This was a Dream Dinner Party for the brain, heart, and soul. Nourishing! Alex Casey was our MC and she was more than up to the task. I ❤ her writing in The Spinoff, even more so since she is here Ōtautahi Christchurch and tackling local subjects like the Christchurch Kimono Frenzy, musician Pickle Darling, and the wonderful weekend that is Open Christchurch!
The guests at this session:
- New Zealand food writer, broadcaster and author Nici Wickes
- Author of eight books and full-time lawyer Brannavan Gnanalingam
- Senior kaupapa Māori research leader, author, activist and Hua Parakore grower Jessica Hutchings (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Huirapa, Gujarati)
This smorgasbord of kōrero had it all - the audience was laughing their heads off and moved to tears (well, this audience member did both, and I know it wasn't only me!)
What does a dinner party mean to the guests?
Nici is an absolute ray of sunshine. But also a bit of an introvert - she loves a dinner party when people don't turn up. It's the cooking all day she likes, thinking about people while she does it.
Jessica spoke about manaakitanga, and the joy of harvesting and cooking food from your own garden. Her house burned down last year, and she missed cooking in her own kitchen with a big pot that belonged to her grandmother on her Indian side. She finds standing in her kitchen grounding - when you know where everything is.
Brannavan is a keen thrower of dinner parties, cooking connects him with his heritage. Some recipes are from his Mum, so it has an aspect of genealogy.
A memorable meal?
Brannavan dropped a ripper yarn.
"I was accidentally arrested for mass murder in Mali."
Brannavan and his two friends were arrested in Mali, then shared a communal pot of food with the arresting officers. But he had a bit of a stomach bug, and eating left-handed in a predominantly Muslim country is not acceptable, so a lot of this food ended up spilled on himself. He hadn't practiced his French for interrogation scenarios. The mass murderers were from Al Qaeda and Brannavan was soon off the hook, chatting to his captor about WOMAD and watching music videos of a performer from Mali, who happened to be that guard's uncle. ANECDOTE GOLD.
Later in the session, he had another ripper yarn about the time he was involved in a bean rating session for The Spinoff, and some kind of nightmare dinner party where people wouldn't leave.
Niki was filming in Delhi and went to a Sikh temple where 7,000 meals were served to temple guests. The flavours and spices were extraordinary, and she remembers the sheer generosity of that act of feeding a massive group.
Jessica talked about Kai Atua and the spirituality connected with kai and feeding people.
What four guests would you have at your dream dinner party?
Niki's guests would be her Nana Jessie, her first influence around cooking. She'd also have her Mum who she lost in November last year. Her Mum was her "food person":
"I'd do nothing but gaze at her, pat her hands, and drink her in."
Her third and fourth guests? Any Italian. And someone who cancels.
Jessica would invite her tūpuna from Ngāi Tūhoe who was a scribe for Rua Kēnana. Her other guest would be a descendant, three generations on. Then she could ask them "How is reo Māori? Where are we at?" She'd also have her Indian great-great-grandmother at the table. The lucky last guest would be the inspiring physicist turned ecologist and food rights advocate Vandana Shiva.
Brannavan took a different tack. No family or kids, he's having these folk over to dinner:
- Richard Pryor
- Dr Heimlich (apparently a bit of a fraud)
- Two people who hate each other, for that dinner party drama. He pondered over having cricketing heroes/enemies Richard Hadlee and Jeremy Coney, but instead went for a different pairing. Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez. There was a quick rundown of their various beefs. THE SHADE!
On the menu
Then we got into the food and drink. To go with Brannavan's curries, there'd be negronis, beer, and/or water. The food - vegan curries including lentils, coconut. something deep fried, eggplant - to be following up with a sago pudding.
Jessica did a shout for the first Māori organic wine coming out on 20 September, from a collective of Māori women including winemaker Huntress. The soundtrack for this dinner party would be sound of the soil where the grapes grow - you can hear the mauri. Six dishes, made from what's in the garden, spices, paneer, all the flavours. Guests could sleepover and get to eat yummy curry leftovers for breakfast.
Nici reckons elderflower cordial, kombucha, or tonic. She's into things that are sour and non-alcoholic. But a shot of apple brandy Calvados "punches a hole through the food" so you can keep eating. She's anti-nibbles like chips and dips. People should arrive hungry, and get a nice entree like fresh fish and lime. Her preference is to prepare food in front of people, as a bit of an antidote to social awkwardness. Main course: A slow cooked meat dish with simple greens out of the garden. The dessert - a brulee or something you can whip up like clafoutis. Nici loves showing people how easy it is to cook. It's a 5.30pm start for dinner at 6. No coffee or afters, you are out the door.
Afters
The session pivoted to outside the venue after an incident.
What is a good thing to bring if you are a dinner party guest? Brannavan reckons flowers, Jessica "seeded the idea" of bringing seeds (to grow food for future dinner parties. Nici thinks potted herbs, or maybe some nice chutney or preserve.
This great kōrero ended with a vision of Brannavan eating a kilo of fries, Jessica eating fresh mangoes, and Nici cooking something yummy out of the garden. YUM!
Photos
More
Check out Jessica Hutchings' website
Find books by:
The Life and Opinions of Kartik Popat
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