Beating the "Big C" -- Cancer free after 10 years. Party!
Ten years ago, August 1999, Kathy started an arduous regime of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, for a malignant tumor in her right breast. Metastasized to adjacent lymph nodes, the prognosis wasn't the worst but certainly wasn't the best.Cancer is nefarious; it wants to consume the body, literally, and getting rid if it seems equally barbaric. You suppress the victim's immune system to the point that the quick-growing cancer cells can't survive, preferably without killing the patient (which would be counter-productive). Excise the bad-bits, dump poisons into the patient's veins, and nuke the affected areas with gamma radiation. Anyone for a little blood-letting? Couldn't hurt, eh?
Ten years later, she's happy, healthy and free of the little buggers. Time to celebrate!
It's behind us, we are confident. Life is uncertain: it offers great joys and significant challenges. Kathy has met one of those challenges and triumphed over it. We're moving on.
OK enough drama, let's talk about FOOD. To celebrate this transitional anniversary, we connected with the Chef & Owners of Fuel, arguably the finest restaurant in Vancouver. We eat there from time to time, taking advantage of their "inexpensive" pre-fixe menus. Served at the "bar" (actually a serving area facing the kitchen) , we get to watch not only our own food being prepared, but the rest of the restaurant's -- and we can (and do) ask the Chef about particular dishes. "How was that prepared?", "Was that cooked sous vide?". It is a rockin' good time, as if the food wasn't enough, we're getting firsthand accounts of how it is prepared. A Foodies' wet-dream. Scott having been through Culinary school is both paying rapt attention, and experiencing vicariously what Chef Ted is going through.
It's a Tuesday -- normally the slowest day of the week for fine-dining restaurants (many are closed on Mondays). We made the reservation early -- 6pm, so to minimize the potential interruptions to our dialog with Chef Ted (who is cool under fire too, but definitely more communicative when there're fewer things to attend to). We met with Ted and Tom, co-Proprietor, over what we'd enjoy for our special evening. They are delighted to be part of it: "We live for this", says Tom. He's sincere.
The menu: well, basically everything. We looked at the evening's regular menu after we'd finished our degustation, and we'd eaten pretty much everything they had on offer. Full but not to the waddling stage ("Eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation" -- Poor Richard's Almanac). Kathy took copious notes and we've assembled them into a menu. Nine courses, four and a half hours. Individual wine-pairing for each course.
And the menu is... here!
Labels: Canada, cuisine, Food, Vancouver
posted by Scott & Kathy @ 8:41 PM
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