There are people who travel far and wide to attend motor racing rallies. Some pay high prices to go watch football matches live. Others ride into the sunset with camping gear strapped on their motorcycles.
And then there are those among us who are drawn to fine food. Fine food is their thrill the same way yours is football or rafting. They gravitate to fine dining the same way a motoring enthusiast gravitates towards a great Italian super car.
While we all love food (obviously), these are the chosen ones. True gastronomes. They were born with a gifted palate. They are able to isolate hints of all the ingredient in a dish.
Some people can run fast, some can sing, epicures can taste a rare species of red apple or aged oak in their single malt whisky. True epicures part with hundreds of thousands of shillings to attend fancy culinary experiences in high-end venues in Kampala just to cool off and feel alive again.
For an outsider, this might come off as snooty and snobbish because you fail to understand why they pay as much as your rent for a mere meal and few glasses of premium whisky. But that is failing to remember that we all have our thrills on which we would spend copious amounts of money if we had it. And theirs is fine dining.
When you have been to a few of these exclusive parties like I have in recent times, you realise that they really aren’t just paying for the food and drinks. They are paying for the experience, the same way football fans pay for a stadium ticket instead of watching the match on TV.
They pay to not just enjoy the food but also to meet like-minded people. They like to watch as their fellow gastronomes leak their fingers from the same brisket that they are just about to dig in. They feel right at home with the strangers they find here because they know how the other person feels.
They share the same thrill and their love is mutual. Which makes conversation so unlaboured and natural at these events.
This is exactly how I felt when I attended The Smoke Out at Mediterraneo Restaurant in Kololo recently. The Smoke Out, as the name suggests, is a culinary experience where patrons enjoy all tribes of smoked meats. The meat is smoked over special types of wood for hours before they are slow-cooked on low indirect heat for even more hours to give the meat a smoky, spicy flavour.
As is often the case, the chef was on hand at the end of the buffet table to answer any questions about his food, be it about the juicy brisket, the oversised South African farmer’s sausages, or the pulled pork.
‘This brisket was smoked for seven hours and finished in the oven as well. Sometimes they are smoked longer. Depends how big the pieces are. But I did not want it to get too, the flavour to get too strong. It can be too smoky,’ Chef Ian, a stoic, middle aged expat explained to curious diners, hanging on his every word.
From the chicken to the beef ribs to the barbeque, everything came with a smoky flavour. But it wasn’t just the meat. There were other non-meat dishes like what the chef called the world’s best macaroni and cheese, mini burgers and roasted corn.
‘That corn, we actually take it in the skin and leave it in water for an hour. And then we just roast it on the fire, still in its skin, until it turns black. After it’s gone black, you peel it and the corn is cooked. You actually get more flavor when you roast it in the husk. It keeps the natural flavor,’ he added.
Upon picking their food, the next part of the experience was to pair it with The Singleton whisky. This single malt scotch is one of those that are known for its mellow, smooth flavor and true gastronome swear that pairing it with smoky flavored meat makes the meat tastier.
Their palates are so well tuned that they will enjoy the spices in the meat better when paired with a non-spicy whisky like The Singleton. You won’t because your palate is just too regular. They will pick hints of caramel or cayenne peppers when all you taste an indescribable sourness.
The crowd at the The Smoke Out was a good mix of expats, young, well-to-do Ugandans and girls whose legs went on and on. The dresses were mostly short and round, accentuating their most attractive aspects.
And the music, some mixes just have the ability to bring people down to the moment, away from their worries and their smartphones. But then again, it’s a party where people part with real bucks to get in.
All stops have to be pulled with reckless abandon. It was one of those parties where the spirit of dance was strong. Or maybe there was something The Singleton cocktails.