At the end of the year I’m always kind of done with it. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great year. Worked well, made a few nice trips, ate great, didn’t drink a drop (which is secretly very nice, what do you mean secretly…?) and on top of all, ‘lived’ in my beloved Canada for 3.5 months, what a party…
So what is actually going on…? Nothing at all, luxurious problems, and of course they concern food. December is the ultimate eating month for me. From the Captain’s dinner on Sinterklaas (capuchins with bacon and onion) to the many dinners, end-of-year drinks, just here, just there, my own Christmas dinners (I also do boxed meals on a modest scale) to “what will we eat at Christmas” .
We traditionally celebrate Christmas Eve with the family (in my case this means the in-laws) and it is our turn. No kidding, I already pushed myself forward in June, I like to be in control! It means clearing the entire ground floor, 25 chairs with accompanying mastic in the front and back room, snacks, soup, main, dessert, bubbles, white, red and water. Piece of cake for this former caterer, and I really look forward to it.
Anyway, where do I want to go, to the next day, as always… What we eat the next day is simple, the leftovers, because throwing it away would be ‘a costly sin’, and now we come to the bottom line, I’m there really done with it.
Done with those December flavors of potato, game, meat, stewed pears, Brussels sprouts, I love it, but at a certain point it’s just enough. What to do? Well that’s quite simple, I order a rice table from Ron.
For those who have never done that before, I don’t know many, it is quite simple. It is a matter of selecting your choice and delivery time on this website under the heading ‘At Home boxes’ and you’re all set. What then happens is great. At the agreed time (note, that is of course a window, between X and X hours) there is suddenly a medium-size box on your doorstep that fits perfectly in your refrigerator. A day, in my case 2, later it is a matter of sorting the boxes, blue remains cold and red you put in the oven or microwave. All you have to do is sprinkle the included toppings over the dishes, after you have removed the foil of course, and you can go wild.
…and off we went! Holy shit, how delicious, and everything has its own characteristic taste. There is rendang (beef), babi ketjap (pork), ayam bakar (chicken), udang peteh (shrimp) and ikan curry (cod) and a variety of vegetables and side dishes. We have more than enough, and when I reheat it for a second time the next day, now in the microwave, it is actually even tastier.
Long story short, but I think I know what I’m eating on New Year’s Eve, and warming up the next day while the world’s best throw themselves off the ski slopes in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Selamat tahun baru (happy new year)!!
