Channeling

 

Maybe I was channeling Lara and Ingy's grilled peaches this morning when I assembled the item pictured here.  (This is the first time I've posted one of my own food photos . . . and I feel . . . yes, proud!)  Sundays in Tompkins Square Park are very fulfilling:  In one fell swoop, you can donate your food scraps collected during the week for the community compost, you can donate clothing/fabric/shoes/stuffed animals to the textile recycling program, and you can pick up destination peaches (this one upstate farmer manages to grow shockingly sweet peaches year after year), fresh mint, and a baguette to accompany the mascarpone cheese that has been languishing in one's fridge for awhile. 

In doing this, I was also channeling the strawberry toast at the Green Salmon, which happens to be one of my favorite American restaurants, and my sister, Shelley takes me there when I visit Yahatz on the Oregon coast with her, which has been exactly twice.   (Green Salmon's version has strawberries, but no mint.  I was super impetuous with the mint.)  Speaking of impetuous, this morning, I also bought chamomile flowers just because I like to smell them.

By the way, I've probably already mentioned I grew up with no food culture at all.  My parents cared little for food (aside from basic sustenance), and didn't have much money to buy food.   I found myself always daydreaming about food, or at least the food I had had brushes with:  the burgers at Burger King, the French fries and hot cherry pie pods at McDonald's, the rolled tacos and burritos at Chile Pepper, the meat at church potlucks.  None of this food came from the kitchens I grew up with.  Anyway, it feels kind of amazing, as an adult, to celebrate food, and to have such easy access to such great food.

Happy birthday to Lara, the birthday mom and Ingy, the birthday girl!  I hope there is much good eating today.