The Artichoke

i tend not to capitalize my typed words because a) i like the appearance of lower case letters better; and b) one of my shift keys is broken. but i will capitalize The Artichoke because it's one of my favorite foods.

so when i saw THIS in today's NY Times (again, respect), i thought, well, i'll pay homage to one of my all time favorite foods. the smell of a steaming Artichoke in my home continues to be one of the most comforting olfactory experiences in my life. the taste of the leaves and heart (it has a heart!) with melted butter, mayo, or a vinaigrette is so delicious i often have to do it in silence to bask in the joy.

my mother told me that her mother would serve artichokes when one of her children would bring home a date to see if they were sophisticated enough to know how to properly eat one. i hadn't realized, until then, that it was used as a weapon in class warfare. thanks, granny! 

now that spring is here, i see some of the tasty treats in our near future. i may even make 4 for me and my husband so i can really luxuriate in its wonder.