The great tenor Luciano Pavarotti once said, "One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating," and man, did that dude know something about eating! Lou was almost as famous for his eating habits as he was for his golden pipes. Stories abound about him eating whole chickens in his hotel room and flinging the bones over his shoulder, drinking copiously, and generally having bad table manners. His lack of decorum extended beyond the table as well.

One of my college voice teachers told me of an encounter she had with Pavarotti at a concert in the late 80's. Being an opera student herself, she was overwhelmed to meet and talk briefly with the great legend at a very crowded, post-concert gala. When she mentioned that she was also an opera singer, Master P. wasted no time in plunging his whole arm down the front of her formal dress, feeling for and eventually grasping her lower abdomen! Stating simply, "Yes. You have the lungs for it," and without apology, he then turned on his heel and headed toward the buffet!

Needless to say, she was mortified, and had a different opinion of the master after that encounter. While Pavarotti certainly knew how to eat, I bet he had issues finding people willing to eat with him. He needed to be reminded of another great quote from Epicurus, which I included in my first post. "We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink..."

And that brings me to my point. Any meal, no matter how humble or lavish, can be elevated or destroyed by the company you keep. I was reminded of this at lunch yesterday, sharing a cheap, greasy, chinese buffet meal with Randy Watson. I admit that I didn't much want to eat chinese, at least not the americanized crap served in steam trays in an old burnt-out Don Pablo's. I was looking for something exciting, Ethiopian maybe, or perhaps some vegetarian South Indian food. Our cameraderie elevated that very mundane repast into a wonderful time for both of us, and in addition some exciting plans were set into motion. I left feeling full, not only in my belly, but also full in friendship as well. Plus, Randy picked up the tab! Thanks, Randy!!

Have you ever been to a really fancy dinner with great food, only to look around and realize you don't know anyone there, and don't care to know them? Have you ever been starving, with only a pack of crackers or some trail mix to share with a friend, and that act of sharing transforms the meager meal into a feast? Does the question "What was your favorite meal ever?" make you think back to a time when you were a poor student, climbing up to a lookout or down to the sea, with a crust of bread, some moldy cheese, and a few drops of wine to share with someone you loved? We should always keep in mind that the people we share food with are more important than the food itself.

Thanks to Randy for reminding me of this, and thanks to Jon for the Photoshop assist!

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