Somedays dinner is an herb, or a colour, or a scent I keep thinking about. Somedays dinner is just a word. I spell it in my head. I surprise myself when I finally hear that I have been doing it aloud. I always look around to see if anyone is there, even though I am usually the only one in my office.

This day was a day of action and conversation. I had company. A remarkable retired faculty member spent some time on a minor task in my office. Each of us at a desk. Each of us engaged in separate activities. It provided an opportunity to talk that rarely occurs. Not just the opportunity to talk, but to talk for an extended period of time.

We were not at a meal, or with drinks. Just two people in a quiet room. Separately engaged, yet still together. We spoke of families and issues of social justice, the two themes weaving in and out of each other, as naturally as breathing. We said goodbyes with her task completed, and I rushed to finish the day in my office.

Somedays food can be like that. Opportunities arise. If you are lucky. If you are paying attention. Work happens in the background. The conversation is the focus.

My stop at Primordia Food Hub provided the opportunity for reintroductions to a woman I met once, some time ago. I can still remember the feeling of our conversations at a party mutual friends held, if not the subjects. But, I guess that is all that really matters sometimes. Becca is a farmer, and has one of the best smiles I have ever seen. She grows beautiful vegetables, which made up most of dinner tonight.

Somedays, dinner is just a word. Early this day it felt like a word I had never heard before. Later this day, I lay out vegetables on the counter, to see what the word means. I pull out beans and couscous from the staples drawer and try to see if they offer context.

Making a meal is not unlike constructing a story. Elements build upon one another. A theme brings it all together. A meal is more than a word, it is action and time. It is an opportunity for a conversation.

Corn Steeped in Oregano and Lemon; Skillet Roasted Rainbow Carrots and Mixed Beans in Sunflower Oil, Caraway Seeds, S&P; Israeli CousCous w Broccoli, Tarragon, Lemon, Olive Oil, S&P; Rainbow Chard & Flageolet w Onion, Garlic, Lemon, Olive Oil, Champagne Vinegar, S&P, Topped w Sunflower Sprouts.

Sidecar Bread Pudding: Daily Loaf Country French, BAD Farm Milk, Peaches, Valley Milkhouse Clover&Butter, Nesting Box Eggs, Congac, Cointreau, Lemon, Ground Coriander, Vanilla.