Let's see, now. If I were to confine myself to what some folks think of as "traditional American food," I would be surviving on roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, and canned peas, followed by apple pie with ice cream. With some Americans, it's a Big Mac and fries. In regions of the country other than my own, I might be starting the day with biscuits and gravy, whereas I usually start with cereal and fruit.

My wife is an excellent cook. She learned much from her Czechoslovakian grandmother on one side and her Swedish, Scots-Irish, English, and Swiss grandmother on the other side. I addition, she reads a lot of cook books and is given to experimentation. She had a friend once who taught her quite a bit about Persian cooking.

I, on the other hand, am the absolute master of the frozen dinner and the microwave oven. Beyond that, I make culinary history with such things as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Ham and cheese is a specialty of mine. A favorite sandwich is a thick slice of pre-cooked ham, a slice of Swiss cheese, and a slice of onion, along with a dollop of mustard and a dollop of mayonnaise, all on a split bagel. I used to take these for lunch when I worked at the Boeing Airplane Company back in the 1970s and a co-worker of the Jewish persuasion commented, "Ham? On a bagel? God's gonna get you for that, Firth!"

Lemme see. What's for lunch today? Barbara bought a big bag of tortilla chips yesterday and I know we have some guacamole in the fridge. . . .

I'll be back later.

Don Firth