ORGANISED BY registered, non-profit making organisation Friends of Cambodia, ‘The Art of Dining’ event, held recently at Pestana Alvor Praia Hotel, was a resounding success, more so because it aimed to support educational and health projects in the Southeast Asian country.
Table settings were designed by people living in the Algarve, who clearly showed their talent and inspired visitors to the exhibition. Creative table setters of many nationalities presented ideas from countries such as Portugal, the US, India, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, South Africa and, of course, Cambodia. A Vista Alegre table was on show and an Out of Africa theme inspired a safari dinner. A hand-painted table by Elke Heiner was much admired and Swedish designer Ursula Beckman showed how she would set a table for summer as well as winter. A classical table by Portuguese interior designer Maria da Graça J.B. Pinheiro displayed a porcelain dinner service and crystal glasses.
The Cambodian table contrasted with the others – it was very simple. Rice was served with the leaves of the Morning Glory, a plant well known in the Algarve for its beautiful blue flowers and which is widely eaten as a vegetable in Cambodia, and banana leaves were also used to eat food from.
This was a fun exhibition from which people learned about table setting, from the simplest to the most extravagant. But most important of all is that everyone who attended the event has contributed to the improvement of education for children in Cambodia. The committee of Friends of Cambodia would like to thank you all.
If you would like to donate to this worthwhile cause, money can be donated via the Friends of Cambodia Banif bank account: NIB: 003802490552911577107; IBAN: PT50 003802490552911577107; SWIFT CODE: BNIFPTPL
