Daily Cookie

I love New York.  The sights, the shopping, the sounds, the people watching, the shopping, the buzz, the pace and the food.  My first day of meetings here went well.   It was about 95 degrees in the shade, I felt stickey (although ladies try Secret’s new “clinical” strength in this heat) and I had a shiney face just about all day. But it was good to be back in the city.   And it meant a great meal or two were in my forecast.

I have become a foodie.  I thoroughly enjoy cooking, especially in the summer.  We have a grill at our summer home that I swear looks more like a small aircraft carrier.  This ginormous stainless steel mother can boil water, steam veggies, grill a mean lamb burger and get you over to MVY in less than half an hour.   I put mine to good use last week (happy to report there were no small UFO’s spotted over the sound).  My friend P has given me lots of easy and healthy summer recipes over the years and I swear I have now bought almost all of the cookbooks at Williams Sonoma.   And “home and homes” (read Summer Camp for definition) have become a regular activity.  All great reasons to fire up the grill, uncork the wine and have friends over for dinner.  Plus there are not too  many good restaurants in the area.  Personally, I would much rather entertain at my own home or go to a friends then eat mediocre fattening food on upper Cape Cod.

City life is a different story.   There are so many more options – great restaurants, great outdoor cafes and great take out services.  I have also become somewhat of a master of making reservations and ordering in!  And the restaurants in NYC are amazing.   I look forward to my business trips here if for no other reason, the food.  Well okay I stand corrected, one other major reason is the shopping, but that’s another post.   

Yesterday was jam packed with back to back meetings.  Our last meeting brought us to the USO.  The director was giving us a quickie perspective on the troops’ daily life.  We left his office with a brown vacuumed sealed “Ready-to-eat, Individual” box of Pork Chow Mein.  He claimed that if we were courageous enough (fitting word seeing we were just at the USO huh?) to open the box, to try the cookie (wonder if he knew. . .)  He went on to say that this cookie could be unwrapped and remain edible for up to two weeks.  Um thanks but no thanks.  This meal in a box dinner plan certainly wasn’t on my agenda.   

Apparently these boxes were pretty famous here.  My bellman got all excited when he opened up our taxi door and saw me holding this box.  Silly me, I thought what great service at this hotel, only been here twice and even the bellman remembers me. . . I would definitely stay here again. . .this is my new midtown hotel. . . blah blah blah. . . . “Excuse me but is that one of those cool army meals?”    He spottted the brown package and was instantly amused.  How did he know what it was?

Suddenly, I was in the Big Apple and I missed my grill.