My Most Memorable Meal

Memorable and best may be interchangeable for most but when you eat out as much as I do, it becomes difficult to tie the two together. Recently returning from Copenhagen, I had many memorable meals in places such as NOMA and Kadeau. But were they the best? Possibly. But the best of what? Best of the year? Best of my life? Last year, I wrote in The Irish Times about how the best thing I ate was the glorious ham and cheese toastie that they serve in the wine bar Loose Canon in Dublin. It was also the most memorable on that occasion. That was despite eating in many Michelin star restaurants throughout the year. Sometimes all you want is a good cheese toastie and no amount of Michelin star meals will suffice. Am I right? But to try and define the most memorable meal ever? That is difficult. But one occasion comes to mind. The spaghetti bolognese in Chez Hans in Cashel, Tipperary sometime in the late 1980s. We were there for a family meal, or rather a family holiday, all eight of us – two parents and six children. A regular sized Irish family of the 1980s. And if my memory serves me correctly, all four of my brothers and my one sister had burger and chips. For some reason, I chose differently and went for the spaghetti bolognese. I can’t remember why I picked this dish. Was it a desire to be different? Or just plain old curiosity? Eating that pasta and ragu with its single piece of parsley adorned on top was an epiphany. It was that memorable moment when food opened itself out before me, showing me the massive world that it contained. When I try and think about the reason I became a chef, this occasion always springs to mind. It allowed me to break away from the monotony of family meals and use food to travel to far off places. Eating is always a cultural process and it’s a pity that we don’t value food enough in a cultural manner in Ireland. Food has been part of the culture of Ireland since people first came to this island over 10,000 years ago. We just need to learn to appreciate it anew with fresh eyes. The best and most memorable meals may often be behind us, but that’s not to say there are not many more ahead.