Food & Music

The April 2008 issue of Bon Appétit has a list of "Songs For Rainy Days" to "inspire quality time in the kitchen." The list includes songs from Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and even a Balkan gypsy band called Taraf De Haïdouks. I just added several of the songs to my Ipod, some really good stuff.

Seeing the list got me to thinking about my own experience with food and music.  I find that the two are often deeply intertwined. What could be better than cooking or eating great food while also nourishing the ears and soul with great music. Admittedly however, not everyone shares my opinion.

Years ago while working as a waiter I was summoned to the table of Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber, where he demanded (yes demanded, he was quite angry in fact) that I turn off the music playing in the restaurant. He exclaimed that it was not possible to eat, much less think, with music playing in the background. In case you aren't familiar with Sir Lloyd Weber, he is the composer of musicals such as Evita, Jesus Christ Superstar, Cats, Phantom of the Opera, and others.

One would think he might appreciate a bit of background music as he dined, but apparently not. Being a lover of music, and a sometimes musician, I found myself angered at his request. Who was he to demand that the entire restaurant be forced to dine sans music? I passed the request on to the manager, a musician himself, who said, "Tell him to screw himself!"

This incident was made all the more amusing by the fact that later that year Sir Lloyd Weber's ex-wife/muse Sarah Brightman was dining in the restaurant. She too summoned me to her table, and asked that I play her CD for the listening pleasure of the diners. I was a bit embarrassed for her and had to admit that I didn't think her music was appropriate for our restaurant. She was unfazed and gave me a copy of her CD and an autographed photo to give to one of her fans, my mother.

Similar to wine pairing, the right music can really enhance the dining experience. As a good waiter I new that Sarah Brightman's CD would be the wrong match for the restaurant, but I also knew in the Lloyd Weber situation that silence would also be wrong. I guess I'd be curious to hear what kind of music other people like to listen to while they eat.

Comments

[verdadera-mujer-mexicana]

I happen to know that when the Hedonist was about a little boy, on those rare occasions that he ate in a Chinese restaurant in North Platte, Nebraska with his parents, he would start squirming around and getting uneasy as they waited for their orders. The Chinese instrumental music in the background was not to his liking and he would tell his parents that this music was very spooky and sad and that it scared him. It is possible that he did not appreciate the somewhat discordant windpipes and stringed instruments that were meant to add to the ambiance. I don’t remember if he ordered them to stop playing the music or not, but he did like the crab rangoon with sweet and sour sauce.

Mmmm, crab rangoon! I still love it.