Fab dinner!

There are lots of things I love about Cambridge, and one of my favourite things is having a meal out. I love having breakfast with people (as Shelley, Samantha, and Liz now know) and I love having dinner out (as almost everyone knows). I am pleased to report that I have discovered a fabulous new place to eat—delicious savoury dishes and a desert selection that makes you wish that it were socially acceptable to wear expandable pants. Sadly, this place doesn’t take reservations; it is by invitation only.

My invite came unexpectedly one busy work afternoon. Alison, my boss and master chef, invited me to her place for a meal. It sounded good to me, so I booked off that Sunday evening and hit the Cambridge Wine Merchants for something nice to bring. I woke up on Sunday very excited for my very exciting meal. I decided not to panic about the fact that I didn’t actually know how to get to Alison’s house, in spite of the fact I had been there before and had the address. Instead, I crafted a brilliant, dignity saving plan of calling a cab, so as to arrive on time and not get lost. As it turned out, I didn’t have to call a cab because David sent me an email to see if I wanted to walk over to Alison’s house together. I happily agreed. I also decided not to be intimidated by the guest list. I was not going to worry that I would be the only one without a PhD at the dinner table. Liz agreed that I was right not to panic about such silly things. We agreed that what awaited me was a happy dinner with wonderful friendly Alison. We figured our boss, Dr. Pearn, would not be present. Just Jim would be there (and we all love Just Jim) and our director, Prof. James A. Secord, would not. Lovely Anne (not the scarily eloquent Dr. A. Secord) and my friend David (not the formidable Prof. Kohn), would also be present.

Alison really knows how to throw a wonderful dinner party, and she was very gracious when the Mill Road contingent was fashionably late. Our evening began with Pimms and lovely savoury spicy tarts in her beautiful conservatory. Wonderful conversation, wonderful food, and a wonderful start to the dinner party. When dinner was ready, we moved to the kitchen. Alison has this great dinning set up, a huge fantastic table right in the heart of all the wonderful smells. We ate crazy tasty fish, salad, and these incredible roasted potatoes (I thought I made good roasted potatoes, but mine don’t hold a flame to Alison’s), and we washed it all down with some great wine. Just when I thought she couldn’t pull out anything that would compare to the fabulous dinner, Alison presented not one, not two, BUT THREE mouth-watering desserts. If ever there was a time that I thought my sister’s expandable pregnancy pants were a good idea, it was that night when the desserts hit the table. After I ate as much as my restricting skirt would allow, we retired to the living room for tea and other after dinner drinks. It was right there, in Alison’s living room, that I realised just how lucky I am.

It is no secret that I just adore the people in my office. It is such a happy working environment, full of laughing and genuine affection. But there, on Alison’s couch, I realised just how much I adore my Cambridge bosses. In my interview, I remember Alison asking me what I thought I could bring to the DCP and what they could give to me. I remember giving some vague sounding answer to the second question, something that spoke to the skills I hoped to learn working on the Project, blah blah blah. I realise now that couldn’t have been more myopic. I have been the happy recipient of more than I really deserve by way of guidance, encouragement, and support in the few short weeks I have been here. When I think about flying home to Toronto, I realise that while I will be leaving a bit of my heart at the DCP, I will be taking home more happy memories than will comfortably fit in my silly head, and a great deal more self-confidence. By the way, the photo for this post is of Alison's green shoes, that I love love love!!!