Maybe twelve years ago, when we were living in small-town New Mexico, I had a dream of opening an Italian restaurant. There wasn't a good one in that town, and the closest one at all was in the neighboring small town about 20 miles away. I didn't necessarily have any particular expertise, I just thought it would be cool. I was finishing my masters degree in management at the time, and one of the classes required us to make an elaborate business plan. I worked out just how I would run the restaurant. I was going to name it "Luciola," which Google told me was Italian for firefly. Even though I never took a solid step to found this restaurant, beyond getting an A on the business plan, it felt real in my head. I feel like I actually did it.
Now I look back, at all the different times I thought I had a good idea for a restaurant, and I'm kind of glad I never tried to start one. It's not because so many restaurants fail. I'm not afraid of failing at a business pursuit if I've really given it serious effort. It's more because of how much more work would have gone into it than just coming up with the concept. Having to stand in a kitchen and cook the same things every day would have sucked all the fun out of it. And it sounds physically tiring as well as emotionally so. I'm more an ideas guy. Less work horse.
For my mother's birthday, everyone came here for brunch. I made the one meal she specifically requested: cassava flour crepes with fresh strawberries. I made a double batch (where usually I make 2/3 of one), and I set out a huge spread of toppings and fillings. From cracking the first egg to turning off the burner under the crepe pan was two solid hours of standing in a hot kitchen. (I didn't sit down once, because I knew if I stopped I wouldn't start again.) All that work was worth it, though. Everyone loves these crepes. They are completely grain free, vegetarian (not vegan), and can be mostly sugar free for those who desire it. Me, I had two of them filled with Nutella, strawberries, and unsweetened whipped cream. Bring on the sugar crash!
After we ate, we played with Valerie and visited among ourselves. We went out front and took the four-generations pictures we wanted, but I haven't yet pulled them from the fancy camera to a usable format. I have a few pictures from brunch, and some were sent to me from the kids' dinner out. I hope when all is said and done, mom had the kind of birthday she hoped for. Now to plan for a first birthday tomorrow!
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