On Being Thankful

Without getting too carried away, I'd like to share with you a few (ok, a lot) of the things I'm feeling particularly grateful for right now. It's been a fortunate year for me in many ways, and my happiest moments have all been accompanied by some good taste, or smell, or both.

So in no particular order, here we go:

- My mother, for her faith, love, and impossibly perfect pie crust
- My dad, for his love of life, food, and literature
- My siblings (plus John, Emily, Justine, and Kristen), for their friendship, solidarity, brilliant senses of humor, and all-around excellence
- My extended family, because it's huge and fun and full of great stories
- My best friends, who I laugh with every day, and who supply me with so much excellent material, I'll always have something to write about
- My boyfriend, who beyond being just a wonderful human being, is also a fantastic cook and has taught me more about food--and life--than he even knows
- My job, which is so much fun because of certain colleagues. You know who you are!
- My laptop, of course
- David Chang, for his pork buns
- Mario Batali, for Otto
- David Barron, for taking me to Otto and for being so gorgeous on the inside
- My nephew, niece, and soon-to-be second nephew, because they have made these last two years full of new life, little smiles, tiny kisses, and hope
- My readers!
- New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Oregon, DC, Maryland, Vermont, Florida, and France, because that's where many of my favorite things are found

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. Eat well, and savor everything.