A Perfect World...

My epiphany continued through the summer of 2009...yeah, I think it was meant to be! Coinciding with my reading and research on clean food and healthy eating we were packing our bags for a trip to the back roads of Europe!
We were headed to a wedding celebration for my son and his new bride. We were invited by my new daughter-in-laws' family to spend some time in her "motherland". It was going to be quite a wonderful and unexpected adventure.
At first, I thought the outrageously good food was just because we were on vacation and the excitement just made everything taste better. But, day after day and meal after meal I realized that wasn't completely true. The food tasted better because it WAS better! It was REAL food! It was fresh and seasonal and picked or sourced the day we were eating it. There were no GMO crops and no HFCS allowed in the countries we visited. Food is important to the European countries and they take it seriously! They demand better and understand the importance of real food. Not just for the sake of good health, but they understand the pleasure aspect as well. Fast food is a weird concept. (Yes, I know there is a KFC or McDonald's in almost every place on the planet)...but, it isn't just about getting crappy food and eating it quickly. Europeans know how to enjoy a long, leisurely meal. It was a completely 'foreign" concept to us! We were used to a quickly picked up or prepared meal consumed in record breaking time! No so in Europe! We had to switch gears big time! It was a learning curve...a lovely, leisurely learning curve. Coffee breaks that lasted an hour or so, lunches that went on and on and dinners that lasted well into bedtime!
One day we just wandered down to the open air market and picked up freshly baked bread, berries and currents right from the bushel basket, real cheeses with lovely bacteria and enzymes and a light and fruity bottle of wine. We wandered to a park whose history was much older than me or any of my dearly departed relatives and plopped down on the grass. We broke into that crusty, aromatic bread and ate berries and cheeses with just our fingers. We drank wine from paper cups. We visited and chatted and laughed and shared stories. Ahhh....lovely!
Every meal we had on our journey was amazing. Yes, EVERY meal was exceptional. From the early morning freshly baked croissants filled with hazelnut and chocolate to the lunch on a river eating freshly cooked frogs from said river...everything was at the peak of freshness. ( I felt a little bit like Anthony Bourdain ;))
One meal was especially memorable and life changing for me...we were invited to lunch in the backyard of a lovely family in a small distant town. We walked down a dusty path with chickens and goats roaming the tiny neighborhood. The backdrop was stunning. A huge mountain range bordered the small town and cooled the hot summer temperatures.
We walked through a gated yard and entered the most idyllic yard I've ever seen. It was lush and green and full of fruit bearing trees and vines. It had a garden that was buzzing with bees and other insects. A long table was set up on the grass and protected by umbrellas. There was an unbelievable outdoor kitchen fully equipped and covered above with a roof top garden. Our hosts were busy preparing our meal when we arrived. Plates and plates of food kept arriving at the table. Each dish as enticing and beautiful as the next.

The entrance to the outdoor kitchen...I'm pretty sure that huge red barrel was filled with red wine...no lie!

 This hearty cornbreadish dish was served at almost every meal. It was a little bit different everywhere it was served but always delicious.

Seriously...when was the last time your lunch looked like this?

Notice the pitchers of red wine? I don't believe I ever saw a wine bottle...remember the big red drum???

I think this guy was roaming the neighborhood the day before! Any guesses? (I am confessing...I had no idea until I was told, I don't see this in the local supermarket!)...it's a GOAT...we were treated like royalty at this lunch!

Almost every meal looked like this on our adventure! Bonus...each meal lasted about 3 hours...how can you NOT relax and enjoy yourself. It's not just the quality of this food but it's also the relaxation factor.
The epitome of healing in my humble opinion!
And, it just got more and more amazing...Our gracious hostess just walked into her fragrant, ripe garden and kept bringing us more decadent treats...

They don't grow like this in my world!

 Um...fresh ripe pears?!? Yes, please...

and...drum roll...

Hazelnuts!!! Are you kidding me??? We ate them right off the tree!!!
Yup...my world was forever changed...I was changed! I wanted this quality of food going forward. I don't know that I will ever be able to completely replicate this, but I'm sure going to do my best!