Some days we simply had to pry her away from the kitchen and embark on other food adventures. We'd have to remind Veronmama- nicely- that there was life outside the confines of her little Cordon Bleu world. We loved taking her to new places, and introducing her to different culinary traditions. And she was pretty easy to take along (as long as she could get the window seat, that is). As a septuagenarian, she discovered Thai food, and would ask for it by name. When she turned 80, she had her first encounters with raw fish (sushi). Spicy tuna on crispy rice became a favorite of hers. Soon, we'd make regular outings to Kushiyu, her favorite sushi place in Tarzana. One night, I remember the restaurant being so packed, that the only seats available were up at the counter, with the sushi chef. I thought, this lady, so elegantly dressed, will never want to sit on a high bar chair. But when she quickly determined that the waiting would be worst, she said, "Let's do this". And the young couples all around the bar smiled, and found this quite charming.
As all humans have their idiosyncrasies, so did Veronica. On one hand, she definitely was a picky eater. On the other, if it looked like it was fun to eat, had an interesting texture (like crispy noodles), or some spicy element, such as jalapenos, she was game. She was a curious cat like that. She'd forego a traditional dinner entree to enjoy an appetizer of fried calamari. When we'd take her to a fine seafood restaurant, she'd opt for battered fish and chips. These were fun, indulgent foods for her. Oh yes, and she was not afraid of being a little "un-ladylike", either. One of her favorite places for ribs was Mr. Cecil's, in Sherman Oaks, where we'd roll up our sleeves and sink our teeth into pork ribs, corn, and coleslaw, before giggling about the mess we made. This was one of her ways to show us that the child inside is always alive, no matter how old you are.
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| Enjoying dessert at The Lobster in Santa Monica, California |
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