Airborne at last, on the first leg of my trek to merry old England. We are aloft in the darkening sky, with black night ahead, broken only by the bright beacon of the moon off of our starboard bow. Behind us, the sky is a rapidly waning grey blue, with a cachectic line of pale dusty orange on the distant western horizon. This is a domestic flight, so no meal is served, just a snack. I have a Coke Zero and peanuts. I opted for peanuts over the other options of cookies (biscuits!) or pretzels. Nuts (or in this case nutty legumes) and flight are a natural pair in my mind. The peanuts are rather bland and dry, neither more nor less than I would expect. Alas, this is a moment when I yearn for those heady days of yore when in flight snacks meant smokehouse almonds. Or even honey roasted peanuts. *sigh*
I’m not really missing the meal, to be honest. I stopped at Mom and Dad’s, and parked at their house (they drove me to the airport). Mom fed me when i got there. She had cooked mostaccioli, meatballs, and zucchini. The mostaccioli were a mini variety with little ridges that captured and held the tomato sauce beautifully. Cooked nicely al dente, they were a delight. Of course, Mom makes the world’s best meatballs. They are light and flavorful while still being meaty. The combination of “light and meaty” seems like an oxymoron, but this is what a meatball should be. I adore her meatballs and wish I could make them half as well. The zucchini was from my CSA. Mom sliced it thinly and sprinkled it with Parmigiano-Reggiano. The flavor and freshness of a summer finally yielding to autumn. Overall a perfect meal to start me on my way.
I will connect in BOS and catch the overnight flight to LHR. Real food will purportedly be served. Note to self: remember to take the camera out of my carry-on in preparation.
March 29, 2021
Mom makes the best meatballs.
This is one of my “start of trip” posts, in which I flex my Butterblogger creative writing muscles, and try to say something different. These posts help me prepare for the week of travel ahead. I’m really happy with some of the imagery I use in this post, although I suspect many such posts are similar.
Other thoughts. Yes – I know what penne is, but this was identified as mostacioli. Also, I’m still focused on food, and I suspect many of my upcoming posts will be similarly focused. But, seriously, I critiqued the peanuts?!
Finally, I think this was a title of desperation. Because airplanes do, in fact, have bows.
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