my funny valentine... 2/11/09

the movable- and moving- feast...

in my family, food is an occasion, a reason to live more than a means to live... we spend a great deal of time plotting what to cook or where to eat out... even with our crack o' dawn exercise regimens, my sister and i think we deserve something special in the morning and met ever so briefly at whole foods, where we delighted to the sight of a hot breakfast bar, complete with huevos rancheros, maple smoked bacon and "loaded" potatoes... i inhaled my eggs out of the recyclable cardboard takeout box, not so much because i was ready for breakfast but to stay warm... she brought some home for the boys and hiro, to hopefully break them out of the oatmeal routine that seiji and kenzo have dictated as the morning repast...

i was pressed into service to deliver kenzo to my mother's house to spend the day... although he has wednesdays off from sunshine daydreams preschool, he may as well have been carrying a briefcase of junior executive tasks to complete... my sister was concerned that he finish addressing his "kung fu panda" valentines for the kids at school... he also his stuffed panda that he "created" at build-a-bear...

the boys are as obsessed with food as we are... their stuffed animals have names that denote a certain gastronomical bent: creamy the bear cub, chomp the t-rex, brownie the panda...

i asked him what brownie liked to eat... he said, 'carrots. and he has 100 cookies a day.'

what kind?

'chocolate chip with frosting. he doesn't brush his teeth, but i do it for him. he doesn't mind the electric toothbrush.'