We spend a lot of our lives doing things because that’s “how they are done”. This applies to our work, our lives and even our relationships.
I for one am the chief instigator of this status-quo. Sometimes because it’s just easier. Sometimes because I don’t want to take a risk.
Recently I had a chance to return to one of my old haunts Al Dana at Sharq Village and Spa to try their new menu. One of the only restaurants in Doha on the sea, it goes without saying there is a heavy seafood influence. The chef hails from Greece but has lived and worked in Spain and this influence is obvious. What isn’t obvious is his combinations.
A lot of people have preconceived ideas about food combinations – fish can’t go with red wine or cheese. I’m always happy to have those notions challenged. The Smithsonian Magazine speculates that taste preferences and geography played a role in developing our preconceptions. Fish is delicate and cheese often robust flavor so they could overwhelm seafood with its delicate flavors. They also say that the traditional cheese-making regions of Italy — Piedmont, Trentino Alto Adige, Lombardy and Veneto — are all landlocked, leaving them with less access to and interest in seafood.
There are exceptions though – who can imagine smoked salmon without cream cheese for example? It’s all about balance.
Here we have another departure. Octopus and feta both have salty flavors and they work well with eachother and offset by a traditional Romesco sauce which is a Spanish dish made with nuts and red peppers. Again not a traditional sauce for seafood.
Sometimes you have to throw away your preconceived ideas about food, life, men. You Never know what you might find.
