You only turn 50 once in your life, and we wanted to give our good friend a useful and memorable gift on his milestone birthday.
Since he’s a wine addict aficionado, my first thought was to get him a wine-related accessory. A decanter perhaps, or some sort of preservation system.
But that would only encourage him to drink more, which wouldn’t be good for his half-a-century old liver. It’s been working hard for many decades, and deserves to enjoy a slower pace of life.
Inspired by the many K-dramas that we’ve been watching, I chose to get him 100% NFC (not from concentrate) fruit and vegetable juices in 70ml easy-to-drink pouches from Korea.
30 packets of ABC (apple, beetroot, carrot) juice to promote good liver function, and another 30 packets of tart cherry juice to help prevent gout.
The Wife had a similar idea and started searching online for a nice and healthy box of organic vegetables. In a flash of inspiration, she changed direction and decided to assemble a vegetable bouquet instead.
Once she confirmed her final design, we trooped down to the supermarket to acquire the raw (pun intended) materials.
A head of broccoli would act as the centrepiece, and act as the focal point of the arrangement. Its size and weight providing necessary volume and heft.
To add a pop of colour, several fingers of bright red chillies would peek out from behind the broccoli. Standing next to them would be an equal number of asparagus stalks, framing a bright yellow zucchini.
Long and wispy spring onion would help extend the length yet introduce a feeling of lightness. Unexpected flower buds on some shoots added a nice touch.
She initially wanted to include strands of enoki mushrooms, to mimic the whimsical effect of baby’s breath commonly used in hand bouquets. But reality didn’t quite match expectations, and they were omitted.
Special wrapping paper in purple, gold and red bean (yes, that’s how the vendor named the colour) was procured, with a matching lustrous brown ribbon adding the final touch.
Putting it all together required an unexpected amount of cling film, cellophane tape and satay sticks. It took some effort to secure everything and then artfully hide the underlying structure.
I played a crucial role throughout the entire process, of course. From lugging the groceries home to holding the vegetables in place as the bouquet was assembled.
Let’s just say it was a 50/50 joint effort. The Wife might disagree of course, but hey, it’s a free country and she’s entitled to her own opinion.
So how did the final product turn out? Well, quite nicely, I would say.
Happy 50th birthday JM, and remember to eat more vegetables. You’re not a spring chicken anymore, and it’s all going to be downhill from here. I’ll join you on the wrong side of 50 next year.
