Regarding your request for a description of my favorite food experience, I'd start by saying that I love the culture of living well, especially when it comes to wholesome, high-quality beverage and food. It's critical for our survival to eat what nourishes us, necessary for our enjoyment to eat what tastes good, and preferable for our sense of well-being to eat what satiates us. But there's also a level at which we're able to truly savor what we consume.

 

While I couldn't narrow this to a single type of food or dining experience, I could give some examples: the perfect balance of spices achieved in Indian cuisine, especially in sauces that create a synergy with tender lamb or chicken; rich red wines (whether a Pinot, Malbec, Meritage, or something else) gently astringent enough to cause what I'd call a blossoming sensation on the taste buds; fresh bread made from unbleached flour that is somehow satisfyingly chewy while also melting in the mouth; the Shinko or Hosui variety of Asian pear at the moment of ripeness when its scent is flowery and its flesh is too firm to be watery but too soft to retain the grittiness characteristic in this type of fruit...

 

(I could go on, but it's feeling like lunchtime!)