I know that my hands are all tied up with commitments to fulfill this weekend and for the coming week. But while attempting to finish one last night, Iska brought to my attention an interesting project that Ces started over at her blog, SpiCes.

This little project that has the makings of a meme and a blogging event all rolled into one asks food bloggers to post entries with photographs of various settings related to food and dining - found in residential and/or hospitality design installations we encounter in our everyday lives.

Like Ces, Iska, and Joji, my first love and passion is also – designing! A bit of a backgrounder here: Ces and Iska are both architects and so are their partners Marc and A, respectively. Joji and I are both interior designers by education and practice. Joji is married to T, another architect. Well, I . . . I’m still without a partner! Tee hee!

More than a decade ago, faith gathered and transported all of us to a little known Sultanate called Brunei Darussalam (Brunei “The Abode of Peace”) to work for a very prominent and probably one of the most important clientele in the world.

“Those were the days,” as we would always refer to the times we’ve shared designing things we never dreamed of while bonds of friendship were strengthened between each and every one of us in the company.

But then, it was also faith that decided we move on and explore the world further for the quest to fulfill our passions. And this was Ces’ inspiration when she thought of this project called “Fine Dining.”

Now, how does one go about this? I’d like to quote Ces in her first entry . . .

“I can ask everyone to join me in this one! Say, a monthly or bi-monthly thing. Let’s log some really interesting fine dining anything! It could be your own, it could be a restaurant you went to, a photograph of a dining table that you’d love to own yourself or a tablescape you recently did for an occasion! And for the designers out there, like my former colleagues, Iska, Joji, and Mike, we can share some of those memorable designs of elegant dining rooms that we did in the past up until the present! Exciting!”

She also adds, “I am not exactly sure how this works, but I suppose, you can email me [cesanciano@gmail.com] or send me a spiCy note here, say until every last monday of the month so that we can round them all up by the first monday of each month into a photoblog of sort of some . . . FINE DINING.”

It might take me a bit of time to access my electronic baul (trunk) for images I can use to accompany entries. So, for my first contribution, I am reposting a photo of my “Christmas Table Setting” in December 2005 which I also used as part of my entry to the First Christmas Edition of Lasang Pinoy Food Blogging Event.

Here it is . . .

Lafang’s 2005 Noche Buena Table: Baccarat-meets-Ikea with an East-meets-West fare!

Mince Pies and Panettone [partially hidden behind Baccarat vase and glasses], Sotanghon Guisado (Fried Noodles), Christmas Pudding, Pinoy Fried Chicken, Suman (Rice Cakes in Banana Leaf), Ensaimadas, Relyenong Pusit (Stuffed Squid), Beef Caldereta, Steamed Rice, Lechon Kawali (Crispy , Adelina’s Hamon and Marca Pina Queso de Bola - both courtesy of El Camino Travel’s Vernon Prieto . . . muchas gracias, Senor Vernon and Merry Christmas!

As it was then an impromptu thingy, I didn’t have fresh Poinsettias to put on the table so out came the long cinnamon sticks from an Indian vase in my bedroom, into the Baccarat vase and mixed them with a bunch of red, matt and glossy Christmas balls from Rustan’s I have been keeping and recycling for the past ten years! Voila! An instant table centerpiece!

Indeed, this project is exciting! And as Ces would put it - it’s something really “close to the heart.” So folks, share the other side of your dining experiences, dining dreams . . . whatever!