recipes & tips

The dictionary definition of celadon is a delicate color of pale grayish green. It’s an ephemeral color, mellow and soothing—a far cry from hot pink or raucous red. When you say "pale green," that’s a bit pedestrian; but call it "celadon" and it adds the flavors of romance, intrigue, and mystery. It’s suggestive, languidly sensual. When you pick a color scheme and stick with it in this way, it becomes like a leitmotiv (or recurring theme) in music or literature. Each time it returns to the forefront of our consciousness, it gives a sense of coordination, planning, integration; it reinforces the notion that there’s a higher intelligence (or at least an overall vision) at work, that the meal and the whole occasion isn’t just thrown together in a haphazard or carelessly eclectic manner. It’s an inconspicuous way of saying this is a planned occasion, not a slapdash picnic or last­-­minute takeout meal.