“Depending on where you choose to read about it, it has been known for centuries by some cultures that what we eat and the circumstances surrounding mealtime can have a direct bearing on our mental and physical health. Eating poor food in a disharmonious atmosphere can deteriorate health over time. Likewise, eating centered foods in an atmosphere of harmony can enhance our health, peace of mind, and our longevity, too. A bite of dinner is only a moment on the lips, but its essence is ancient and its affect eternal.”
I thought about this quote the other night as Jon and I sat at Cafe Aroma for dinner. This place makes it impossible for me to say anything negative about eating out, but the reasons for loving this place are hard to find in other restaurants and lucky are those who have the good fortune of living near a restaurant like this. Our food was masterfully prepared, we ate it and felt perfectly satisfied afterward. No bloated, over stuffed feeling at all. We ate across from each other on our date night, with lovely live music playing in the background while friends we knew walked by on occasion after their own meal, or just sitting down to order.
Once we had finished eating, Jared, our waiter came by to offer freshly made chocolate ice cream with orange infused whipped cream, the owner Frank came and sat down for a bit. And what happened next is something that happens often at Cafe Aroma. There was talk of good food, the changes he was making in the kitchen, how he created the menu, the love of working in the restaurants, good books that of course centered around food and as the topics meandered, a few others came by to join us.
Its always like a family gathering there, with enough alone time to give us a romantic evening and then enough friendly gathering time to reconnect with all that is bohemian and magical about Idyllwild and those that gather at this restaurant. The experiences we have at Cafe Aroma while eating are what make it so hard to leave Idyllwild when we travel or move around.
But then, this is what makes the food so good as well as so nourishing for our bodies. Everything done there is done with love. Love for good cuisine, love for community and love of life. This feeds me. It feeds all of us and its what drives us back there often, both to work from our lap tops during the day and for romantic date nights.
Making the circumstances around our eating time harmonious and lovely at Cafe Aroma is effortless. And it makes me thing about the circumstances around eating at home and how Jon and I feel depending on how we have set up a meal for ourselves at home. Eating face to face at the dinner table with some lovely music in the background is always so much better for us physically, emotionally, mentally and romantically then it is when we eat apart, each at out desks and computers while working.
Where do you eat? How do you feel when you eat there? What are the circumstances around your meal times? I would love for you all to share.
Aren't you lucky to have a special space like that.
I love eating experiences like that. I think restaurants should be that way more often, instead of places where they rush you in and out and are more concerned with making a buck than making the experience memorable. Thanks for sharing this. It's a great reminder.
It is a great reminder. I think that aside from always writing about Cafe Aroma because I just simply love it there – I also want to convey a bit of what eating out can and should be like. I think that in environments like this, eating at a place that serves good food as a form of art and surrounded by good friends is just as sacred as a well cooked meal at home with family around the dinner table. At some point it would be really good to hear of others who have a place like this of their own. Its important to elevate places like this in the minds and consciousness of people so they stay in business and get the attention they deserve.