Don’t tell me what you ate, tell me who you ate……with :)

I love Anthony Bourdain and his CNN show Parts Unknown. I am not a foodie by any stretch of the imagination so I am not watching it for the food, more the people he meets in the places he goes. Vicariously I have been places I might never visit, some that I have visited and some that I don’t particularly want to. The best part of the show to me is the journey he takes me on, not just geographically but also personally, meeting a variety of characters on the way including punk rock singers in Guam to fishermen in the Greek Islands. This week’s inspiration was from a recent show I watched about Greece where, whilst sitting around a table with some Greek political satirist singers, one of the ladies stated ‘Don’t tell me what you ate, tell me who you ate with’ (should that be whom, not sure, ask that kid on Alan Partridge, he probably knows). I added the dramatic pause at the end because, you know, it makes it funny (and a little dirty) :)

So where are you taking us this week James, you ask yourself (if you have read this far). It is all about enjoying the journey more than the destination.

A few years ago I was fortunate enough to travel across the US with a group of people from CA to MD and I can promise you as much as we looked forward to getting to the finish line of a 3,004 mile bike race it was the bits on the way that stick out the most. Getting pulled for speeding in an RV in KS, buying a bike in CO somewhere as one rider was on a WalMart special, fireflies in WV, accidentally leaving someone at a rest stop in some state somewhere and enjoying a couple of cold beers once it was all over. The journey is the story I will remember, not the finish.

Just like a meal, it’s not about the food (unless you are a bit of a foodie/wanker) it is about who/whom/whofuckingcares the meal is with. I fondly remember sitting around the dinner table back in the day with family and friends enjoying a dead animal of some variety, a few of those things that vegans like way too much and just talking stuff. The highlight of one wedding I went to was a guitar being handed around the table and played with the slightly not-so-sober table-sitters joining in when they knew the words (and sometimes when they didn’t). I have no idea what was being drunk or eaten at the time but I do remember the fun, laughter and lack of tone control of some people. Then Mum probably sang Pokarekare Ana (Maori song for you non-kiwi’s) as that is her thing.

Don’t tell me what you ate.

Sure it might be important to you that you are eating Lobster Thermidor a Crevette with a mornay sauce served in a Provencale manner with shallots and aubergines garnished with a truffle pate, brandy and with a fried egg on top and spam, but all anyone really cares about is the bloody Vikings (not the Minnesota type). Sorry, needed to geek out a little there – if you don’t get the reference you are either not a Monty Python fan or you are too young to date – but hey, it’s not all about dating :)

Tell me who you are with.  

This who/whom thing is confusing me but I am sure you get the gist of it. To tell me who you are with means you spoke to or know the people that you are with. You conversed, you emoted, you bumped over a drink and accidentally spittle-sprayed someone’s plate. You were there for the journey. Funny thing is that it doesn’t have to be at a social gathering where this happens (and it shouldn’t just be) it can also be at home. I know I am bad at this myself but I do try to get the kids to eat together, in the same room, at the same time on the odd occasion – next thing is to work on turning off the TV.

In Poets Day parlance we like to say ‘Don’t tell me how much you drank, tell me who you drank with’. That is something that I live by, the Poets Day clubhouse is always open on a Friday (BYOB – working on my liquor license) and there is nothing better than having a couple of people over for a chat. Whether it be about work, sport, current affairs or just generic bullshitting (no religion or politics allowed) I believe in the joy of the journey.

As usual nothing of any relevance or import was imparted this week. Purely my own personal opinions with a couple of completely irrelevant anecdotes thrown in just so I can hit my court-required word count. If you think this shit is nuts then stop reading (if you got this far) and if you enjoyed it, then my work here is done.

On that note, my work here is done

So work hard, play hard and earn your inspiration

Happy Poets Day