What I Had for Lunch Today: Fried Egg

OK, weird combo, I know. I'm having tech issues this week, and not in the mood to cook or to do anything else, to tell the truth. So: a fried egg, a whole-wheat tortilla heated in a spider, a couple of slices of fake "bacon," and a bit of salsa I made from a tomato, a jalapeno, a squeeze of lime juice, and some salt.

I patronized the local liquor store last night, walking to the end of the block and lining up with the gents buying nips. I bought a nice screw-top jug of red for five dollars. A friend and I drank the better part of it. Whatever I don't finish with my eggs and salsa, will end up in salad dressing or sauce down the road. I keep a bottle of this gone-by wine right by the stove just for that purpose. My mother used to rinse out her cans of peeled tomatoes with wine. I do the same.

Here's to you, Mom! You didn't teach me how to cook, but you taught me how to eat well. That's an even more important lesson. If you want food to taste exactly the way you're imagining it, you will eventually have to learn to cook it for yourself.