No bodyguards at lunch

Just this afternoon, I received an email of details from a very old friend regarding an eat-until-you-drop lunch he's planning on Saturday to which he's invited his family and some friends. It was a general email sent to everyone he's asked to come along to this lunch.

I'm still trying to get out of something else, in order to join this degustation, as it looks like it will be an all-day event even if it's only lunch.

We're having it outside Manila, you see, and we're being advised to leave Makati at about 930 AM and I guess we'll be back by evening. Talk about an all-day lunch. I think about 25 people are joining. The list of attendees was also furnished in the email and I was happy to see lots of people I knew, including many friends and acquaintances from way back.

OLD TIMES' SAKE

The guy organizing this is a terribly old friend of mine. And one of his guests -- someone I only met once -- was taken to my house in Tokyo by a visiting friend from Manila for a shabu-shabu dinner many years ago; and then I never saw him again after that. How funny that I might see him over a lunch table of a very eclectic group of people, after all these years.

Anyway, his email starts off like this:

Dearest foodies


If you are on this email, you are confirmed or at least highly interested or almost confirmed for a glorious feast on Saturday July 21 at the world-famous table of XXX. For those who have yet to experience this culinary adventure, do come with an open mind, an open heart, and certainly an empty tummy. It is a four-hour leisurely lunch that will take you through some of the best food the Philippines has to offer and then some. 

RULES FOR LUNCH:

NO BODYGUARDS AND NO HANGERS ON

Then part of his very detailed email had a section on who should attend, after the menu and logistic had been discussed. I thought it was very funny:

There are some rules and some housekeeping before we start. If you drink, then BYOB/BYOW (beer or wine). No bodyguards, no guns, no drivers, no yayas, no hangers-on….please leave your entourage at the door. We want you and only you.


I checked out the menu and it really looks good -- especially as it has some of my favorite food in it. So I'm really trying to move a couple of things to make it. And if I do make it, well, you certainly will know it via this blog.

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