Who's at my table

I should probably let you know about some of the people you’ll hear me talking about in the future.

I’m married to Andy, who was into food way before I was, as he worked in restaurants to pay for college. When we met I was subsisting on frozen pizzas and my usual rotation of fast food joints, so he can take most of the credit for teaching me the ways of the world. My favorite date of ours was a trip to the grocery store in college, when we selected a feast of gourmet cheeses, bakery bread, fruit and pricey desserts as if we weren’t struggling college students. We spent about $150 and ate like a royalty for a week or so.

My parents are Jac and Diane (just like the song). My favorite food memories of them are simple things - sharing pizza rolls with my dad while watching Westerns, and helping my mom frost sugar cookies for the holidays. My mom makes a tasty sugar cookie, and she might share the recipe if you ask nicely.

Oh, my sisters. Denise is next in line behind me. As a child, she was allergic to Pixie Sticks and was banned from eating them after breaking out in a rash. She also had a projectile vomiting episode with Spaghetti-Os. But she lives in North Carolina now and a few years ago introduced me to the best plate of barbecue I’ve ever had.

Annette is the youngest, she’s a diner like me. I’m pretty sure the best night of her life was the Chicago trip we took when she was 18, when she was served Appletinis and we ate lobster at Gibson’s. She loves sushi. Buy her a caramel macchiato and she’ll be your best friend. 

And then there’s Basil (sketched above, at right, by his aunt Nettie). Basil is a yellow lab who is more fervent about food than anyone I know. He will sample just about anything (usually in one gulp), with the exception of leafy greens and lemon slices. His favorites are bleu cheese, shrimp and peanuts.

So, there you have it. These are the people I am known to share meals with.