With a musical playlist featuring some graduation classics:
“Mrs. Robinson” – Simon & Garfunkel
“Chariots of Fire” – Vangelis
“Get up, stand up” – The Wailers
“Whip It” – Devo
“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” – Daft Punk
“Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – Bobby McFerrin
“The End” – The Doors
“Rocket Man” – Elton John
“Pomp & Circumstance March” – Edward Elgar
It was an inspiring evening filled with laughter and an absolutely delicious Thai banquet.
Every guest received a tiny glass bottle which held an inspirational quote inside. A bit like a fortune cookie but with no scary premonitions, only some sound advice to live by such as:
“Live the full life of the mind, exhilarated by new ideas, intoxicated by the romance of the unusual” – Ernest Hemingway
And motivating stuff like:
“You have as many hours in a day as Beyonce”
We wanted to create a dessert that was a little more special than a tradition Thai fruit platter so we followed in the footsteps of the incredible pastry chef Anna Polyviou and made this Passion Fruit Posset with Mango and Passionfruit Sorbet. With a layer of coconut tapioca, passionfruit jelly and a light, creamy posset, this was a fruity dessert that hit all the right places.
A little taste sensation at the start of the meal came in the form of these stuffed betel leaves. Stuffed with chilli, ginger, lime, peanuts, prawns, lemongrass, fried shallots and a sticky sweet shrimp sauce, these went down a treat.
The Betel Leaf starter was followed by a golden egg net filled with crispy salmon salad and coconut caramel.
Mains included this salad of poached chicken with avocado, mango and lemon basil; a spicy Thai rare beef salad; and a warming Thai eggplant red curry with tofu, potato and roast shallots.
In planning for this evening, we found some of the most sound advice to live by was from a 92-year old and I thought I’d include it here since it is so important no matter your age, background or ambition in life:
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
I think it is important to remember these simple things when horrific things are happening in the world around us. If we can all try to pass on a little kindness to those around us daily and to live truly generous lives, perhaps we won’t go as far amiss as some have gone before us. Generosity is not a subject that can be learnt at university (as far as I know) but there is need for it in this crazy world of ours, that’s for sure.
Build beautiful communities and celebrate time together.
xxBlighStBistro