The Long Weekend. Remembering Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain.


It’s been the kind of long weekend for keeping warm and keeping dry.

Good thing I took this message to heart as I got myself ready for Sunday morning swimming.

We had good friends come over for lunch and a play.  We can collectively vouch for the deliciousness of these Tegal chicken nuggets all the way from New Zealand.  Certain others of us can vouch for the restorative powers of a couple of flutes of Moet spaced over a few hours on a Sunday afternoon….

You can’t entertain at home without a selection of snacks..  The Cheetos tiger always makes me smile and the distinctively dark packaging of Red Rock Deli chips has the subliminal power over my fingers and taste buds.
We had home made sausage rolls for lunch and chocolate cake for dessert.

Master SSG was in charge of the cake decorating.

And here is our sugar-o-saurus chocolate cake based on Fat Mum Slim’s famed Epic Chocolate Fudge Cake.
The sky up above my little world of five year olds scooting to school and work swipe cards being miraculously found wedged between a car seat and the hand brake welcomed two new stars this week.  Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain left this world with its sadness and pain within a week of each other.  Their deaths have opened up dialogues about suicide and depression but also tributes from people all around the world about what the work of both Spade and Bourdain meant in their own lives.
To me, Kate Spade’s whimsical vision of New York made that fabulous city a part of my everyday life whether I was visiting the US wrapped in a scarf of her design or schlepping around my work bag at home in Sydney with a little bag featuring her city lights print peeping out as I went about my daily thing,
Anthony Bourdain’s writing and documentaries about food and the restaurant industry has made me appreciate both food and the people who create it for me.
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Through Anthony’s eyes, food was a vehicle for adventure, for personal growth, as a means of connecting to our world and also as a medium that brings people together.  Later on in his life, he became a vocal advocate of the #metoo movement, supporting his partner Asia Argento.
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I thought of Anthony’s legacy this weekend as I began it with Master SSG at the Kings Cross Markets.

I had the chance to chat with the baker who made my almond croissant.

Master SSG got to see his breakfast being made from start to finish.

We were out for dinner that night at a favourite dumpling restaurant in a popular shopping centre.  

New Shanghai at 5.30pm on a Saturday night is a place I think Anthony would’ve enjoyed.  Possibly with a wry smile but a smile nonetheless.  Old and young (because it is only the extremes of age accompanied by their support staff that choose to eat dinner at time on a Saturday….) waited somewhat patiently for their number to be called before entering the restaurant.  Master SSG periodically peered over the podium to make sure that our number wasn’t passed over.
The poor lady in charge of matching dining groups to available tables darted back and forth mentally balancing and matching free tables with waiting customers.  She then had to yell out ticket numbers in both English and Mandarin (and sometimes Cantonese if neither of these got a response).  All’s well that ends well and we got our table for two after a standard 30 minute wait.

Wine is key for dinner at nana o’clock.  Ironically, the most disinhibited and sociable diners at this time of the day are the children. It was kind of like speed dating but not really and it was kind of like keeping your drunk friend at uni out of trouble but not really.  It was definitely loud and it was definitely delicious.
Do you have memories of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain?  What impact has their work had on your life?


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