… was liberally rewarded.  But if it was not relished, the inventor was confined to eat of nothing else, till he had discovered another more agreeable to the Imperial palate.”

 – The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
(Footnote 56, Ch 4, Vol I)

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Tastes change.  But our compulsion to find the latest good thing stays constant.  When you think about it, it’s true with food, language and a lot else in life:  We always seem to dream after the new delicious.

In the quest to satisfy his appetite, there was a Roman emperor who sentenced his cooks to live off only their attempts at a new gravy or frosting recipe until they got it right.  Seems a pushy way to encourage creativity.  But maybe there’s a lesson there on how we appease our deepest hungers today.

If you relish fresh writing and have a palate for discovery – let me know when this metaphor gets sickening, would you? – go ahead and enjoy the little spread for you throughout this site.

Sample the wondrous vittles I’ve discovered and maybe check out my own attempts.  I have a pretty good range (oof, that might have just been a cooking pun, sorry): I’ve been a reporter, columnist and political consultant, and now I write mainly for non-profits.

We use words like we do sauce: to flavor our thoughts, at times to cover them and – okay, now I’m starting to make myself queasy. Anyway, enjoy, and drop me a line.  I’d be happy even just to exchange recipes.