The Conversation for Wednesday, January 18

Do you have a daily food routine?

Today is the first anniversary of Maxine’s death. If you are a newer subscriber, you may not be familiar with her. Maxine Clapper was my mother’s dearest friend and maid of honor. She was present when both my brother and I were born, served as our godmother, and the godmother and permanent baby sitter for my brother’s sons.

She was 15 years younger than my mother, so she was like a fun auntie. (I often call her my aunt, because they were like sisters.) Maxine took us to the zoo, to swimming lessons, to museums, baseball games and to the track. My love of horse racing and skill at betting come from her.

When our father died at a tragically young age, my mother invited Maxine to live with us. At the very end, when my mother was in hospice care, Maxine spent every night in her room. When Maxine had her own decline, I looked after her, and it was an honor to do so.

Before Covid, Maxine enjoyed eating out. Our regular places were Knight’s on Dexter Road in Ann Arbor, where she could polish off enormous portions of prime rib, and Nick’s House of Pancakes, where she enjoyed scrambled eggs and generous slices of ham.

During Covid, dining out wasn’t as possible, and Maxine’s appetite was becoming more limited. It fell into very definite habits.

Breakfast: two slices of Zingerman’s pecan raisin bread, orange juice, and coffee.

Lunch: a can of Progresso soup, chosen because it was the highest rated soup in Consumer Reports. Alternatively, a BLT Little John from Jimmy John’s.

Dinner: a rotating menu of chicken drumsticks, spaghetti with tomato sauce, sausages with mashed potatoes, and occasionally pizza.

Snack: some sort of home baked cake, like Victoria Sponge, or lemon drizzle, with fruit. A little bag of almonds, pretzels or some dried fruit.

And that was it. Every so often, I would incorporate different international foods, like Middle Eastern or Vietnamese, or ribs, especially when I was reviewing a new restaurant. But Maxine had her food routines and stuck with them. It certainly made shopping and cooking simpler for me. All this must have been healthy, because she lived to age 94.

I was thinking about my food routines and they are nowhere this streamlined. I love to change up breakfast items - cereal, hot or cold, a bagel, some kind of toast with a topping, fruit with yogurt, an avocado smoothie, a croissant on Sunday, and a double espresso. (I do not like cooked breakfasts.)

I gravitate toward soup and salads for lunch, but I also love pho and tacos and fried chicken once in a while. Dinner at home might be fish and veggies and rice, or something delicious if I’m dining out. I am not that interested in rich desserts, but I love ice cream or a piece of See’s candy to end the day.

Where do you come down on food routines? Are you a creature of habit or are you adventurous? Are food routines boring or sensible? Please join The Conversation.

Maxine loved animals, so I have made a donation in her memory to the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans. If you would like to commemorate her or any of your loved ones, go here. https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/donate