I’ve written before about the tribal impulse among people. By that I mean the tendency to flock with those like ourselves and to turn — sometimes savagely — against the “other” that threatens our alike-hood. Well, I’m as susceptible to tribalism as the next person, provided the next person is also as much at home […]

I love food — Mediterranean-sourced food in particular (though I won’t turn down anything tasty no matter where it’s from). And one of life’s great mysteries is: Is ratatouille or caponata the better dish? The answer of course is “yes.” Actually, sometimes when I start cooking, I’m not sure whether I’m on my way to […]

Tony started kindergarten last week, which partially explains my disappearance of late. Actually, last week was optional kindergarten “camp,” during which his teacher had the students come in before school officially started, to get them accustomed to the facilities and the routine before the big kids arrived and completely freaked them out — a scheme […]

I had planned to write before now — really and truly I did — but it took me days to recover from the whirl-wind pace set by my sister and my mother on the East Coast. Before we ever set foot among the too-verdant greenery in the vicinity of the nation’s capital, a week-and-a-half-long itinerary […]