Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Silver Lining

I don't want to sound like Pollyanna--does anybody remember her? However there may be an upside to the current economic crisis. I don't mean in the stock market. What I mean is that I have been recently invited to dinner by three first-rate cooks that I know who more or less have given up cooking. After expressing my delight and accepting, I gingerly asked: "Did the economy have anything to do with it?" Cautiously they gave tentative yesses. It was notable because although they are friends that we regularly see, we usually go out to dinner. Even I who am a regular cook am doing more of it for friends and family.

There is the silver lining. At least in my view. If I owned a restaurant, I might feel differently. So far, despite some weakening of the market, the best places--food, not fanciest--are doing pretty well. The prices may have come down a little which isn't altogether negative.

Another bonus is that many of us have wines at home. Now we are drinking them. We can pride ourselves on our fore thought.

Give a dinner party--small--and let that be your version of FDR's soul saving fireside chats. Home is good.

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