And it was all my fault!
I had the displeasure of experiencing fancy disappointment at a place that only serves plated desserts. The waiter stood at attention in his crisp suit with a cloth over his forearm. He held a clear wine bottle full of cold water and went around the room, making sure we were hydrated at all times. The desserts came out with fanfare, with the components either piled high on top of each other into an impressive tower, or scattered about the plate in a deconstructed beautiful mess. I prefer the controlled chaos of a deconstructed dessert. It saves me the trouble of picking apart the tower, to taste each component individually, before I succumb to the grand finale of a perfectly composed bite.
Desserts are the very definition of ultra high processed foods, and that is what makes them exciting. Fruit is nature’s candy and it is perfectly acceptable for dessert to be a slice of watermelon, or a juicy orange, because when fruit is ripe and fresh, it is a miracle of nature. I’m all for natural, but if I’m buying into the theater of things – white tablecloths, delicate stemware for water, fine sugar crystals spun into pink clouds – then I expect the MORE. I expect nature’s candy to be processed in an ultra high manner,with skills attained through 10,000 hours of dedication, and delivered in a delightful new form. Apples transformed into foam. Grapes transformed into a glossy Zinfandel glaze.
When I ordered the plum brulée, I was anticipating something like a plum flavored creme brulée. Or maybe a tower of plum infused cake and cream, a fantastic layering of plummy textures and temperatures, topped with a bruléed crackle.
What arrived was half of a plum with burnt sugar on top.
It was not served with a sauce, or cream. It was just that crusty plum round, alone on a large plate. Natural goodness neither highlighted nor enhanced. A plum punctuation to my disappointment.
The atmosphere shifted. Nothing worse than expecting theatrics only to receive plain honesty. Honesty that leaves you feeling tricked, and robbed! Lesson learned: keep imagination in check and expectations low.
