The Cook Club...Social Eating

hmmmm something is changing. I can feel it in the air just as one feels that winter is coming to a close and the warm sun has returned for a while. At first I thought that it was only about me and that I had changed and was finally getting used to not 1 but 2 little people needing me all the time…but now I’m sure its something different. Can it be that Milan is getting energized….that the currents of energy i feel in London, Berlin and NY may have made their way to Milan. Let’s just say that “energy” is a concept I discovered 8 years ago. Upon walking into work on December 6th (7th and 8th are bank holidays in Italy,) i pushed the front door open and it wouldn’t budge. I tried again and was able to push it open wide enough to slip my head in. “Hello”…” what the heck” strewn all over the foyer floor were all of the binders of press releases and requests we had been filing for the past month. "The energy in this place is all wrong…we’ve got too much negative energy in here!” “we” have what???????????? are you kidding me. Energy? Lady you are totally insane. Forget about the fit you had about one of the girls not packing your ginger tea. Forget about the craziness regarding how your luggage is tagged. Totally push aside the insanity concerning your little moleskins being the wrong color. You are off your rocker. This made my boss asking the two interns to bend down and tie her laces seem like a mere mishap. Energy. Energy. Energy My body tingles when its good…and my stomach gets into knots when its negative. Energy. About 10 days ago I had received an email regarding a “Cook Club.” A dinner at a unknown location with 7 people I didn’t know. I didn’t know the chefs nor the person who had sent me the email. My feet were dancing. YES YES YES. I sent an email a mere 10 seconds later. “Are there two spots available” “No, only one…would you like to still come?” “ Yes Yes Yes" I left my teething 10 month old screaming and told my visiting mother in law…”I’ve got to go…Dinner with 7 strangers…and I can’t be late!” I arrived 15 minutes late but thankfully was not the last person. After a mere 2 minutes of uneasiness, armed with a glass of wine generously poured by the gracious hosts, I sat, smiled, talked and ate for the next 4 hours.