A Table Full of Time

Joys of a Simple Dinner with an Old Friend

Last night, I had dinner with a friend I haven’t seen in years. Not that we’ve been out of touch - we’ve kept the thread alive through texts, voice notes, the occasional meme, but sitting across from each other, face to face, something shifts. The conversations deepen, the laughter gets louder and the food? Somehow it just tastes better!

We went to Ocean Basket - nothing fancy, but exactly what we needed. As soon as the food arrived, I jokingly said, “Nou gaan ons pan slaan!” (A phrase one of my best friends coined and one I’ve shamelessly adopted). It means exactly what it sounds like: to demolish the pan of seafood in front of you with unashamed enthusiasm... and demolish, we did.

What stood out most though, wasn’t the food. It was the way we found ourselves having conversations we don’t usually have - different ones, reflective ones. We celebrated each other’s wins, big and small. We spoke about life not just as it is, but as it could be. It was refreshing. Familiar, yet somehow new.

Then came the pudding. We were childishly excited about it - like kids promised ice cream after dinner. There was joy in that moment that had nothing to do with what was on the plate and everything to do with who was across the table.

As we sat there, full and content, we both quietly acknowledged how lucky we are. Not just for the food or the pudding, but for the simplicity of being able to reconnect like no time has passed. It’s something we do every few years - just a dinner, nothing dramatic, but in a world that moves so fast, a simple dinner with an old friend becomes something sacred.

Last night reminded me that some connections don’t need constant tending to grow. They just need to be real and when the time is right, you meet again - older, maybe wiser, definitely hungrier - and pick up where you left off.

Here’s to “pan slaan,” pudding joy and the kind of friendships that last through the years, the texts, the silences and the reunions.