We are each other's main course.

People that live alone learn to eat alone. And that's not always good. Or so it seems to me. Better that dining, whether it be breakfast, lunch or supper, be a shared experience. With someone. A true love. Family. Friend. Even a total stranger. Yes, make dining an opportunity to converse. People who eat alone often have no diversion. They are focused solely on the food. On eating. Often, too fast. They don't take their good-natured time. They get it over and done with. Almost like a chore. A task. Not a ritual. I want my dining experience to be a ritual. Even when I eat alone. But better yet, with my Italian true love. Which is now possible daily. Because I'm living with her in Sardinia. In the cradle of civilization. In Paradise. I want dinner to be a relaxing and pleasurable event. An opportunity to get to know my true love all the better. She's an appetizer. A dessert. She intoxicates me. Like a sip of wine. We used to dine alone. When I was in Minnesota. And she in Sardinia. We lived apart. But now we are together. And I am promoting not only Italian food. But lively and pleasant conversation. We dine 'in' far more often than we dine 'out.' But no matter where, it should be dining full of conversation and conviviality that adds to the taste of food and drink. Yes, we are not alone. And we have become each other's main course. --Jim Broede