UNE PORTION DE BELGIQUE

The sound of Sugared whispers from love glazed lovers, clouds of laughter and the chink of metal cutlery from hunger crazed people and ‘gifts of the wombs’ that knew no better and found joy in sending forks and knives flying into the hot air and crashing to the ground, swarmed the room.

The air was thick with a rainbow of scents that drifted from the open kitchen windows, teasing my taste buds and seducing the very hairs in my nostrils. Shouts from the heart of the restaurant blared through into the dining area. I watched as the white doors stuttered in turn of a waiter’s swift attendance to a drooling customer. Sitting in the room with metallic silver walls studded with grains of granite and pictures framed with delicacy and precision, letting the soft smooth vibrations of the stringed instruments that bounced off the walls caress my ears. Swaying to the symphony I sat awaiting the food sorcery that I had ordered.

“Le dîner est servi.”

I smiled politely as the only gesture I could offer not being a French speaker. I lowered my eyes to the plate placed delicately before me, listening to the click of the waitress’s heels as she strolled back to the mother ship. The light caught onto the generous portion of steak that lay on a background of ceramic white, smothering it with a glorious golden tint. I could almost see the artistry and passion that was poured into this meal from the grill marks painted on my meat. A creamy velvet sauce sauntered from beneath the steak oozing divine aroma. It was garnished with a bay leaf that could only have been plucked from the verge of heaven with its emerald green resemblance.I felt almost criminal reaching for my fork, about to devour this beautifully crafted art piece but my tongue tingled and trembled with every second that passed with my mouth empty.

I closed my eyes as my lips wrapped around the forkful that hung in my mouth in an attempt to savour and relish in the luscious taste. All that followed was purely euphoric. And by far my all-time favourite meal in reminiscence of my trip to the bodacious Belgium.