Introducing the nibbler

According to an unverified Internet dictionary, a nibbler is one who, with small, but repeated bites, wears away targeted food stuff bit by bit. Anyone who has seen me attack a bowlful of ice cream would no doubt agree that I qualify to be featured in any photo accompanying the above definition. This is not to say that I eat minimally. When hungry, I could happily nibble through a full rack of ribs to the astonishment of those who judge me by my size. I choose to nibble simply because it enables me to savor a favorite food longer, to taste the various components of a dish more strategically, and to allow time for a dish's flavors to become registered in memory.

To live to nibble is to structure an existence around the daily meals, not as chores or routines, but as adventures that tickle the most basic pleasures. The fact that these adventures also sustain life seems almost too good to be true. I have no demand that these adventures be of a specific kind. I love a simple breakfast of toasted bread as much as a winter cassoulet cooked for hours on the stove. The only thing that irks me is an unloved meal, a meal where the food is carelessly thrown together and wolfed down merely in observance of a daily ritual. It's amazing to me that there are people out there with the mental strength to survive such loveless experiences multiple times a day.

I don't claim to be a good cook or a foodie with a discerning palate. I strive only to love the preparation, the acquisition, and the consumption of my daily sustenance, and all the while being grateful for all those things in my life that have made this love possible.

- the nibbler