False Economies

"Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside."

- Mark Twain

Sometimes one feels as though one has lived a lifetime in a day... Yesterday morning, I awoke in Powell River, which is a sad place... one that time forgot. The houses hug the cliffs as though they are children afraid to jump in the water, and there is little to do but gaze upon the sea and imagine you are Andromeda chained to the rocks, waiting to be eaten. This could be a delightful experience, I imagine, but I suppose it would depend on one's proclivities.

And speaking of eating, I decided that this being spring I should amend my nutritive intake and subsist on inexpensive seasonal produce. I had visions of stirring applesauce and preserving asparagus - of serving forth delicate concoctions of herbs and embryonic vegetables for my delight and pleasure. I also had visions of fitting into a bathing suit and paying my rent. And so upon my return from the rocks on the sea, I bought spinach and tomatoes and made a healthful salad, which was enjoyed with a bottle of Perrier and the company of my friend Mike. We looked at the cherry blossoms outside my window and felt smug in our congruence with the turning seasons.

Alas, my delicately constructed sense of thrift and health were immediately shattered when, during our post-prandial walk, we decided to investigate a new restaurant called "Lift".... How could we not go in? It looked so inviting -- what with a marble bar and businessmen discreetly chewing rack of lamb in solitude. And how harmful could it be to order a chocolate souffle for two? Really, they are as light as air and we were so good at dinner. And it couldn't possibly hurt to order some Tawny port to sip while gazing at the twinkling lights of the city ... and one couldn't possibly imagine such an experience without a double espresso to add a final inky coda to the day.... And so, as I slipped further and further into a gastronomic haze, I thought

"Fuck it"

and gave the waiter my credit card, not looking at the bill.