The bar of excellence

For a few years, I had lunch with Joan de Sagarra at the Casa Paloma restaurant. After some initial trial and error, the waiters learned how to serve him the Jameson he liked. But COVID devastated the place, and he took it badly; once again, he would have to explain the art of serving well... It wasn't a pose. He demanded this same level of excellence from theater, literature, and journalism: "It's incredible that you haven't dedicated a single line to the death of..." That's how our meals usually began, and they always ended well.