Just a while ago, there was a brief trailer for the final rounds of MasterChef on TV and one of the images that was briefly flashed past our eyes was a whole raw fish on a tray ready to be prepared, cooked and served. It reminded Stephen and I of one of our business trips many years ago, travelling in our truck through southern Germany. We had stopped for lunch at a large restaurant in Bavaria that advertised itself as serving regional dishes. Shortly after we had begun our meal a coach party of oriental tourists arrived and were seated at the pre-booked table at one end of the restaurant.
The courier busied himself explaining the menu to his party and they settled down, ordered drinks and studied the menus to choose their lunch.
Jumping to the memorable part of this tale, the main course dishes were served by the staff who placed dishes with large silver covers over the food on the plate, in front of the group. A line of waiting staff stood behind the guests with their hands holding the handles on the lids preparing to make a showy presentation by lifting all the lids together.
Sadly, the well known regional speciality was previously unknown to a couple of the tourist party who screamed at the top of their voices, and caused havoc by jumping back away from the terrifying dish being displayed. The photo I have found is not anywhere near as good as the one that we witnessed being shown. The huge Forelle Blau on each dish, was artistically placed to look like live fish swimming through a sea of aspic and green vegetables. Two of the ladies were utterly horrified and were begging the staff to take the offending item out of their sight. Such a shame for both groups, since the restaurant staff were as shocked at the reaction as the visitors were at the very realistic dish set before them.
Steve and I do watch some of the cooking programmes and often do a turbo training session while watching Saturday Kitchen. Stephen loves to cook and also loves to eat in good restaurants. He has an excellent nose, and instinct in finding great places to eat as well as being a talented chef.
Speaking of TV. We were taking our first coffee this morning, as the presenters spoke with Anne Nightingale, who had interviewed Dusty Springfield at some time. In my teens I was as big a Dusty fan as it was possible to be, as was my best friend Joyce in those days. We had been to see Dusty at the Hippodrome Theatre in Brighton and stood at the stage door to get her autograph, Dusty was an Icon of the pop music, fashion and make-up in those days.
Anne Nightingale was telling the programme presenters that Dusty had fallen on bad times and suffered a great of health/drugs problems. She went on to say that at a time when the former pop goddess far suffering financial difficulties, that she had picked up a bit of cash by entering Karaoke competition’s but on one occasion there was a Dusty Springfield contest, and she had been beaten to the money by somebody younger. What a dreadful humiliation that must have been. I was horrified by the story, I owned most of Dusty’s albums and can see the cover of one of them clearly in my minds eye of her all dressed in light blue denim, looking every bit the huge star that she was.
Anne Nightingale is a little younger than me and we have survived the years better than Dusty Springfield. Sadly, my dear friend Joyce who all through our teens, shared my love of music and the Sunday afternoon movie visits to the Plaza cinema in Worthing, and afterwards the Waldorf Buttery on the seafront to play the Juke box, died of Cancer at the age of only twenty-nine.
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