Alimentary Amore

Two of Mike Cope's recent posts jumped out at me today, and both are culinary-themed. The ones on hymns snagged me last week, but after reading through the 100+ comments on each music-related post, I really have nothing to add to that discussion that probably hasn't been said ad nauseum. However, I can't pass up the posts on Starbucks and the Food Ladies because . . .

I LOVE Starbucks and Food Ladies!!!

Or maybe because . . .

I LOVE FOOD!!!

I'll return to the Food Ladies tomorrow, but I'll address my love of Starbucks today (incidentally, you must try the banana creme frappacino -- delish). For starters, one must understand that I passionately adore food, sometimes in an almost scary way. It really frightens my youngest sister, who thinks that my delight in dining is a bit bizarre. While I'm not really a total Epicurean, I enjoy food enough to sit around reading cookbooks and surfing the web to find interesting restaurants and B&Bs (with amazing breakfasts) that I would like to visit. I can't help it -- good food makes me happy, and it makes me feel good.

Part of it has to do with my blood sugar sensitivity, I'm sure. When I get too hungry or go too long between meals, I experience pretty bad depression and become amazingly short tempered and even weepy. Nothing cures these shortterm doldrums like some of my Musical Genius' best salmon dip.

Food is also effective on my more serious bouts of sadness that aren't even blood sugar related. My first birthday after my father died, my sister Citizen-C took me out to dinner and a Lakers game. I was mopey, depressed, and irritable all the way to the restaurant, but once I looked at the menu and ordered my glass of red wine and interesting dish with pesto and goat cheese, I started to perk up almost immediately -- before we even saw physical food.

However, my fondness for Starbucks also has a lot to do with my joy in sharing delicious delectables with people I love. At some point, Starbucks became my happy place. Not only are the specialty drinks delicious (especially the Christmas ones), but I'm usually enjoying them with friends and family. Meeting Auntie M for coffee has become one of the highlights of my week. I remember fondly sharing gingerbread or eggnog lattes and apple cider with Mom and Sarah after the symphony, having a chai latte with Cori after a crazy evening at the Grill, and slurping frappacinos with Wells before or after a looooong day of teaching. Going back even further, I loved having Starbucks espresso shakes from the Bean Sprout in the middle of day with my music department buddies. The yummy caffeinated concoctions and companionship were just what I needed to run the emotional gauntlet of a late afternoon voice lesson. It's no coincidence that "Mucho gusto," which is a Spanish idiom for "pleased to meet you" has the same roots as gustatory. For someone like me, friends and food are ofter intertwined.

Not only was Starbucks a great place to go with friends, but it was also a great place to be alone, and a quiet place of escape. I would pop into the one right across from the GACS music building in between hostessing and teaching and have a latte (and maybe a cookie or toffee bar) and read a novel or write a bit. I did my best Bible studying there. Now I might frequent the one on 110 and Broadway and work on translations or journal. For some reason the atmosphere is just right -- sometimes more comfortable than my own couch.

I haven't even mentioned the Starbucks Bearistas . . . which I won't start on, but I just adopted this one after a tough day, and he makes me smile. And who can overlook the Hear Music collections, particularly the Artist's Choice series, which began with one of my favorite CDs ever.

Anyway, there's so much more I could say, but I'll save my inspiration for the Food Ladies tomorrow or Monday.