The first thing he thought when he woke up in the morning was ``what shall I eat to-day?'' He would lie in bed for a few minutes speculating lasciviously on what he would prepare for breakfast. To-day he recalled that he'd ground up some roasted hazel nuts the day before. They should be used before they lost their savor. Oatmeal? Steel cut Irish or Scots Porridge? Steel cut. Put the nuts in before or after cooking? After. Yes! Roasted hazel nut oatmeal with perhaps a few dried cranberries...
He leapt eagerly out of bed. He could hardly wait.
The memory of the beautiful oatmeal and fresh squeezed grapefruit juice kept him benign at the office until he started looking forward to lunch. An exciting salad he had created with mint leaves and tarragon and thin slices of tangerine and dandelion greens. A lovely and delicate combination, especially when eaten with fresh milk cheese from Mexico. He could hardly wait.
Then the new girl came in, offering Irish Mist flavored coffee and ghastly chocolate chip cookies she said she had made herself, though obviously from a mix.
The man who loved food fell in love.
He had planned to avoid this complication. He had thought rather wistfully from time to time of the young Julia Child or even MLK Fisher - but this woman! Surely not. Yet it was so. He was in love, and her look told him that it was her intention that he should fall in love with her.
``Its lovely,'' he said as he sipped the dreadful coffee.
``Mmm-mm,'' as he mouthed the horrible cookies. His one true love smiled in sweet delight.
He thought of her all the way home. He forgot to stop at the organic grocery. When he got home he called her.
``Come on over for dinner,'' she said. He did.
She took down a box of mac and cheese mix. She did not look at the directions. There were big lumps in the sauce. They could not get them out. He opened a can of corn to complete the yellow theme.
``Divine!'' he said as they sat down to eat.
He could hardly wait.