"Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn."
Garrison Keillor
Mmmmm...I agree with Garrison Keillor. There is nothing like the experience of biting into a fresh cooked sweet, juicy corn on the cob, slathered in butter of course. Living on the west coast, I have been missing REAL corn, like the sweet butter and sugar corn grown in Connecticut. We just don't have anything like it out here.
I was listening to Jacques Pepin being interviewed on NPR this morning, and it got me thinking about how much I love good food. Anytime I hear someone with a French accent speaking about cooking, it makes my mouth water instantly and I start daydreaming about all the foods I love. Like fresh steamed artichoke with Lemonaise, or a sun ripened tomato picked right off the vine. Like pan seared Ahi tuna, or Maguro sushi with soy sauce and wasabi, or fresh grilled salmon with ginger, soy sauce and brown sugar glaze. Homemade onion-dill bread fresh out of the oven. Blueberry pancakes with fresh maple syrup. My son's home-baked chocolate chip cookies (the best in the world). Chocolate-covered strawberries, key lime pie, pumpkin chiffon cheesecake. I could go on... :-)
It's fun to watch someone enjoying their favorite foods. My niece's daughter has a particular fondness for grapefruit, which she will frequently request for dessert. She practices intense concentration in tackling a grapefruit, and the job is not finished until the very last molecule of juice is squeezed from it. I never knew one could get so much juice from a grapefruit.
Often we have special memories connected to sharing meals with others. When I think of one of my visits to Yosemite, I recall a fond memory of hiking up Rainbow Falls and sharing a loaf of French bread, some cheese and wine with my companions as we sat in the sun enjoying the view from the top of the falls. A simple meal, but shared like some kind of communion with one another amid nature's splendor.
In fact, sometimes it is the connections with loved ones around the table that we remember more than the actual meal. Some of my fondest meal-time memories are candlelight dinners on the porch of a certain cabin in the Adirondacks, where the menu was generally very simple, but the stories shared were full of adventure...fish stories, stories of ice cave explorations or hikes up Mt. Haystack, stories about bear sightings, moose sightings...and often accompanied by the haunting call of a loon on the lake...and much laughter and delight. Sweet memories, indeed.
Today I celebrate food, glorious food, and delightful company to share it with. Bon appetit!
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