Friday, September 01, 2006

My five-things-before-death list

Okay. I'm on the bandwagon. Here's my addition to the Traveller's Lunchbox Five Things You Must Eat Before Death list:

  1. Toll House Cookies: Seriously. Think back to the first day you held one of these, hot, off your mom's, or grandmother's, cookie sheet, tossing it back and forth in your hands, till it cooled enough to eat. Remember the creamy richness? The chewy, tender, crispness? Bottle this essence and label it "YOUTH".
  2. Boston Cream Doughnuts: I hadn't even thought about this until I was fantasizing about the cookies. And then I remembered one thing better. The Boston Creams from Dunkin Donuts that I loved so as a teenager. I loved them so much that I dreamt about them at 26 when I was pregnant and wrote a sonnet to a Boston Cream Doughnut. Mmmmm....custard in deep fried bread, covered with chocolate. Ayayalllaaagh... (that's onomatopoeia for me drooling)
  3. Smoked Oysters: Yes, the tinned ones. Throw some vinegar & Worcestershire sauce on them, then drain them. Good plain, with toothpicks. Divine wrapped in bacon and broiled as "Angels on Horseback". And I have these memories of making plates of them for my mother's bridge group: Ritz cracker, homemade Thousand Island Dressing, oyster. Sprinkle a little confettied parsley and it will look less 70s....
  4. O Fries and Gravy from the "O" in Pittsburgh: Hate to say it but it's been 15 years and I don't know if it still exists.
  5. Fillet mignon, rare, grilled asparagus, and a nice glass of cabernet. My recommendation? At the bar of the Chophouse Grill in Chicago.

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