Donatella: A smart story, even though it’s a salad.
I particularly love the Portuguese
laurel with its dark-red perfumed
flowers. I’ve tasted them only once before.
Laurence: I spotted some on my way here. In the garden
next to the Birds’ Fountain.
This is a very vinaigretty cocktail.
Gina: I lived on the border of the Basilica
and ate bitter gooseberries near the mouth
of the river. I’m an escargot
fan from way back.
Laurence: You wouldn’t expect escargot and corn
to harmonize so well. I secretly drink
skim milk and dream of a British country
home. I’ve always wanted someone
to call me The Master.
Donatella: The Brussels sprouts add just the right amount
of bitterness. They have a bite and piquancy
entirely their own. Any more would have been
too much. Pass the gnocchi, please.
Laurence: I took the train here from Valencia, past
the grazing lambs. Past the orange
groves. I’m not usually a gnocchi guy.
Gina: The lambs eat from the fallen fronds
in the Queen’s Fern Valley. The trees grow
twelve meters and naturally regenerate.
I don’t understand it but I love it.
Donatella: In Japan, I chased a lover around a milk-bush.
We squeezed the leaves between our fingers,
which expels a poison. In small amounts
it is delicious. Such a tender lamb.
Liora Mondlak is The Inquisitive Eater's Poet of the Month for December 2017.
Liora Mondlak remembers accompanying her mother to the market in Mexico City, where she grew up. She remembers the chickens hanging by their feet, and the sawdust around her saddle shoes. Years later, she would return to the market to buy ground chameleon, a well-known love potion, which she uses sparingly.
She lives in New York with her teenage daughter, where she teaches art and poetry. Lioramondlak.com
Photo via Pixabay.
Comments are closed.