The Copenhagen Mushroom

If I asked you
to name the best thing you've ever eaten
you eyes would likely look upward
your head would tilt slightly
you'd contemplate for a moment
 
if you are nothing like me
you'd say foie gras
 
if you are crass
you'd reference an oral sexual act
 
if you are not passionate about food
in other words, a freak
you might simply shrug
 
if the connnection
between food and love
predominates for you
you might migrate back in time
to your mother's pot roast
or warm chocolate chip cookies
 
if you're conceited
you might well say
'anything I cook!'
to which i'd silently snerk
at your self pleasuring ability
then likely ask you
for a specialty
 
 
if you asked me
about the best thing
i've ever eaten
a myriad
of wildly passionate
happy food memories  
would swirl
 
a few standouts  
would break free
 
the room service cheeseburgers and fries
and iced ginger ale
in a champagne bucket
Fairmont Hotel
San Francisco
 
i was seven
my sister eight
table by a wall of windows in the sky
glittering buildings
highways of moving lights
our parents laughing in the adjoining room
dressing for their formal night out
 
another winner:
the wheel of salsas
Tex Mex restaurant
Austin, Texas
 
each salsa
so unique
so flavorful
so complex
they necessitated  
heretofore unknown adjectives
to do them justice
 
or maybe
 
my first order
long ago
of Pad Thai
how a simple squeeze of fresh lime
sparkled it into a magical  
whirlwind of flavors
 
yes
all of these memories
for different reasons
 
but one standout
was the Copenhagen mushroom
with chilled dill dip
 
i like mushrooms
i don't love them
but this one
at a lunch buffet
Tivoli Gardens
Copenhagen, Denmark
 
was singular perfection
 
pristinely clean
firm
meaty
a pleasing off white
with a delicate hint of taupe
 
despite these fine virtues
it was
in all honesty
merely a delivery system
for a dip so refreshingly cool
all overheated nagging thoughts
were instantly annihilated
it's subtle base was so well composed
it amplified the fresh dill
into a crystalline, perfect aria
that seemed to fill the room
 
was this marriage
of mighty mushroom
and flawless dill dip
truly the gustatory wedded bliss
i recall?
 
sure
 
but perhaps
it was my full experiencing of it
a rare zen moment
in which nothing else existed
that make this memory
so singularly  
 
delicious