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May 29, 2006
Channel 4
Apparently, is the coolest channel in the UK. And tonight, some documentary film makers from this most cool channel have joined us for dinner and some filming.
Christopher and Michael, whom we met at the CR Conference, are doing a documentary on Aubrey de Grey and life-extension. They're my favorite reporters -- the most fun, and the most enthusiastic about my food. I served:
gazpacho
CR quesadillas
scallops sauteed in white wine with cilantro and garlic
asparagus with olive oil and the juice of a fresh lemon
hazelnut chocolate pear parfaits
They loved the food. They had the sense to be hungry. How irksome that so many reporters don't save their appetites for my food! These had eaten nothing all day but a half a croissant for breakfast, so they were starving by the time they crossed our threshold. At the end of the meal they said they felt quite satisfied. and couldn't eat another bite. I served them the same meal I served MR, except with the addition of a CR quesailla, which is such a fun CR treat that I couldn't resist serving it to our across the Atlantic guests.
We had a fantastic meal. These are by far my favorite reporters. They are just nice people, and they don't seem to have an axe to grind. They're interested in who we are and what we do, and not hell-bent on proving that we're freaks. It seems to me that often media folk have decided, prior to meeting CR practitioners, that we must be isolated miserable people. The media folk who have joined us for meals seem to be the exception -- all have been quite respectful and pleasant -- but these guys are the absolute most fun. They even liked my cat... but more on that later.
The meal started out with gazpacho served in the giant red wine goblets that Little MR gave me for my birthday/housewarming. Here's the recipe:
2 cups Clamato juice
2 green peppers
1 cucumber
1/3 red onion (medium)
1 tablespoon tarragon white wine vinegar
juice of one fresh lemon
1 teaspoon Worchtershire sauce (sp???)
large dash cumin
small dash paprika
dash hot sauce (Tabasco or whatever)
1 teaspoon flax oil per person (add at last minute while serving)
Fresh ground pepper
Blend the veggies in a blender until smooth but not liquid. Mix with juice (you can use low sodium V-8 if you wish) and stir. Begin adding spices and adjust to taste. Allow to sit overnight in fridge for maximum blending of flavors, and then add flax oil just before serving, asking your guests to stir it in as they take their first bite.
I served the gazpacho with a fantastic French rose specificially picked out for the recipe by the fine dudes at Moore Brothers Wine Company, the most awesome wine store on the planet. These guys have been with me through my entire CR journey and know what I mean when I say "I want a wine that drinks like a meal." They picked me a wine with hints of cherry tomato, and it was heavenly with the gazpacho. Our British friends also had a CR quesadilla (low carb tortilla, nonfat cheese, chipoltle salsa) with their gazpacho course.
The next course was the scallops cooked in dry white wine with cilantro and garlic, with asparagus very lightly steamed and topped with fresh lemon and olive oil. I meant to serve a dry white from The Brothers with this, but we were loving the rose so much that we finished the bottle before cracking open the white. The gentlemen guests loved the food, made appropriate noises of enjoyment, and shared with us a documentary filmmaking rule that they do not film anyone eating. I really, really appreciate that. Who wants to be filmed with cottage cheese in their hair and a mouth full of greens? Un-attractive!
The grand finale was the hazelnut pear parfait served in Mary's gorgeous wine glasses. It's one of the easiest dishes on earth, and every time MR eats it he has a religious experience akin to Nirvana. You simply take about 100 grams of pear per person, dice it, cover it with cinnamon, microwave it for 2 - 4 mins, then layer the pears with 1/4 cup nonfat ricotta, and 2 teaspoons Walden Farms chocolate sauce. On top of all the layers add a teaspoon hazelnut oil and 8 g hazelnuts. Your guests will freak out.
The filmmakers got some great footage of the parfait... I really enjoyed watching Michael the cameraman zoom in for a closeup from many different angles. We had a ton of fun chatting over dinner, and Christopher revealed that he is thinking of taking up CR. I'd love to have both of them join our CR brethren, as they're the kind of fun people whom you just want to live forever.
The lowlight of the evening occured when Kieffer peed on Michael the cameraman's camerabag. Luckily, the object was waterproof, so we rescued the camera equipment and dumped the bag in the washing machine. Kieffer hasn't inappropriately eliminated since last September when he became unhinged after his new step-father MR left for a week to go to SENS (note that my cat's inappropriate elimination episodes always originiate, somehow, with a connection to Aubrey de Grey. I assure you, I'm not blaming Aubrey... I'm just saying!) The filmmakers were incredibly forgiving and moved right along like nothing had happened. The British are so polite, aren't they? The cat pees on your bag... carry on!
Overall, it was the most fun dinner party I've had in ages. I wish those guys were from the US so they could hang out with us more. They got good footage of us, the food, and the cat, but they never made me feel like I was under a microscope. I can only imagine that they are very good at what they do, since you'd think that the job of the documentary film maker must be to make the subjects feel at ease so they behave normally even in the abnormal situation of being filmed. I felt very comfortable, and had a great time.
And they liked the food. That's what really matters to me.
Posted by april at May 29, 2006 10:46 PM
Comments
Hey April,
I am a "media person" and I have been practicing CR for quite some time now....!
Keep writing! I enjoy your blog!
Emma
Posted by: Emma Kydd at May 31, 2006 1:33 AM
I MUST try out those recipes. I even bought some fat free ricotta a couple of weeks ago, but then never got around to using it. Hopefully it's still good. I think your whole dinner just sounded heavenly. Of course, I'd enjoy it more if you were doing the cooking instead of me, but oh well :-).
Posted by: Amy Wright at May 31, 2006 8:30 AM