On this Prophet’s Day, Mark and I had the good fortune to be invited to the residence villa of the Japanese Ambassador to Abu Dhabi and his wife for a dinner party. We arrived at the gate, gave the guard our names and were shown through the courtyard into the home of our newest friends.
We were offered a crystal glass of champagne, a few minutes of “get to know each other” conversation, then invited into the dining room for dinner.
According to my hand written place card, I was seated next to his excellency, our host, the Ambassador. Mark was seated across the table and at the opposite end of me, next to our hostess. Our embossed and formal menu stated what we were about to eat and drink….so as I put my napkin in my lap, food arrived over my shoulder from the house helpers.
Our meal was amazing: hand crafted, authentic Japanese foods (some from Japan) made by their personal chef and with exquisite presentation.
We talked, laughed, learned and enjoyed the whole evening. After dinner, we resigned to the living room, where our hosts chose Hawaiian music to accompany our tea and coffee selections. Without over-staying our welcome, we asked for a taxi and to our leave at 11:00PM.
Reminder: say “hello” to people, with a smile. You will find out you have many commonalities and you may be invited for dinner.
Aloha,
Denise
