Asparagus

Food comes with stories. I mention ham...and a lot of you will think about Easter...or maybe Christmas. I mention ice cream and you will think of hot summer evenings at the ice cream stand or trips to Friendly's with your grandparents. When I think of ham I think of Thanksgiving...mention ice cream I think of sitting in my chair late at night watching the Red Sox...mention sushi I may well think of my birthday...mention asparagus...well...there is a story with goes with asparagus too...

Little by little I have been working to de-emphasize meat in our diet. This is not an easy thing for me as I regard Sunday roast beef as a part of my Anglo-Saxon birthright. So I have been putting out fruit and vegetables and cheese before dinner in an effort to reduce the amount of meat and chicken we eat. Along the way I have introduced new foods to the kids...with interesting results...they like mobier cheese, mangoes, and summer squash but only Oliver will eat goat cheese...as for asperagus...well...not so much.

This impulse, the desire to eat less meat and chicken, was born from one part of my own personal story, goes well with the impulse to serve up asparagus...which as I mentioned has a story of its own. Besides...asparagus is in season...its good...and goes with anything...except 10 and 13 year old children.

So...on a cookie sheet, with olive oil and kosher salt I roasted these delicate green stalks of delicious goodness. I served them up...had the kids come to the table...

and then they looked at me.

I looked at them.

They looked at me.

At this point I knew I was in a standoff and that I needed to be quick on the draw....

Then Fiona asked..."what.......is........this?"

I told her..."asparagus."

Then...she...my princess said "I hate asparagus." The boys then chimed in..."yeah Dad...we hate asparagus..." This from children whom to my knowledge never had asparagus....

And that was enough for a dinner table fracas to break out. Oliver relented and tried one piece...I decided that getting into a shootout over asparagus would be an unwise move on my part so I relented...and now...waiting for me when I come home for lunch...will be...well...asparagus...and the story that goes along with it.