Doris Lessing, in her novel “Shikasta,” looks at Earth from the point of view of an enlightened alien race. The aliens are perturbed by (among other things) our love of food. No other race in the universe thinks and talks about food as much as we do, apparently. We even write about it, and we actually travel from place to place for a good meal.
Yes, okay.
Partner and I (both Earthlings) were lucky enough to have not one but two superb meals over the Thanksgiving weekend. One was a home-cooked meal, the other a restaurant meal. Both were memorable, and in true Earth fashion, they deserve to be documented.
Meal #1 (cooked by a very kind member of Partner's family in New Hampshire on Thanksgiving):
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Appetizers: Cheese, crackers, and assorted relishes, including the hostess's own homemade bread-and-butter pickles, to which I am very partial.
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Main course: a beautiful brown twenty-pound turkey, with stuffing.
- Sides: mashed potatoes, green-bean casserole with crunchy French-fried onions, sweet potatoes, pearl onions in white sauce, cranberry sauce.
- Desserts: too many to count, or to remember. Pumpkin bread baked by the hostess's son. Pumpkin pie. Lemon meringue pie, with the meringue lightly (and perfectly) browned, like an illustration in a cooking magazine. Cookies. Blueberry cheesecake.
All-around heavenly.
Meal #2 (at a steakhouse in downtown Providence):
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Caesar salad made with a nice lightly-bitter romaine lettuce, with Alaskan king crab crostini on the side.
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Filet mignon (mine medium-rare, Partner's medium-well), with olives and mushrooms, and baby carrots on the side.
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Australian lobster tail with drawn butter (and a cunning little candle under the butter to keep it warm).
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Carrot cake with caramel sauce and crème de Chantilly, with coffee for Partner and espresso for me.
I love Doris Lessing, but her aliens are squares. They need to live a little. Also, they need to try those bread-and-butter pickles. And those crostini.
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