| Fondue is one of the best ways I know of to | | | | People drank too much and ate too little. |
| bring friends, family, (and of course) lovers closer | | | | Someone burned his wrist on the electric burner. |
| together. Dining above a steamy fondue pot, | | | | One pot didn't heat the cheese right and a layer |
| dipping pieces of sweet crisp apple into melted | | | | of wine settled over the Gruyère. My |
| brie and sharing everything from a bottle of wine | | | | stepmom's drunken buddy hoarded that cheese |
| to bites of chocolate covered strawberry, it | | | | for himself. I had to give her credit, though. Each |
| couldn't be more cozy. | | | | diner had a Christmas dish with separated |
| When I was in the 8th grade I had my four best | | | | pockets to sample lots of different dressings. The |
| friends over for a lunch date during summer | | | | fondue pots worked like little luminaries on her |
| break. Each of them was supposed to bring an | | | | festive table runner. They mimicked the dimmed |
| item to dip, and although two of them flaked out, | | | | chandelier and filled the room with warmth. |
| one of them had a dad that catered parties in the | | | | My fiancé and I have tried two fondue |
| 60s. A host at heart, he must have understood | | | | restaurants since we've moved to Chicago. The |
| my mission and he loaded her up with treats. I | | | | second place was low and dim like a wine cellar. In |
| poured vegetable oil into my mom's vintage pot | | | | the main room there was a single spot light on a |
| and lit the little tin burner. Amy revealed | | | | Latin guitar player. He winked at me when we |
| Tupperware bins with teriyaki chicken, peppercorn | | | | went by. The back bar was filled with curious |
| steak, and mozzarella cheese rolled in breadcrumb | | | | people, my empty stomach was making itself |
| mixture - all in perfect cocktail sized bites. We sat | | | | vocal, so I wasn't upset that the moment we |
| on a table cloth on the kitchen floor so we could | | | | ordered a glass of wine our table was finally |
| watch the magic in the pot. We predicted who | | | | delivered. I don't remember what the food tasted |
| we'd be at twenty-five and pinpointed the best | | | | like, and I certainly couldn't tell the color. This is |
| character traits in each other. I had even | | | | always suspect when ingesting raw meats. The oil |
| color-coded the plastic ends of their skewers to | | | | kept popping out of the little ceramic pot and I |
| best match their personalities. Amy was orange | | | | was sure some bubbled into my wine. This was |
| for her artistic uniqueness. Alisa, purple for her | | | | not the fondue experience I had been expecting, |
| shy nature. Nothing went unnoticed or under | | | | but as it is with most things food-related, it's good |
| appreciated that afternoon. | | | | to try new things. |
| One Christmas my stepmom had a fondue dinner | | | | We made fondue at home after that, with a |
| party for over twelve guests. It was an ambitious | | | | recipe he'd found and improved upon. It was |
| effort, and she orchestrated every piece she | | | | exactly the way I'd wanted it: rich, creamy, and |
| could control, but instead of an intimate gathering | | | | often shared from the same skewer. |
| of friends and family, it turned into holiday chaos. | | | | |