My best friend has a gift for bringing adventure into our friendship. It has always been this way. With her, I have a schedule filled with fun things to look forward to. Concerts, amazing food events, and parties are commonplace in our calendar.

Recently she had me hold a Monday evening for a special kind of event. When she told me about her idea, it sounded like some sort of progressive bike ride dinner. Initially, I wasn’t so keen on it; my bike-riding skills are more suited for easy leisurely rides. But I didn’t worry about it much. I agreed and looked forward to enjoying something new.

As the date for this event approached, a string of emails started to come in from the organizer. The emails gave us instructions about what to wear, explained the theme of the night, and provided more details. It seemed that the host was treating this event more seriously than I was and I began to worry.

Photos from past rides were attached to the emails and the whole production felt whimsical. It seemed strange to be riding a bike through Beverly Hills dressed up in costumes. I asked myself, “wouldn’t our clothes drag? Wouldn’t we be uncomfortable?” I started to get even more nervous when an email came in asking us to sign liability releases.

I was exhausted from the week and my allergies were on full tilt. I was thinking of ways to back out. While brooding over the decision to go, I was confronted by an incoming text message. “Sonia: Are you sure you’re in? You haven’t really been active in the email thread.” At that moment, I took a step back and remembered that I had made a commitment to my friend who was trying to show me a good time by doing “food stuff.” I couldn’t turn back now.

Finally, the day arrived. Everyone had agreed to wear all white and showed up looking great. I arrived in a dress that was a little shorter, as I kept envisioning a longer dress getting stuck in the chains of my bike. But I was still anxious. I knew that I wasn’t a seasoned cyclist, and I feared that the group would be held back by either my bad biking or my ADD. Even before it started, I couldn’t wait until the whole thing was over. It was one of those days where being around other people felt uncomfortable.

As we got settled in at the meeting location, I expected to see a rack of bikes ready for the ride. Instead, we were greeted by a huge dining table, 8 stools with pedals underneath them (our individual yet connected bikes), and a chandelier hanging overhead – all connected on a chassis! And there was food! I had mixed emotions of nervousness and excitement as I saw passersby stopping to take pictures of this elaborate contraption. I wondered, “were we really going to eat and pedal at the same time? And through Beverly Hills? And as a crew filmed us?” Disbelief, hesitation, and nervous giggling filled me up simultaneously. As the other guests showed up, they seemed to have the same feelings of disbelief as I did.

My best friend had won this dinner at an auction named Two Bit Circus. The money from the auction promotes innovation for children in Public Schools. Two Bit Circus, an LA-based startup, creates new and innovative forms of entertainment. They utilize everything from cutting edge virtual reality to custom carnival games. And they’ve brought these custom interactive activities to companies like Intel, Amazon, Microsoft, etc.

Along for the ride was Daniel Busby. He invented this “movable feast” after being inspired by Hemingway. The fiery chandelier and the sun setting in the background felt surreal as we peddled away. We were peddling the table, cruising around town, and stopping periodically to enjoy the different courses of the fabulous dinner prepared by Chef Nick. Some of the dinner items were Tai snapper crudo, purple barley, poached king salmon, and a caramelized white chocolate tart with Raspberries. I especially liked the purple barley with asparagus, Miso, and sunflower seeds. It was really interesting to enjoy barley with a crunch.

As we rode and ate we laughed like little kids. We even got stopped by the police; they received 16 calls from concerned citizens saying there was a huge table with a fiery ball over head drifting down streets like Doheny Drive. The police directed us to West Hollywood saying we’d have more acceptance out there. By the end of the night we had made new friends, ate some delicious new foods and, and enjoyed a few hours of laughter. It was epic, and I thanked my best friend for making this adventure happen.

When I returned home and fumbled to open my front door, I reflected back on the night and realized that my fears were completely misguided and everything about the night was perfect. That night, I not only got to experience a great dining experience. I learned a new life-recipe from the great people who created this movable feast and I’m sharing it with everyone I can.