Food and the Outdoors

What is it about eating outside that improves the gastronomic experience? It is springtime in North Carolina and the wisteria is blooming. My family and friends know about my obsession with gardening and probably surprised that I am blogging about food instead of the backyard. So, this evening, as the weekend was winding down, we had dinner on the steps of our deck, next to our wisteria vine.

Dinner was boiled edamame, grilled Teriyaki chicken legs, and another variety of Simply Asia noodles - roasted peanut - not that great. The food, to be honest, was not exceptional, though I was quite pleased with the result of having added Mirin to the pre-made Teriyaki marinade - the sugar of the Mirin really enhanced the glaze on the chicken.

I decided to split the meal up into three courses, much to the merriment of my children. The first course was edamame sprinkled with coarse sea salt (husband's input) served in plastic bowls, the second was the plate of chicken legs served caveman style and the last were the noodles served in blue ceramic and chopsticks. We had a nice bottle of prosecco (Prosecco Veneto, attractively priced at Lowes Foods) and the children had apple juice. Entertainment included an edamame-throwing contest and shrub-pruning critique-ing.

I was told many years ago that we enjoy food outdoors more because of the additional oxygen incorporated in our mouths as we bite and chew. Oxygen might have something to do with it, but I personally think it has more to do with the beauty of nature and the relaxation that it brings that adds to our enjoyment of our meal.

Cinnamon