I love food.
I imagine that statement doesn’t come as much of a surprise to most of my regular readers.
I love food for a lot of reasons. I love that it provides us with a link to a past. Recipes passed down from relatives provide us with tangible links to days gone by. I love that cooking requires two seemingly antagonistic mindsets: Creative whimsy and analytical engineering. I love that food brings people together and helps strengthen a sense of community across all walks of life.
There are a lot of reasons that I love food and cooking, but one thing I’ve never really understood is people who love food because they claim it’s an aphrodisiac.
Don’t get me wrong. I understand the allure of watching someone seductively eat a banana, but I’ve never really thought of food as being…well, sexy.
Thankfully, The Homegrown Revival swooped in to help me understand the sensual side of food and cooking.
As a fundraiser for Austin’s Sustainable Food Center, The Homegrown Revival, along with The Swan Dive bar, recently held “Farm to Disco,” which was a unique event that combined the playful atmosphere of a fondue party with the body movin’ grooviness of a disco club. So not only were attendees helping support a laudable non-profit organization, we were able to do so while dancing, drinking, and eating.
Get in my belly!
Dripping Springs Vodka supplied the spirits for the evening, and the lovely bartenders at Swan Dive had mixed up a special punch with Dripping Springs vodka just for the event. They also featured a Moscow Mule, but that citrusy punch grabbed my heart and wouldn’t let go. A couple of sips of the naughty concoction had me unconsciously swaying to the music, and I began grooving my way over to the food.
Mmmmm, Fondue
The Homegrown Team had set up three food areas at the back of the bar. One table held three large fondue pots filled lusciously melted cheese. Various breads, veggies, and sausages arrayed the table, simply begging to be eased into the warm cheesy goodness and then eaten slowly and savored.
Another table tempted us with goat ribs lightly drizzled with a tangy sauce. The rib meat was so tender it fell apart in my mouth, and the sauce had us licking our fingers. At the end of the table, a member of The Homegrown Revival Team fried up green tomato slices and little mini beignets.
Chocolate? Yes, please.
The last table held three more fondue pots, and these cauldrons of sensuousness offered three different types of chocolate fondue, and for dipping, we had Texas grapefruit, oranges, breads, Texas Brie, and little squares of pillowy marshmallow. I found it impossible to eat the chocolate without getting my fingers and mouth messy and smeared with chocolate. As my wife playfully wiped and kissed away the chocolate on my mouth, it occurred to me that the messiness was probably all part of the plan.
DJ Chino Casino was on hand to provide the tunes for the evening, and as we grooved to the sounds of the 70s on the dance floor, our bodies tingly from the spirits and the luscious fondue, I think I finally understood the inherent sexiness of food.