Wimbledon: Strawberries and Cream

Some foods taste better because of the accompanying experiences, or like Proust's madeleine, the memories they evoke.  For me, the combination of strawberries and cream recalls a drizzly afternoon at Wimbledon, fifteen years ago today, when I had the privilege of watching Steffi Graf play in a mixed-doubles match.  I was living and working in London at the time, and my friends and I queued for hours in the dampness to procure second-hand tickets for Court Number One.  Once inside the gates, tickets secured, we scurried to take advantage of every Wimbledon tradition, including and especially, strawberries and cream.

via

via

Food in hand, we watched the match.

(That's Steffi with the blond ponytail --- forgive the old 1996 pictures.)

The crowds were quiet and polite; the players, efficient in their business.  At moments, I probably could have heard a pin drop, had I not been so focused on my strawberries.

I still watch "Breakfast at Wimbledon" with nostalgia today.  And I still love strawberries and cream.

For those so inclined, here's Martha Stewart's spin on the classic recipe.