Let’s Get Together Over a Meal

Written by Max | Mar 11, 2025 3:30:01 PM

Food has the power to bring people together. There is no social balm quite like sharing a table with someone. Over human history, one can find countless examples of treaties being brokered, feuds defused, or deals negotiated all around a shared meal. Eating with someone gives a unique opportunity to find common ground and build the bonds of community, and though my political outlook has become rather cynical in the last ten years or so, I still believe that relating to one another as fellow people and building the strength and size of our communities is the beacon of humanity that will cast light onto the path to a more hopeful future.

Sibling Meal To that end, when coming up with ideas for a “something you made” Christmas gift request for my sister, I decided on a series of themed meals for us to share. Familial bonds are important nodes on the network of community after all. The concept was four dinners each spaced out over four weeks (thanks to travel and other obligations it would end up being longer than that, but what can you do?), each with a theme (usually the cuisine of a specific culture or place), and each with a playlist to accompany it. What follows is a brief account of the first three meals (the fourth is still on its way).

The theme of week one was loosely ‘Japanese Izakaya’. For this, I put together a playlist of upbeat and atmospheric Japanese city pop. The meal was casual and light - served family style all at once (except for dessert). We made handrolls from koshihikari sushi rice, and lightly dressed Maine bluefin tuna toro with scallions, tempura pumpkin with spicy mayo, and ochazuke (a dish of cooked fish and rice with a broth of green tea) with Alaskan king salmon. For dessert, my wife made hanami dango (little skewered balls of poached mochi colored green, white, and pink to symbolize the stages of cherry blossom development). It was a lovely way to kick off the dinner series.

Japanese meal For the second week, the theme was French bistro. My wife made a playlist of mostly vintage French yé yé pop with some more modern French songs we love thrown in to round it out. For the meal, I made a first course of Beet tartare (delicious local beets cooked and dressed to mimic the texture and look of beef tartare) with crusty local Pain au Levain that we had at the table throughout the meal.

The second course was a simple potato and leek soup.

The main course was a roasted crown of pheasant stuffed with a black truffle mousseline served with caramelized root vegetables and a sauce Perigourdine finished with sherry and armagnac. After the main course, we served cheese - in this case, a nutty and silky Nuiton de Bourgogne with preserved strawberries, pickled ramps, cornichon, and membrillo (sadly, not pictured). For dessert, we served a simple but perfect Creme Brulee (also not pictured). One for the books to be sure!

The third (and final for the purpose of this post) meal had a theme of Indonesian food. My wife is of Indonesian ancestry and so has many favorite dishes from her childhood we were both excited to prepare. The playlist for this meal was made up of mostly modern Indonesian indie pop with some vintage psychedelic rock mixed in as well.

The meal was once again served family-style and was composed of a luxurious beef rendang (dry curry flavored with lime leaf, lemongrass, nutmeg, clove, chillies, shallots, coconut, and much more), Nasi Kuning (a celebratory rice preparation with many of the same flavors as the rendang), Gado Gado (basically a salad nicoise with no olives and peanut sauce for dressing), and martabak (essentially a flat spring roll stuffed with lemongrass pork dumpling filling).

For dessert, we made kuih lapis (a layered green and white cake of sorts with the texture of firm mochi. This is a common Southeast Asian dessert (though it goes by different names depending on where you are) and it's no wonder. It is one of the nicest ways to finish a meal I can think of). If you’ve never tried Indonesian food before, I strongly recommend giving it a try. Every dish has so much nuanced and bold flavor, and rendang is perhaps the greatest beef dish ever created.

I hope this post inspires you to get together with friends, family, or enemies sometime soon to break bread and exchange stories. And if the thought of a themed meal and growing your community appeals to you why not check out one of our many upcoming themed classes. Here are just some I'm looking forward to this month:

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