In this period of huge uncertainty, when people everywhere are twitchy and wondering what tomorrow has in store, I've been surprised on more than one occasion to hear a voice running through my head, "Let's not forget the simple pleasures."
These simple pleasures, so essential to our personal happiness and so different for each one of us, must not be sacrificed because of anxiety and fear.
These simple pleasures are a great help in giving us the detachment we need to cope with situations whose complexities are beyond us.
So let's not be ashamed of the word "pleasure," for it hasn't been banned - on the contrary, in many cases it may well be the remedy to the ills of a world that is too sophisticated, too fast, too modern ... a world gone wrong with sad and mad conditions, pitting nations, and nationalities against each other.
And what if real pleasure made us forget about the battling and bashing in a losing world by simply opening our eyes wider, looking straight inside, going against the grain occasionally to change the way we see things, and making the most of the people and all things around us.
To taste wine is to taste a tiny bit of a country's history and past. It sheds its deep, ruby red glow over much of the world's literature, history, converse and manners. It has become a symbol of peaceful and graceful dining at its best - for all other regions of the world to enjoy and copy.
Never, it seems to me, has wine been such a catalyst of pleasure, be it from Europe, California or Washington. A popped cork can assuredly usher in precious moments of remembrance ... tranquility and calm ... a feeling of safety.
The challenge for pleasure at the beginning of the dining-wining time is rarely heard, if ever, as we wish each other well before we eat. Perhaps. "Have a nice dinner" or "enjoy yourself" comes as close to any pleasurable greeting in the English language. The French coined the phrase "Bon Appetit," and this seems to be the established principle that is universally used by a great many who dine together.
Long ago the master of gastronomical science, Brillat-Sauvarin said: "The pleasure of the table belongs to all ages, to all conditions, to all countries and to every day; they can be associated with all pleasures and remain to the last to console us for the loss of the rest."
Norman E. Gates; 1920-2004
Founder of The Brotherhood of The Knights of the Vine
