Jan 13, 20222 min read

Why I entertain when I need focus

When I’m distracted and having trouble focusing on work or the tasks at hand, I find entertaining to be the perfect panacea. It has a beginning, a middle, and an end, forcing me to focus on each task one at a time. I can’t put it off, since there is a deadline—perfect for making me feel like I’m accomplishing something and best of all it ends with a good meal and time with family and friends.

I learned to love family meals growing up. I remember summers in the south of France where lunch was the meal we focused on. A trip to town in the mornings was devoted to gathering the fresh ingredients that would be served for the meal: fresh baguettes (of course), vegetables at le Marché, and deciding between fish, caught that morning, a succulent chicken that glistens as it spins on the rotisserie, or maybe some prepared foods, like pâté en croute from la charcuterie and of course a stop at la fromagerie for the perfect cheese.

There is lots of choice, and that’s what makes the experience so much fun, as well as imagining the tastes as we consider how the flavors will impact each other when served together to create the meal.

The part I love is the planning that ends in a dinner. But more than just creating meals, entertaining includes people who have gathered to share their lives, tell stories, and be together in a way that seems to only happen at the dinner table. Those are the moments I cherish and the reason I learned to cook. Over the years, I’ve learned to love the entire process; it is what feeds my spirit and why I’m so drawn to entertaining especially when my life goes slightly out of whack.

When the evening is over, I relish the memories, remembering the conversations, the décor, the tastes, and I find I’m energized and ready to go back to my everyday life. I’m lucky that I’ve discovered such a wonderful way to get myself back on track.

This post was created prior to our site upgrade. Comments at the time of our upgrade included:

Greg January 25, 2022

You might want to post some preview pages of your book on Amazon – right now there are none – not too enticing – most people want at least a small preview of what they are purchasing- just a thought

—Greg

Reply: Greg, You are so right. I’ll add more pages from the book in the ‘Look inside’ section on Amazon. I really appreciate your letting me know! Merci —Adeline