If Billie Jean had been a nurse, she would have had Dr. Michael Jackson as her attending. Somewhere between the jangled nerves of being in the radiology department, my mother had forgotten the name of her surgeon. When asked, she quickly quipped, Dr. Michael Jackson. Her doctor whose surname was not Jackson left her in… Continue reading Keeping the Eye on the Butterfly
Sometimes It’s Enough
A chill pervaded the air that afternoon, sending my husband and I to spoon hot Japanese curry over sticky white rice. Earlier that afternoon, my phone vibrated as the small screen lit up with a message from my Mom. I put off making that call until I could find the right type of quiet for… Continue reading Sometimes It’s Enough
When the Bread Hits the Pan
People in crisis do funny things. Some take up smoking. Others find their solace swirling through chipped ice in a glass tumbler. Still, many attack the elliptical with the full thrust of their being, working it out on a contraption that goes nowhere. You’ve heard of the funny bone, perhaps have wondered about the wish… Continue reading When the Bread Hits the Pan
20 Ways to Combat Poetry Writer’s Block
Writer’s block is a myth. Do you think chefs have cook’s block? Do you think Rick Bayless wakes up in the morning and thinks to himself, I don’t know what to cook? Michael Ruhlman probably uttered other statements I jotted down during IACP, but that is the one my mind keeps regurgitating with regularity. Rick… Continue reading 20 Ways to Combat Poetry Writer’s Block
Creation and Evolution
Creation and evolution? Let’s all just break bread instead.
When in Chicago
Like a deejay with a favorite song in regular rotation, Chicago used to get played at least once a year in my life. I would exit the McCormick Center after working the NRA show (and lest you envision me donning a rifle, those initials stand for National Restaurant Association show) set out on the Metra… Continue reading When in Chicago
To the Next Superfood – food poetry
To the Next Superfood To whom it may concern and who has ears to learn, what passes the test one day will fall out of favor. Even now, I try and savor my name in newsprint, the widespread popularity, my far-reaching availability, and the rich talking points that come with this gig each day: high… Continue reading To the Next Superfood – food poetry
Dear Plastic Bagged Bread Poem
Dear Plastic Bagged Bread, From the center section of a grocery store aisle, you leer at customers with your plastic smile. If I stop too long to speculate, I wonder about why they place you in a coveted eye level space of command- strong sales you must prove. If I accidentally edged your long bag… Continue reading Dear Plastic Bagged Bread Poem
What We Really Need
On a cover of last week’s New York Times, a jagged thunderbolt line of people spanned one edge of the above-the-fold photo frame to the other. They waited in line for food and staples like bread. That image tugged at me long after I had left the corner store, quickly exiting with a dozen eggs and a… Continue reading What We Really Need
From the Stacks: The Art of Fasting
Close your eyes. Squeeze them tight. If I implored you to think of just one thing that sets your heart alight, what would be the first image to shimmer into view? This is an easy one for me to answer and a hard item to give up for 21 days. Bound in hardback or pliant… Continue reading From the Stacks: The Art of Fasting
Surprises by Maxine Kumin & a Tribute
SURPRISES by Maxine Kumin from “Nurture” published by Penguin Books, 1989. This morning’s red sun licks dew from the hundred California peppers that never set fruit in my Zone-Three garden. After fifteen summers of failure why this year do I suffer the glut of inordinate success? They hang in clustered pairs like newly hatched sex… Continue reading Surprises by Maxine Kumin & a Tribute
Lentil Turkey Chili
We eat leftovers. They wheedle their way into the handwritten weekly menu as proof that no matter how busy a week becomes we can find homemade food at the ready to ably feed ourselves. They provide the backbone to a quick lunch with substance. But, leftovers get a bit of a bad rap, don’t they?… Continue reading Lentil Turkey Chili