My dad used to tell the old joke about the guy who appeared to be uncharacteristically elated one day at his workplace. When his coworkers asked him why he was so happy, he confided that he and his wife only made love once a year. That's terrible, one of the workers exclaimed. And another cried, How can you be so happy?! Grinning, the man replied, Tonight's the night! Ba-ba-bing. And, boys and girls, Lent comes to an end at sundown tonight. And, need I say that there will be martinis.
But on a more serious note, we are coming to the end of Holy Week, and while I've made a lot of jokes about our sacrifice during the almost-seven weeks that have now passed, this has been a time for reflection. The sacrifice underscores that and keeps it in front of us. We have just passed Holy Thursday. Yesterday was Good Friday, and tomorrow is Easter. It's not all about chocolate bunnies and Peeps, you know. Nor about all the patter I've provided both here and more or less everywhere about giving up spirits for the duration.
But, to lighten it up a little...I want to write about the death of Nora Ephron. Seriously. At the end of the year, I heard a radio recap of interviews with celebrities who had passed away. It was just snippets of conversation, and I cannot remember the origin of the interviews. Maybe it was NPR's Fresh Air, which I often listen to when I am getting ready to go out to dance salsa. In the portion of the interview with Nora Ephron she spoke about how important it was to plan and have your Last Meal. To paraphrase, she said that most people don't get the last meal they want, so you should not wait, you should have it, well, NOW. Then she went on to speak about what would comprise her last meal. She was a cook, as anyone who has read Heartburn knows. I still use her recipe for vinaigrette, and always remember her mother's admonition not to bruise the ice in cocktails. So her mention of the Last Meal made me think.
A long time ago, on a blogless planet far, far away, I wrote about my favorite meal in a favorite restaurant. It was the late, lamented Citrus and the meal began with yellowtail carpaccio. That was one of the most wondrous dishes I had tasted at that time. But would it be part of my last meal today? To be honest, I'm not sure that I could come up with my last meal in the course of writing this post. And, surely, that's not the point. The point is for you, reader, to think about what would comprise your last meal, and following the advice of Nora, to enjoy it NOW (and maybe even often). It is food for thought in the truest sense of the phrase, and I intend to give it attention and come up with my last meal menu. After all, we know what was provided at the last supper. It was a Passover seder, and that's all well and good, but I can guarantee you 100% that my last meal won't feature matzo. I would want the best french or sourdough bread on the planet, and that amazing butter that I had at The French Laundry. Or maybe I would make my own sweet butter by using the old cream-in-the-jar method from elementary school. But that's about as far as I can go...
One thing I know is that there will be a cocktail, and there will be really good wine. And there might even be one of my favorite beers. Ok, too much. But not too much for this weekend, when Lent will end, Easter will be celebrated, and here at Casa Healy, life as we know it resumes. Or as we like to say on a Sunday afternoon, It must be five o'clock somewhere...Salut! Happy Easter, and thank you for reading my blog.
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