{"id":6457,"date":"2011-08-14T12:58:41","date_gmt":"2011-08-14T18:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/?p=6457"},"modified":"2019-04-29T23:00:16","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T03:00:16","slug":"sunday-series-gathering-a-table-for-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/sunday-series-gathering-a-table-for-two\/","title":{"rendered":"Sunday Series: Gathering, A table for two"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Table for Two<\/h4>\n

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\"Fried<\/a>

Fried Squash Blossoms on the Balcony (c)2011 LaDomestique.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Gathering can be lively and stimulating, like a group of friends engaged in passionate conversation. . .\u00a0 but sometimes it’s nice to share a moment of quiet at a table for two.\u00a0You don’t have to slave over a multi-course meal for the gathering to be special. Last night the husband and I sat on our balcony, taking in the last rays of the setting sun. It was warm outside, but a cool breeze passed over us. I could feel autumn whispering in my ear.<\/p>\n

I had just returned from my community garden plot with a harvest of delicate squash blossoms. Carefully, my hands tucked a spoonful of goat cheese into each trumpet-shaped flower. I dipped the squash blossoms in silky batter and fried them in oil. As the blossoms turned golden I plucked them from the hot oil, giving each a sprinkling of lemon juice and sea salt. The husband poured two glasses of wine. Outside at our table for two we quietly enjoyed this little treat from the garden. He said, “This is good.” I agreed. It was a beautiful moment.<\/p>\n

A small gathering : simple, elegant, shared with another.<\/p>\n

About Gathering<\/h4>\n

With the release of Kinfolk<\/a>, an online magazine devoted to \u201csmall gartherings\u201d, I\u2019ve been inspired by the idea that entertaining is changing. For a long time now I\u2019ve been turned off by the word, \u201centertaining\u201d, which brings to mind perfect parties, formality, and posturing- keeping up with the Joneses. Entertaining seems dated. Times are changing. We\u2019ve been through a recession. After all the spending of money we don\u2019t have and buying houses we can\u2019t afford, we\u2019ve filled these houses with stuff that hasn\u2019t brought happiness. For many, the reaction is to simplify. Pare back. We\u2019re investing less in material things and more in the things that really fill us- our friendships.<\/p>\n

Gathering is different. Gathering evokes a feeling of ease, warmth, and a focus on interacting rather than performing. In this world we\u2019re becoming so insular. We forget the importance of gathering with friends to share stories at a thoughtfully set table with simple, flavorful food. Because of Kinfolk magazine<\/a>, I want to remember.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve decided to begin posting to LaDomestique.com on Sunday, the day of rest. Much of the week at this site is about learning and doing, but Sunday will be about reflecting. Join me in an effort to keep it all in perspective. I will share a special moment from the week, and I would love for you to share snippets of your small gatherings in the comments section<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A Table for Two   Gathering can be lively and stimulating, like a group of friends engaged in passionate conversation. . .\u00a0 but sometimes it’s nice to share a moment of quiet at a table for two.\u00a0You don’t have to slave over a multi-course meal for the gathering to be special. Last night the husband […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[92,31],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6457"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6457"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19388,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6457\/revisions\/19388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}