Winter Getaway, Parts 1-3 (Encore)

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Speaker 1 That's shopify.com slash nothing much.

Speaker 1 Welcome to a special expanded episode of Bedtime Stories for Everyone,

Speaker 1 in which

Speaker 1 slightly more happens.

Speaker 1 You feel good, and then you fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Speaker 1 I write and read all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens. Audio Engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 I often write multiple episodes as part of a bigger story

Speaker 1 and now we've cut them together for a lovely, long, and complete experience.

Speaker 1 These bigger episodes are perfect for nights when you need just a little more time to settle in and feel cozy.

Speaker 1 I'll still tell the whole story twice, and I'll still go a little slower. the second time through.

Speaker 1 If you wake later in the night, I can almost guarantee that you didn't hear the whole thing.

Speaker 1 So maybe just pick a point in the middle and push play.

Speaker 1 And within a few minutes, it'll be right back to sleep.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Winter Getaway.

Speaker 1 And it tells from two perspectives. The tale of a snowy mountain.
and a warm cabin

Speaker 1 and a meal shared between friends.

Speaker 1 It's also about taking time to rest deeply.

Speaker 1 Snowflakes and silver needle tea

Speaker 1 and a book wrapped in brown paper.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 switch off your light.

Speaker 1 Set aside anything you've been looking at or working on

Speaker 1 and get as comfortable as you can.

Speaker 1 Let your muscles relax.

Speaker 1 Your body drop heavy into the bed.

Speaker 1 I'll be right here,

Speaker 1 reading even after you've fallen asleep.

Speaker 1 I'll watch over with my voice.

Speaker 1 Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 and sigh through the

Speaker 1 Again, breathe in

Speaker 1 and out.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Winter Getaway. Part One.
The Cabin

Speaker 1 With the holiday rush over,

Speaker 1 the bookshop was quiet,

Speaker 1 and I didn't mind it.

Speaker 1 I'd been run off my feet in the best possible way in the last few weeks.

Speaker 1 Our book clubs had all gotten together to share a holiday party.

Speaker 1 And it was fun to watch the romance readers

Speaker 1 mix with the murder mystery crew.

Speaker 1 The history fans and the sci-fi enthusiasts had turned out to have a lot in common.

Speaker 1 And besides sharing their favorite titles for the year,

Speaker 1 they had all eaten their way through a table of appetizers

Speaker 1 and dipped ladlefuls of punch from the bowl till it was empty.

Speaker 1 That had been a fun evening.

Speaker 1 Every Saturday in December, the children's nook had been packed for our

Speaker 1 clauses with the clauses story hour,

Speaker 1 which was the brainchild of a few of the reading teachers from the elementary school.

Speaker 1 They dressed up in their red suits

Speaker 1 and read books to the kids

Speaker 1 with just a few grammar lessons folded in.

Speaker 1 There was also my annual top 100 books of the year list to curate

Speaker 1 and displays to put out.

Speaker 1 The bell over the door had rung so much that I'd started to hear it in my sleep.

Speaker 1 So when the bustle finally died down,

Speaker 1 I found myself in need of a bit of respite.

Speaker 1 I often closed the shop down completely for a week or so

Speaker 1 at the beginning of the year.

Speaker 1 and would just

Speaker 1 hole up in my house with a stack of books.

Speaker 1 I never did get tired of reading.

Speaker 1 I'd spend each day eating progressively staler Christmas cookies

Speaker 1 and falling asleep on the couch with a book on my chest.

Speaker 1 I'd thought to do the same thing this year,

Speaker 1 but had gotten an invitation from a friend of mine that had been too tempting to resist.

Speaker 1 My friend was a chef

Speaker 1 and spent half the year cooking at the inn on the lake in our own little village,

Speaker 1 and the other half travelling and working in different places every other month.

Speaker 1 I'd gotten a postcard from them

Speaker 1 with a pretty picture on the front

Speaker 1 of a night scene on a mountain.

Speaker 1 A ski slope strung with lights,

Speaker 1 and in the distance a cozy-looking lodge,

Speaker 1 whose lit windows suggested roaring fires and hot drinks.

Speaker 1 On the back, they'd just written, Bring your books

Speaker 1 and happy Hanukkah.

Speaker 1 I'd stuck the postcard to the front of the cash register at the bookshop,

Speaker 1 and especially on busy days,

Speaker 1 the idea of getting away for a bit

Speaker 1 had gotten me through.

Speaker 1 So I'd sent a card back,

Speaker 1 and we'd made some plans.

Speaker 1 I'd never been before,

Speaker 1 but remembered from Chef's stories that they had a large hotel,

Speaker 1 a beautiful place with a spa

Speaker 1 and a big restaurant that looked out over the slopes where Chef worked most days.

Speaker 1 But they also had chalets

Speaker 1 and cabins,

Speaker 1 and that sounded even better.

Speaker 1 I booked myself a little cabin with a king-size bed, a fireplace,

Speaker 1 and a big clawfoot tub.

Speaker 1 It was just a few minutes' walk from the hotel

Speaker 1 and looked like just the place to recoup for the week.

Speaker 1 So I closed up the bookshop, hung a sign in the window,

Speaker 1 advising all those having literary emergencies

Speaker 1 to please consult with the library,

Speaker 1 and drove off on a cold, sunny afternoon.

Speaker 1 The drive had been nice, too.

Speaker 1 I took back roads most of the way,

Speaker 1 and as I got farther and farther north,

Speaker 1 the snow on farmhouse rooftops and across fields got thicker.

Speaker 1 Finally the mountains came into view

Speaker 1 and I followed the signs till I was pulling into the resort.

Speaker 1 I checked in at the hotel

Speaker 1 and the clerk asked if I needed help getting my bags to the funicular.

Speaker 1 Oh,

Speaker 1 oh, what now? I asked, a little confused.

Speaker 1 I was guided through the grand lobby, which was still decorated with pine trees and Poinsetius,

Speaker 1 past the restaurant where Chef must be working,

Speaker 1 and out onto a pretty covered patio, where I was mesmerized for a moment,

Speaker 1 looking up at the snow-covered mountain,

Speaker 1 watching skiers

Speaker 1 expertly shushing their way down.

Speaker 1 My guide paused with me

Speaker 1 and pointed out a grove of trees halfway up the mountain.

Speaker 1 Half a dozen log cabins were nestled in among the pines,

Speaker 1 and I was delighted to hear that one of them was mine.

Speaker 1 It turned out a funicular is a sort of diagonal train

Speaker 1 that carries you in a comfortable little carriage up a mountain.

Speaker 1 The view from inside was fantastic

Speaker 1 and only got more amazing as it climbed.

Speaker 1 The sun was dropping steadily down the horizon

Speaker 1 and its rosy orange light was reflected on the snow.

Speaker 1 When the funicular stopped and my guide helped me out onto the platform

Speaker 1 with my roller bag, mostly full of books, and a duffle with my clothes.

Speaker 1 He handed me my key,

Speaker 1 and I trundled down a short path to my door.

Speaker 1 I eagerly fitted the key in the lock

Speaker 1 and pushed the door open.

Speaker 1 What a dream I was in.

Speaker 1 The little place was cozy and warm,

Speaker 1 with a fire already going in the grate.

Speaker 1 I locked the door behind me

Speaker 1 and wheeled my bag toward the giant bed and let myself just flop down for a few moments.

Speaker 1 Now, I've tried, and I've even watched YouTube videos to learn more.

Speaker 1 But I just can't make a bed as well as a housekeeper in a hotel does.

Speaker 1 And this one had crisp white sheets and was piled with fluffy blankets.

Speaker 1 Besides the bathroom, with its beautiful tub,

Speaker 1 the cabin was all one room, with plenty of space for me to stretch out and relax.

Speaker 1 There was a small kitchenette tucked along one wall,

Speaker 1 and I got up to explore it.

Speaker 1 I found a coffee pot

Speaker 1 and a bag of fresh grounds for my mornings,

Speaker 1 the usual mini bar with drinks and sweets,

Speaker 1 And under a glass dome on the counter, a dozen black and white cookies

Speaker 1 with a note from my friend

Speaker 1 Rest up,

Speaker 1 eat,

Speaker 1 read books.

Speaker 1 Come by the restaurant later,

Speaker 1 and I'll fix you something special.

Speaker 1 That all sounded like the best medicine.

Speaker 1 I lifted the dome and took a cookie and stepped over to the window to look out while I nibbled at it.

Speaker 1 The hotel was lit up like a Christmas tree,

Speaker 1 and people were skiing and snowboarding under the clear dark sky,

Speaker 1 with a sliver of moon rising over the mountain.

Speaker 1 I took in a deep breath

Speaker 1 and let out a sigh.

Speaker 1 Part 2. The Chalet

Speaker 1 For the first day or two,

Speaker 1 I didn't leave my little cabin.

Speaker 1 I went to bed early and slept late.

Speaker 1 It felt so wonderful

Speaker 1 and absolutely necessary.

Speaker 1 When I finally got out of bed in the mornings,

Speaker 1 I'd turn on the gas fireplace

Speaker 1 and brew a pot of coffee

Speaker 1 and climb right back into bed with a cup.

Speaker 1 Sometimes I read.

Speaker 1 Sometimes I just stared out the front window

Speaker 1 and looked at the mountain.

Speaker 1 Chef kept my little kitchenette stocked with pastries and fruit for breakfast which,

Speaker 1 again,

Speaker 1 I ate in bed.

Speaker 1 I took long steaming hot baths in the clothet tub.

Speaker 1 I I listened to music and read.

Speaker 1 When I got hungry, I ordered room service, which was brought and covered dishes

Speaker 1 all the way from the hotel, up the funicular, and to my door.

Speaker 1 I changed from one pair of pajamas into another

Speaker 1 and just enjoyed the quiet

Speaker 1 and solitude.

Speaker 1 My friend who'd invited me here,

Speaker 1 the chef who'd been sending down pastries from their kitchen,

Speaker 1 had given me space,

Speaker 1 knowing that

Speaker 1 I needed rest more than company.

Speaker 1 They'd invited me for dinner when I was up to it,

Speaker 1 or a snowshoe

Speaker 1 along some of the gentler paths.

Speaker 1 What a gift friends like that are

Speaker 1 the kind that

Speaker 1 you don't have to explain yourself to,

Speaker 1 who take you as you are,

Speaker 1 and want your own well-being

Speaker 1 as much as you do.

Speaker 1 It reminded me of the way Italians say, I love you.

Speaker 1 They have a romantic way

Speaker 1 and a platonic way of expressing it.

Speaker 1 The platonic way simply said,

Speaker 1 I want you to be well.

Speaker 1 Tivoglio Bene.

Speaker 1 Chef wanted me to be well

Speaker 1 And it felt very good to be loved by a friend like that

Speaker 1 Today I had an urge to finally step out of my little sanctuary

Speaker 1 and explore a bit

Speaker 1 I wasn't a skier, though I'd enjoyed watching the brave souls on the mountain

Speaker 1 cutting through the fresh powder each day.

Speaker 1 I thought today I might prefer to bundle up and take the funicular down to the hotel,

Speaker 1 poke around through their shops and lobby,

Speaker 1 and see if Chef would make me a tasty dinner in their restaurant.

Speaker 1 The resort made its own fresh snow each day

Speaker 1 to make the skiing and snowboarding as good as it could be.

Speaker 1 But Mother Nature had been no slouch in that department either.

Speaker 1 There was a solid foot and a half on the ground around my cabin,

Speaker 1 and more falling by the minute.

Speaker 1 I layered on my thermals,

Speaker 1 powder pants,

Speaker 1 heavy coat, and boots,

Speaker 1 and stepped out the door.

Speaker 1 The funicular traveled up and down the mountains every few minutes,

Speaker 1 so

Speaker 1 I only had to wait a minute on the platform.

Speaker 1 And while I did,

Speaker 1 I looked across the slopes

Speaker 1 and saw more cabins

Speaker 1 and groves of trees on the other side.

Speaker 1 People were riding ski lifts up into the sky,

Speaker 1 their skis dangling in the air.

Speaker 1 And I thought the whole endeavor must be

Speaker 1 exhilarating

Speaker 1 just standing here in the cold air.

Speaker 1 I felt energized and awake

Speaker 1 in a way I hadn't in quite a while.

Speaker 1 The funicular arrived in front of me,

Speaker 1 and I realized that the tracks

Speaker 1 didn't stop at my little platform.

Speaker 1 They went further up the mountain.

Speaker 1 And I suddenly decided

Speaker 1 I wanted to go up rather than down.

Speaker 1 I stepped inside

Speaker 1 and sat down on a cushioned bench.

Speaker 1 I'd always wanted to take one of those winter train trips

Speaker 1 where the tracks wind through snowy landscapes

Speaker 1 while tea is served in fancy cups in the dining car.

Speaker 1 And this

Speaker 1 was close.

Speaker 1 It was only a few minutes ride up the mountain.

Speaker 1 But it was an extraordinary view.

Speaker 1 And I had the presence of mind

Speaker 1 to really take it all in.

Speaker 1 Sometimes life happened so fast.

Speaker 1 I felt like

Speaker 1 I missed the details.

Speaker 1 And maybe

Speaker 1 this was one of the reasons I loved to read.

Speaker 1 I could take in each scene as slowly as I liked,

Speaker 1 reread favorite passages,

Speaker 1 change moods

Speaker 1 by flipping to a different chapter.

Speaker 1 Now I realized

Speaker 1 I was in a beautiful verse

Speaker 1 that I would want to reread.

Speaker 1 So I kept my eyes open.

Speaker 1 I noticed the way the snowflakes

Speaker 1 landed on the window,

Speaker 1 how there was a split second

Speaker 1 while they were intact,

Speaker 1 and I could see their tiny symmetrical patterns

Speaker 1 before they seemed to go out of focus.

Speaker 1 They turned blurry

Speaker 1 and melted

Speaker 1 and were gone.

Speaker 1 I caught my own reflection in the glass

Speaker 1 and looked through it to the sloping land all around me.

Speaker 1 I smiled at that.

Speaker 1 Don't we often look through ourselves

Speaker 1 when we look out,

Speaker 1 a layer of self imperceptibly shading the view?

Speaker 1 The funicular bumped to a stop.

Speaker 1 The doors slid open,

Speaker 1 and the true, unimpeded view of the mountains was even sweeter.

Speaker 1 I stepped out to find a building with broad overhanging eaves

Speaker 1 and a tall stone chimney,

Speaker 1 wood smoke rising from it.

Speaker 1 I'd felt a few times here

Speaker 1 that I was in a fairy tale,

Speaker 1 and this seemed to cement the idea.

Speaker 1 Here was a real life chalet,

Speaker 1 and I wondered if the funicular

Speaker 1 had somehow delivered me in a split second to the Alps.

Speaker 1 There was a broad stone patio wrapping around the chalet,

Speaker 1 a fire pit roaring in the center,

Speaker 1 and small small tables with a few bundled-up guests sitting here and there.

Speaker 1 I wandered up to the door and stepped through.

Speaker 1 I hadn't felt cold, but my cheeks burned as the warm air circled around me.

Speaker 1 The place was a long, open room

Speaker 1 with a giant fireplace along one wall.

Speaker 1 Deep chairs were pulled up around it,

Speaker 1 and people were sitting with drinks in their hands,

Speaker 1 looking out the floor to ceiling windows at the slopes.

Speaker 1 Across from the fire was a long bar, and I could hear the hiss of an espresso machine.

Speaker 1 I unsnapped the neck of my coat and pulled away my scarf.

Speaker 1 As I stepped up to the bar,

Speaker 1 I thought I might want to stay awhile.

Speaker 1 I asked the bartender if they had hot tea,

Speaker 1 and she stepped away for a moment,

Speaker 1 and brought back a large wicker basket,

Speaker 1 which she set before me as she opened it.

Speaker 1 It was divided into

Speaker 1 twenty or more little cubbies,

Speaker 1 each with a canister of loose leaf tea nestled inside.

Speaker 1 I practically clapped my hands in excitement as I read the labels.

Speaker 1 Mint in the winter always felt like a natural choice.

Speaker 1 And I was reaching for it when the bartender leaned in and tapped her finger against a different flavor.

Speaker 1 I read the label:

Speaker 1 orange blossoms, rose petals,

Speaker 1 and silver needle tea.

Speaker 1 You think? I said.

Speaker 1 She just nodded, and watched,

Speaker 1 and waited for me to nod back.

Speaker 1 When I did,

Speaker 1 she smiled and swept the box away to set me up with a pot and a cup.

Speaker 1 I thought for a moment that I wished I'd brought my book,

Speaker 1 but maybe this was even better.

Speaker 1 I'd take in every detail my senses could show me

Speaker 1 as if I were writing this moment down in a story.

Speaker 1 Part 3:

Speaker 1 Chef's Kitchen

Speaker 1 Lunch service was winding down,

Speaker 1 and I made myself a small cup of espresso from the machine in the dining room.

Speaker 1 It was a treat I partook of most days.

Speaker 1 Before I'd become a chef,

Speaker 1 I'd worked in a coffee shop

Speaker 1 and served my fair share of lattes

Speaker 1 and Americanos

Speaker 1 and there was something irresistible to me

Speaker 1 about taking a clean cup and saucer from the warmer

Speaker 1 and properly making a coffee.

Speaker 1 I dropped in a cube of sugar and stirred till it dissolved,

Speaker 1 then drank it down in three or four quick sips.

Speaker 1 It marked a turning point in my day,

Speaker 1 and I thought about

Speaker 1 how many people around the world did the same

Speaker 1 had some small afternoon ritual,

Speaker 1 probably involving

Speaker 1 something hot to drink

Speaker 1 that helped them to pause before the second part of the day

Speaker 1 and regroup.

Speaker 1 I looked out through the dining room windows

Speaker 1 up at the mountain

Speaker 1 and watched skiers

Speaker 1 and snowboarders zigzagging their way down.

Speaker 1 I wondered if my friend, the bookshop owner,

Speaker 1 had set foot out into the snow yet.

Speaker 1 I knew she was here, tucked away in her cabin,

Speaker 1 mostly because

Speaker 1 once a day I sent a basket full of Danishes or Chelsea buns

Speaker 1 and got back yesterday's crumbs.

Speaker 1 So, like I said, I knew she was here.

Speaker 1 I guessed she was reading books and taking naps.

Speaker 1 And I was glad she was decompressing.

Speaker 1 As grown-ups, sometimes

Speaker 1 you see your friends struggling

Speaker 1 and you wish you could give them a good meal and tuck them into bed.

Speaker 1 like had been done for you as a child.

Speaker 1 But most of the time, all you can do is listen, though that's still pretty important.

Speaker 1 Maybe that was why I loved my job so much.

Speaker 1 I did get to feed people and send them off to bed.

Speaker 1 I got to see the moment

Speaker 1 when they set aside whatever they'd been thinking about

Speaker 1 and unfold their napkin

Speaker 1 and let the steam of some tasty dish I'd made

Speaker 1 rise up and wrap around their face.

Speaker 1 And I was about ready to see my friend's face like that.

Speaker 1 We'd met years ago

Speaker 1 when I first started cooking at the inn on the lake

Speaker 1 in the little town a few few hours south of here.

Speaker 1 I'd wandered into her bookshop on a day off

Speaker 1 and spent so much time looking through the cookbook section.

Speaker 1 She'd encouraged me to take a stack over to the reading nook in the front window.

Speaker 1 Her shop had lots of new books,

Speaker 1 but what really caught my interest

Speaker 1 was a shelf of books she'd bought at garage sales

Speaker 1 or found at swap meets.

Speaker 1 They were the kind that were compiled by the Rotary Club

Speaker 1 or the local chapter of the Moose Lodge

Speaker 1 with a plastic cover and ring binding.

Speaker 1 The recipes represented everyone's best potluck dishes,

Speaker 1 along with clever tips and sensible advice for housekeeping.

Speaker 1 I loved those old books.

Speaker 1 Lots of the recipes, while often comprising just a half dozen ingredients and very simple methods, were downright delicious.

Speaker 1 I loved thinking about the time when they were compiled, what was happening in the world, and

Speaker 1 then to read the handwritten notes in the margins

Speaker 1 that said things like

Speaker 1 good hot dish for Sunday,

Speaker 1 used lima beans instead, worked fine,

Speaker 1 or Christmas party, 1971.

Speaker 1 So I'd gone back to the shop often,

Speaker 1 and she'd find new cookbooks for me whenever she could.

Speaker 1 She'd stop by the inn sometimes, when the breakfast rush was over,

Speaker 1 and I'd bring up a couple plates of my signature cinnamon coffee cake,

Speaker 1 pour us cups of coffee from the urn on the back patio,

Speaker 1 and we'd chat about books and food,

Speaker 1 and this little village both of us loved.

Speaker 1 Once I told her about one of the first chapter books I'd read as a child,

Speaker 1 a book I couldn't remember the name of,

Speaker 1 but had been so beloved

Speaker 1 that I'd read it till the cover had come off.

Speaker 1 I described a bit of the story.

Speaker 1 Two cousins, an evil governess,

Speaker 1 and secret passages through the walls of a giant Gothic country house.

Speaker 1 I'd forgotten about the conversation soon after.

Speaker 1 But that New Year,

Speaker 1 while I was settling into the kitchens at the ski lodge,

Speaker 1 I'd gotten a package wrapped in brown paper

Speaker 1 with her shop as the return address.

Speaker 1 She'd found the book,

Speaker 1 even

Speaker 1 found the edition I'd read so many times when I was little.

Speaker 1 The cover, the little line illustrations that I hadn't seen in so long

Speaker 1 were suddenly there,

Speaker 1 exactly as I remembered.

Speaker 1 And they brought with them more memories

Speaker 1 of reading in the back seat

Speaker 1 on my way to Grandpa's house,

Speaker 1 of hiding the book inside my math text to read during class.

Speaker 1 I was taking the last sip of my espresso

Speaker 1 and smiling at the memory

Speaker 1 when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket.

Speaker 1 She must have heard me thinking about her.

Speaker 1 She'd sent a picture that showed the fireplace inside the chalet.

Speaker 1 The restaurant where I was standing at the moment was a small glinting dot in the distance.

Speaker 1 She lives, I typed back.

Speaker 1 She does,

Speaker 1 and she's had a lovely cup of tea, but now she's hungry.

Speaker 1 I smiled.

Speaker 1 I had the perfect meal in mind.

Speaker 1 Come down to the hotel, I said.

Speaker 1 I'll meet you at the restaurant, and we'll cook something up.

Speaker 1 On my way, she sent.

Speaker 1 I thought of a humble meal

Speaker 1 that was so delicious, so comforting.

Speaker 1 The kind of home cooking that we never really make in restaurants.

Speaker 1 The fact it was a dish often made when someone was under the weather.

Speaker 1 but I loved it anytime it was cold outside.

Speaker 1 Ten minutes later, we were giving each other a big hug at the entrance to the restaurant,

Speaker 1 and I noticed that she looked well rested.

Speaker 1 Her eyes were bright, but her hands were cold from the funicular ride down the mountain.

Speaker 1 We set her up in the warmth of the kitchen, where we had a little table, where staff took breaks or wrote out lists.

Speaker 1 What are you making me?

Speaker 1 She asked, rubbing her hands together in excitement.

Speaker 1 Pastina, I said.

Speaker 1 It's a little pasta soup made with

Speaker 1 but she cut me off. Oh, my grandmother used to make it for me when I was sick.

Speaker 1 That's the one, I said, though mine is a little fancied up.

Speaker 1 We chatted while I chopped shallots and minced garlic.

Speaker 1 The key to really nice pastina is to dice the vegetables really small and uniformly.

Speaker 1 It makes the texture of the finished dish so smooth and consistent.

Speaker 1 A good mouthfeel, we would say.

Speaker 1 It takes some time, but after all, I am a chef.

Speaker 1 I can chop like the best of them.

Speaker 1 I added zucchini and carrots.

Speaker 1 We had some purple,

Speaker 1 some a pale yellow,

Speaker 1 and some a deep reddish-orange.

Speaker 1 So the mix in the pot was like a rainbow.

Speaker 1 I added homemade broth

Speaker 1 and poured us each a tall glass of mineral water while it came to a boil.

Speaker 1 She told me about her cabin,

Speaker 1 her latest reed,

Speaker 1 and the ride up the mountain.

Speaker 1 I told her about the new dishes I was working on,

Speaker 1 a funny call I'd had with the innkeeper the day before,

Speaker 1 and a trip I was planning for the time between the lodge and the inn in the spring.

Speaker 1 I added the tiny pasta noodles to the pot,

Speaker 1 a chini di pepe,

Speaker 1 which means something like pepper seeds.

Speaker 1 And they were indeed as small as seeds,

Speaker 1 but squared off like the diced vegetables in the pot.

Speaker 1 Soon it was cooked down,

Speaker 1 the pasta absorbing the rich broth.

Speaker 1 And I ladled healthy bowlfuls up for both of us

Speaker 1 and added a good pinch of fresh parsley,

Speaker 1 and a drizzle of my best olive oil on top.

Speaker 1 The kitchen was quiet between meals,

Speaker 1 just a few prep cooks working at their stations,

Speaker 1 and we clinked our glasses and sighed

Speaker 1 and dug in.

Speaker 1 WINTER Getaway. Part One.
The Cabin

Speaker 1 With the holiday rush over,

Speaker 1 the bookshop was quiet,

Speaker 1 and I didn't mind it.

Speaker 1 I'd been run off my feet

Speaker 1 in the best possible way

Speaker 1 in the last few weeks.

Speaker 1 our book clubs had all gotten together

Speaker 1 to share a holiday party.

Speaker 1 And it was fun to watch the romance readers

Speaker 1 mix with the murder mystery crew.

Speaker 1 The history fans

Speaker 1 and the sci-fi enthusiasts

Speaker 1 had turned out to have a lot in common

Speaker 1 and besides sharing their favorite titles for the year

Speaker 1 they had all eaten their way through a table of appetizers

Speaker 1 and dipped ladlefuls of punch from the bowl till it was empty

Speaker 1 that had been a fun evening

Speaker 1 Every Saturday in December,

Speaker 1 the children's nook

Speaker 1 had been packed

Speaker 1 for our

Speaker 1 clauses with the clauses story hour,

Speaker 1 which was the brainchild of a few of the reading teachers from the elementary school.

Speaker 1 They dressed up in their red suits and read books to the kids, with just a few grammar lessons folded in.

Speaker 1 Then there was also my annual top 100 books of the year list to curate

Speaker 1 and displays to put out.

Speaker 1 The bell over the door had rung so much

Speaker 1 that I'd started to hear it in my sleep.

Speaker 1 So when the bustle finally died down,

Speaker 1 I found myself

Speaker 1 in need of a bit of respite.

Speaker 1 I often closed the shop down completely for a week or so at the beginning of the year

Speaker 1 and would just hole up in my house with a stack of books.

Speaker 1 I never did get tired of reading.

Speaker 1 I'd spend each day eating progressively staler Christmas cookies

Speaker 1 and falling asleep on the couch with a book on my chest.

Speaker 1 I'd thought to do the same thing this year,

Speaker 1 but had gotten an invitation from a friend of mine

Speaker 1 that had been too tempting to resist.

Speaker 1 My friend was a chef

Speaker 1 and spent half of the year cooking at the inn on the lake

Speaker 1 in our own little village.

Speaker 1 And the other half traveling

Speaker 1 and working in different places every other month.

Speaker 1 I'd gotten a postcard from them

Speaker 1 with a pretty picture on the front

Speaker 1 of a night scene on a mountain,

Speaker 1 a ski slope strung with lights,

Speaker 1 and in the distance

Speaker 1 a cozy-looking lodge whose lit windows suggested roaring fires and hot drinks.

Speaker 1 On the back, they'd just written

Speaker 1 Bring your books, unhappy Hanukkah.

Speaker 1 I'd stuck the postcard to the front of the cash register at the bookshop

Speaker 1 and

Speaker 1 especially on the busy days,

Speaker 1 the idea of getting away for a bit had gotten me through.

Speaker 1 So I'd sent a card back and we'd made some plans.

Speaker 1 We'd never been before, but remembered from chefs' stories

Speaker 1 that they had a large hotel.

Speaker 1 A beautiful place with a spa

Speaker 1 and a big restaurant

Speaker 1 that looked out over the slopes, where Chef worked most days.

Speaker 1 But they also had chalets and cabins, and that sounded even better.

Speaker 1 I'd booked myself a little cabin with a king-size bed,

Speaker 1 a fireplace,

Speaker 1 and a big claw-foot tub.

Speaker 1 It was just a few minutes' walk from the hotel

Speaker 1 and looked like just the place to recoup for the week.

Speaker 1 So I closed up the bookshop,

Speaker 1 hung a sign in the window,

Speaker 1 advising all those having literary emergencies to please consult with the library, and drove off on a cold, sunny afternoon.

Speaker 1 And the drive had been nice, too.

Speaker 1 I took back roads most of the way.

Speaker 1 And as I got farther and farther north,

Speaker 1 the snow on farmhouse rooftops and across fields got thicker.

Speaker 1 Finally mountains came into view,

Speaker 1 and I followed the signs till I was pulling into the resort.

Speaker 1 I checked in at the hotel,

Speaker 1 and the clerk asked if I needed help

Speaker 1 getting my bags to the funicular.

Speaker 1 What now? I asked, a little confused.

Speaker 1 I was guided through the grand lobby,

Speaker 1 which was still decorated with pine trees and poinsettias,

Speaker 1 past the restaurant where Chef must be working,

Speaker 1 and out onto a pretty covered patio

Speaker 1 where I was mesmerized for a moment,

Speaker 1 looking up at the snow covered mountain,

Speaker 1 watching skiers

Speaker 1 expertly shushing their way down.

Speaker 1 My guide paused with me

Speaker 1 and pointed out a grove of trees half way up the mountain.

Speaker 1 Half a dozen log cabins were nestled in among the pines

Speaker 1 and I was delighted to hear that one of them was mine.

Speaker 1 It turned out that

Speaker 1 a funicular

Speaker 1 is a sort of diagonal train

Speaker 1 that carries you in a comfortable little carriage up a mountain.

Speaker 1 The view from inside was fantastic

Speaker 1 and only got more amazing as it climbed.

Speaker 1 The sun was dropping steadily down the horizon,

Speaker 1 and its rosy orange light was reflected on the snow.

Speaker 1 When the funicular stopped,

Speaker 1 and my guide helped me out onto the platform with my roller bag mostly full of books

Speaker 1 and a duffle with my clothes.

Speaker 1 He handed me my key,

Speaker 1 and I trundled down a short path to my door.

Speaker 1 I eagerly fitted the key in the lock,

Speaker 1 and pushed the door open.

Speaker 1 What a dream I was in

Speaker 1 The little place was cozy and warm, with a fire already going in the grate.

Speaker 1 I locked the door behind me

Speaker 1 and wheeled my bag toward the giant bed.

Speaker 1 I just let myself flop down for a few moments.

Speaker 1 Now I've tried, and I've even watched YouTube videos to learn more,

Speaker 1 but I can't make a bed

Speaker 1 as well as a housekeeper in a hotel does.

Speaker 1 And this one had crisp white sheets

Speaker 1 and was piled with fluffy blankets.

Speaker 1 Besides the bathroom with its beautiful tub,

Speaker 1 the cabin was all one room, with plenty of space for me to stretch out

Speaker 1 and relax.

Speaker 1 There was a small kitchenette along one wall,

Speaker 1 and I got up to explore it.

Speaker 1 I found a coffee pot

Speaker 1 and a bag of fresh grounds for my mornings.

Speaker 1 The usual mini-bar with drinks and sweets,

Speaker 1 and under a glass dome on the counter,

Speaker 1 a dozen black and white cookies,

Speaker 1 with a note from my friend.

Speaker 1 Rest up,

Speaker 1 eat,

Speaker 1 read books.

Speaker 1 Come by the restaurant later,

Speaker 1 and I'll fix you something special.

Speaker 1 That all sounded like the best medicine.

Speaker 1 I lifted the dome and took a cookie and stepped over to the window

Speaker 1 to look out while I nibbled at it.

Speaker 1 The hotel was lit up like a Christmas tree,

Speaker 1 and people were skiing and snowboarding under the clear sky

Speaker 1 with a sliver of moon

Speaker 1 rising over the mountains.

Speaker 1 I took a deep breath in

Speaker 1 and let it out with a sigh.

Speaker 1 Part two:

Speaker 1 The Chalet

Speaker 1 For the first day or two,

Speaker 1 I didn't leave my cabin.

Speaker 1 I went to bed early

Speaker 1 and slept late.

Speaker 1 It felt

Speaker 1 so wonderful

Speaker 1 and absolutely necessary.

Speaker 1 When I finally got out of bed in the mornings,

Speaker 1 I'd turn on the gas fireplace

Speaker 1 and brew a pot of coffee

Speaker 1 and climb right back into bed with a cup.

Speaker 1 Sometimes I read.

Speaker 1 Sometimes I just stared out the front window

Speaker 1 and looked at the mountain.

Speaker 1 Chef kept my little kitchenette stocked with pastries and fruit for breakfast,

Speaker 1 which,

Speaker 1 again,

Speaker 1 I ate in bed.

Speaker 1 I took long steaming hot baths and the clawfoot tub.

Speaker 1 I listened to music

Speaker 1 and read.

Speaker 1 When I got hungry,

Speaker 1 I ordered room service,

Speaker 1 which was brought in covered dishes

Speaker 1 all the way from the hotel,

Speaker 1 up the funicular

Speaker 1 and to my door.

Speaker 1 I changed from one pair of pajamas into another

Speaker 1 and just enjoyed the quiet

Speaker 1 and the solitude.

Speaker 1 My friend,

Speaker 1 who'd invited me here,

Speaker 1 the chef

Speaker 1 who'd been sending up the pastries from their kitchen,

Speaker 1 had given me space,

Speaker 1 knowing that I needed rest

Speaker 1 more than I needed company.

Speaker 1 They'd invited me for dinner when I was up to it,

Speaker 1 or

Speaker 1 a snowshoe along some of the gentler paths.

Speaker 1 What a gift friends like that are.

Speaker 1 The kind that

Speaker 1 you don't have to explain yourself to,

Speaker 1 who take you as you are

Speaker 1 and want your well-being

Speaker 1 as much as you do.

Speaker 1 It reminded me of the way Italians say,

Speaker 1 I love you.

Speaker 1 They have a romantic way and a platonic way of expressing it.

Speaker 1 The platonic way simply said,

Speaker 1 I want you to be well.

Speaker 1 Tivorlio bene

Speaker 1 Chef wanted me to be well,

Speaker 1 and it felt very good to be loved by a friend like that.

Speaker 1 Today,

Speaker 1 I had an urge

Speaker 1 to finally step out of my little sanctuary

Speaker 1 and explore a bit.

Speaker 1 I wasn't a skier, though. I had enjoyed watching the brave souls on the mountain,

Speaker 1 cutting through the fresh powder each day.

Speaker 1 I thought today I might prefer to bundle up

Speaker 1 and take the funicular down to the hotel,

Speaker 1 poke through their shops and lobby,

Speaker 1 and see if Chef would make me a tasty dinner in their restaurant.

Speaker 1 The resort

Speaker 1 made its own fresh snow each day

Speaker 1 to make the skiing and snowboarding

Speaker 1 as good as it could be.

Speaker 1 But Mother Nature had been no slouch in that department either.

Speaker 1 There was a solid foot and a half on the ground around my cabin,

Speaker 1 and more falling by the minute.

Speaker 1 I layered on my thermals,

Speaker 1 powder pants,

Speaker 1 heavy coat and boots,

Speaker 1 and stepped out the door.

Speaker 1 The funicular traveled up and down the mountain every few minutes.

Speaker 1 So I only had to wait a minute on the platform.

Speaker 1 And while I did,

Speaker 1 I looked across the slopes

Speaker 1 and saw more cabins and groves of trees on the other side.

Speaker 1 People were riding ski lifts up into the sky,

Speaker 1 their skis dangling in the air.

Speaker 1 And I thought the whole endeavor must be

Speaker 1 exhilarating

Speaker 1 Just standing here in the cold air.

Speaker 1 I felt energized and awake

Speaker 1 in a way

Speaker 1 I hadn't in quite a while.

Speaker 1 The funicular arrived in front of me

Speaker 1 and I realized that the tracks didn't stop at my little platform.

Speaker 1 They went farther up the mountain.

Speaker 1 And I suddenly realized

Speaker 1 I wanted to go up

Speaker 1 rather than down.

Speaker 1 I stepped inside

Speaker 1 and sat down on a cushioned bench.

Speaker 1 I've always wanted to take one of those winter train trips

Speaker 1 where the tracks wind through snowy landscapes

Speaker 1 while tea is served and fancy cups in the dining car.

Speaker 1 This

Speaker 1 was close.

Speaker 1 It was only a few minutes' ride up the mountain,

Speaker 1 But it was an extraordinary view.

Speaker 1 And I had the presence of mind to really take it all in.

Speaker 1 Sometimes

Speaker 1 life happened

Speaker 1 so fast.

Speaker 1 I felt like

Speaker 1 I missed the details.

Speaker 1 And maybe this was one of the reasons I loved to read.

Speaker 1 I could take in each scene as slowly as I liked.

Speaker 1 Reread favorite passages.

Speaker 1 Change moods by

Speaker 1 flipping to a different chapter.

Speaker 1 Now I realized

Speaker 1 I was in a beautiful verse

Speaker 1 I would want to reread.

Speaker 1 So I kept my eyes open.

Speaker 1 I noticed the way the snowflakes landed on the window,

Speaker 1 How there was a split second

Speaker 1 while they were intact,

Speaker 1 and I could see their tiny symmetrical patterns

Speaker 1 before they seemed to go out of focus.

Speaker 1 They turned blurry

Speaker 1 and melted

Speaker 1 and were gone.

Speaker 1 I caught my own reflection in the glass

Speaker 1 and looked through it to the sloping land all around me.

Speaker 1 I smiled at that.

Speaker 1 Don't we often look through ourselves

Speaker 1 when we look out,

Speaker 1 a layer of self

Speaker 1 imperceptibly shading the view.

Speaker 1 The funicular bumped to a stop.

Speaker 1 The doors slid open,

Speaker 1 and the true unimpeded view of the mountain

Speaker 1 was even sweeter.

Speaker 1 I stepped out to find a building with broad, overhanging eaves,

Speaker 1 and a tall stone chimney,

Speaker 1 wood smoke rising from it.

Speaker 1 I'd felt a few times here

Speaker 1 that I was in a fairy tale,

Speaker 1 and this seemed to cement the idea.

Speaker 1 Here was a real-life chalet,

Speaker 1 and I wondered if the funicular

Speaker 1 had somehow delivered me in a split second

Speaker 1 to the Alps.

Speaker 1 There was a broad stone patio wrapped around the chalet,

Speaker 1 a fire pit roaring roaring in the center,

Speaker 1 and small tables with a few bundled-up guests sitting here and there.

Speaker 1 I wandered up to the door

Speaker 1 and stepped through.

Speaker 1 I hadn't felt cold,

Speaker 1 but my cheeks burned as the warm air circled around me.

Speaker 1 The place was a long, open room,

Speaker 1 with a giant fireplace along one wall.

Speaker 1 Deep chairs were pulled up around it,

Speaker 1 and people were sitting with drinks in their hands, looking out the floor to ceiling windows at the slopes.

Speaker 1 Across from the fire was a long bar,

Speaker 1 and I could hear the hiss of an espresso machine.

Speaker 1 I unsnapped the neck of my coat

Speaker 1 and pulled away my scarf

Speaker 1 as I stepped up to the bar.

Speaker 1 I thought

Speaker 1 I might want to stay awhile.

Speaker 1 I asked the bartender

Speaker 1 if they had hot tea,

Speaker 1 and she stepped away for a moment

Speaker 1 and brought back a large wicker basket,

Speaker 1 which she set before me

Speaker 1 as she opened it.

Speaker 1 It was divided into twenty or more little cubbies,

Speaker 1 each with a canister of loose leaf tea nestled inside.

Speaker 1 I practically clapped my hands in excitement as I read the labels.

Speaker 1 Mint,

Speaker 1 in the winter, always felt like a natural natural choice.

Speaker 1 And I was reaching for it

Speaker 1 when the bartender leaned in and tapped her finger against a different flavor.

Speaker 1 I read the label

Speaker 1 Orange blossoms,

Speaker 1 rose petals,

Speaker 1 and silver needle tea.

Speaker 1 You think? I said. said.

Speaker 1 She just nodded,

Speaker 1 and watched, and waited for me to nod back.

Speaker 1 When I did,

Speaker 1 she smiled and swept the box away

Speaker 1 to set me up with a pot and cup.

Speaker 1 I thought for a moment that I wished I'd brought my book

Speaker 1 But maybe this was even better.

Speaker 1 I'd take in every detail my senses could show me

Speaker 1 as if I were writing this moment down

Speaker 1 in a story.

Speaker 1 Part 3:

Speaker 1 Chef's Kitchen

Speaker 1 Lunch service was winding down,

Speaker 1 and I'd made myself a small cup of espresso

Speaker 1 from the machine in the dining room.

Speaker 1 It was a treat I partook of most days.

Speaker 1 Before I'd become a chef,

Speaker 1 I'd worked in a coffee shop

Speaker 1 and served my fair share of lattes and Americanos.

Speaker 1 And there was something irresistible to me about taking a clean cup and saucer from the warmer

Speaker 1 and properly making a coffee.

Speaker 1 I dropped in a cube of sugar

Speaker 1 and stirred till it dissolved,

Speaker 1 then drank it down in three or four quick sips.

Speaker 1 It marked a turning point in my day,

Speaker 1 and I thought about how many people around the world

Speaker 1 did the same.

Speaker 1 Had some small ritual in the afternoon,

Speaker 1 probably

Speaker 1 involving something hot to drink

Speaker 1 that helped them to pause

Speaker 1 before the second part of the day

Speaker 1 and regroup.

Speaker 1 I looked out through the dining-room windows,

Speaker 1 up at the mountain,

Speaker 1 and watched skiers and snowboarders

Speaker 1 zigzagging their way down.

Speaker 1 I wondered if my friend, the bookshop owner,

Speaker 1 had set foot out into the snow yet.

Speaker 1 I knew she was here,

Speaker 1 tucked away in her cabin,

Speaker 1 mostly because

Speaker 1 once a day

Speaker 1 I sent her a basket full of Danishes or Chelsea buns

Speaker 1 and just got back yesterday's crumbs.

Speaker 1 So, like I said,

Speaker 1 I knew she was here.

Speaker 1 I guessed she was reading books and taking naps.

Speaker 1 And I was glad she was decompressing.

Speaker 1 As grown-ups sometimes

Speaker 1 you see your friends struggling

Speaker 1 and you wish you could give them a good meal and tuck them into bed

Speaker 1 like had been done for you as a child

Speaker 1 but most of the time

Speaker 1 all you can do is listen which is still pretty important

Speaker 1 maybe that's why i loved loved my job so much.

Speaker 1 I did get to feed people

Speaker 1 and send them off to bed.

Speaker 1 I got to see the moment when they set aside whatever they'd been thinking about

Speaker 1 and unfold their napkin

Speaker 1 and let the steam of some tasty dish I'd made rise up and wrap around their face.

Speaker 1 And I was about ready to see my friend's face like that.

Speaker 1 We'd met years ago when I first started cooking at the inn on the lake

Speaker 1 in a little town a few hours south of here.

Speaker 1 I'd wandered into her bookshop on a day off,

Speaker 1 and spent so much time looking through the cook book section.

Speaker 1 She'd encouraged me to take a stack over to the reading nook

Speaker 1 in the front window.

Speaker 1 Her store had lots of new books.

Speaker 1 But what really caught my interest was a shelf of books she'd bought at garage sales

Speaker 1 or found at Swap Meets.

Speaker 1 They were the kind that were compiled by the Rotary Club

Speaker 1 or the local chapter of the Moose Lodge

Speaker 1 with a plastic cover and ring binding.

Speaker 1 The recipes represented everyone's best potluck dishes,

Speaker 1 along with clever tips and sensible advice for housekeeping.

Speaker 1 I love those old books.

Speaker 1 Lots of the recipes,

Speaker 1 while

Speaker 1 often only comprising a half dozen ingredients

Speaker 1 and very simple methods

Speaker 1 were downright delicious.

Speaker 1 I loved thinking about the time when they were compiled,

Speaker 1 what was happening in the world,

Speaker 1 and to read the handwritten notes in the margin

Speaker 1 that said things like

Speaker 1 good hot dish for Sunday,

Speaker 1 used lima beans instead, worked fine,

Speaker 1 or Christmas party, nineteen seventy one.

Speaker 1 So I'd gone back to the shop often,

Speaker 1 and she'd find new cookbooks for me whenever she could.

Speaker 1 She'd stop by the inn sometimes,

Speaker 1 when the breakfast rush was over,

Speaker 1 and I'd bring up a couple plates of my signature cinnamon coffee cake.

Speaker 1 Pour us cups of coffee from the urn on the back patio,

Speaker 1 and we'd chat about books and food

Speaker 1 and this little village both of us loved.

Speaker 1 Once I told her about one of the first chapter books I'd read as a child.

Speaker 1 A book I couldn't remember the name of,

Speaker 1 but had been so beloved that I'd read it till the cover had come off.

Speaker 1 I described a bit of the story.

Speaker 1 Two cousins, an evil governess, and secret passages

Speaker 1 through the walls of a giant gothic country house.

Speaker 1 I'd forgotten about the conversation soon after.

Speaker 1 But that New Year,

Speaker 1 while I was settling into the kitchens at the ski lodge,

Speaker 1 I'd gotten a package wrapped in brown paper

Speaker 1 with her shop as the return address.

Speaker 1 She'd found the book,

Speaker 1 even the edition I'd read so many times when I was little.

Speaker 1 The cover,

Speaker 1 the little line illustrations

Speaker 1 that I hadn't seen in so long

Speaker 1 were suddenly there,

Speaker 1 exactly as I remembered.

Speaker 1 And they brought with them more memories

Speaker 1 of reading in the back seat on my way to Grandpa's house,

Speaker 1 of hiding the book inside my math text to read during class.

Speaker 1 I was taking the last sip of my espresso

Speaker 1 and smiling at the memory

Speaker 1 when I felt my phone buzz

Speaker 1 in my pocket.

Speaker 1 She must have heard me thinking about her.

Speaker 1 She'd sent a picture

Speaker 1 that showed the fireplace inside the chalet.

Speaker 1 The restaurant where I was standing at that moment

Speaker 1 was just a small glinting dot in the distance.

Speaker 1 She lives, I typed back.

Speaker 1 She does.

Speaker 1 And she's had a lovely cup of tea, but now she's hungry.

Speaker 1 I smiled. I had the perfect meal in mind.

Speaker 1 Come down to the hotel, I said.

Speaker 1 I'll meet you at the restaurant, and we'll cook something up.

Speaker 1 On my way, she sent back.

Speaker 1 I thought of a humble meal

Speaker 1 that was so delicious,

Speaker 1 so comforting.

Speaker 1 The kind of home cooking that we never really make in restaurants.

Speaker 1 In fact, it was a dish often made

Speaker 1 when someone was under the weather.

Speaker 1 But I loved it any time it was cold outside.

Speaker 1 Ten minutes later,

Speaker 1 we were giving each other a big hug

Speaker 1 at the entrance to the restaurant.

Speaker 1 And I noticed that she looked well rested.

Speaker 1 Her eyes were bright,

Speaker 1 but her hands were cold

Speaker 1 from the funicular ride down the mountain.

Speaker 1 I set her up in the warmth of the kitchen,

Speaker 1 where we had a little table

Speaker 1 where staff took breaks

Speaker 1 or wrote out lists.

Speaker 1 What are you making me? she asked, rubbing her hands together in excitement.

Speaker 1 Pastina, I said.

Speaker 1 It's a little pasta soup

Speaker 1 made with

Speaker 1 but she cut me off.

Speaker 1 Oh, my grandmother used to make it for me when I was sick.

Speaker 1 That's the one, I said, though mine is

Speaker 1 a little fancied up.

Speaker 1 We chatted while I chopped shallots and minced garlic.

Speaker 1 The key to really nice pastina

Speaker 1 is to dice the vegetables really small

Speaker 1 and uniformly.

Speaker 1 It makes the texture of the finished dish so smooth

Speaker 1 and consistent.

Speaker 1 A good mouthfeel, we would say.

Speaker 1 It takes some time, but after all,

Speaker 1 I am a chef.

Speaker 1 I can chop like the best of them.

Speaker 1 I added zucchini and carrots.

Speaker 1 We had some purple,

Speaker 1 some a pale yellow,

Speaker 1 and some a deep reddish reddish-orange.

Speaker 1 So the mix in the pot was like a rainbow.

Speaker 1 I added homemade broth and poured each of us a tall glass of mineral water

Speaker 1 while it came to a boil.

Speaker 1 She told me about her cabin,

Speaker 1 her latest read,

Speaker 1 and the ride up the mountain.

Speaker 1 I told her about the new dishes I was working on.

Speaker 1 A funny call I had had with the innkeeper the day before,

Speaker 1 and a trip I was planning

Speaker 1 for the time between the lodge and the inn and the spring.

Speaker 1 I added the tiny pasta noodles to the pot,

Speaker 1 a chini di pepe,

Speaker 1 which meant something like

Speaker 1 pepper seeds,

Speaker 1 and they were indeed

Speaker 1 as small as seeds,

Speaker 1 but squared off like the diced vegetables in the pot.

Speaker 1 Soon it was cooked down,

Speaker 1 the pasta absorbing the rich broth,

Speaker 1 and I ladled healthy bowl fulls up for both of us,

Speaker 1 and added a good pinch of fresh parsley,

Speaker 1 and a drizzle of my best olive oil on top.

Speaker 1 The kitchen was quiet between meals.

Speaker 1 Just a few prep cooks working at their stations.

Speaker 1 And we clinked our glasses

Speaker 1 and sighed

Speaker 1 and dug in.

Speaker 1 Sweet dreams.