A Date to Remember

As surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, the best dates of all are the dates you make for yourself.

As the world learns to adapt to the clamour and confusion of Covid 19, so too must the dating scene. The concept of Virtual Dating intrigues me. It fills me with anticipation and curiosity, but most of all, dread. No longer is there the fear & anxiety-ridden journey, desperately seeking to kill the time, but feeling too agitated and skittish to actually achieve more than sit and wait. No longer is there the awkward cantor into the venue of choice, trying to discern the correct human, who is exhibiting rather different looks to the one portrayed on their profile picture, or, from the fuzzy and blurred recollection of that first encounter. Gone is the comfort of being able to intently scrutinise a menu, the solace of a drink or few, and the rescue of a toilet to pace and ponder. A screen offers no distractions, no dodges and no degrees of disguise. And with that, little ways to alight.

“Living is easy with eyes closed”. I can blame the current situation for stifling my dating opportunities, but “facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored”. My dating was dastardly futile long before Corona had come into being. Perhaps the dilemma resides in my ignorance as to why. When humans fail me, I rely on the motto “wine comes in at the mouth, and love comes in at the eye, and that’s all we shall know of truth”.

Yes, I can wallow in my diagnosis of a happy-never-after, or I can sit up confidently; assured by the fact that, truthfully, it may take two to tango, but it takes only one to cook up a storm.

Both the preceding and forthcoming months have and may not yield future in-laws, and, in my case, my date is guaranteed to be without conversation, but, as sure as the sun will set in the west, I know that the best dates of all are the dates you make for yourself.

Dates in Blankets (a.k.a. "Dates, Gorgonzola, Pancetta" by Augustus Harris)

It was the summer of 2017 that I began working at a quaint, homely Venetian Bàcaro nel cuore di Covent Garden. For some, it was the summer of love; others, of heartbreak. For me, it was the summer of good food, and the beginning of a passion and love for Italian wines. Set up and owned by Charles McDermott, it aimed to bring to London the relaxed, light-hearted, and genuine character of a Venetian bàcaro. And albeit a popular and perfect setting for a first date, it was Augustus Harris' very own dates which were the highlight of the evening. Stuffed, wrapped, and oozing with melted gorgonzola, it was the date on the plate that was to be remembered, far more than the one who sat opposite.

🥓 Serves 1 (3 dates)

Ingredients

3 dates

A good teaspoon of gorgonzola per date

3 slices pancetta affumicata

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180'C.

2. With a knife, cut down the centre of the date and remove the stone.

3. Dollop up a generous teaspoon of gorgonzola and stuff it into the date.

4. Wrap a slice of pancetta affumicata around the date.

5. Put in the oven for 10-15 minutes (you want the cheese bubbling, and the pancetta slightly crispy).

6. Prod a sustainable stick into your date.

7. Beware of the heat, and eat.