bursts of laughter from the distance made sure I kept on shaking my hips between the pots and pans.

The truth is the following: I love to cook for people, but when they're about to serve the food, I run. Out. Away from any tasters who meticulously turn and try the food. So, why do I keep on confronting my dishes? Somewhere short before sunrise I found my answer: I could feel 18 lines vibrating into new directions, 18 little souls who had silently passed their social borders and had discovered some new form of sharing. Eating food that nourishes body & mind. Talking to new people who also want to talk to you. Doing yoga at 3 o'clock in the night without questioning this. Sharing ideas. Creating energy that lasts.

Now it's Monday 18.30. I see Tine crawling into her bed, she needs extensive wandering in soothing dreams. There is silence in the appartment. We both know why.

menu:
roasted autumn chestnuts
Japanese Bancha tea with shoyu for strenghtening and focus
Orange Indian lentil soup with coriander
Finely shopped maquerel salad with warm sake
mashy pumpkin-beetroot pie, yellow wild rice with balsamico and broccoli, sweet Belgian endive and tasty winter stew with wheat gluten, celeriac and carrots.
Hot amazake drink with orange, oat cookie and intenstive chocolate mousse
soy energy bar to take home