It was one of those meals-- not the best ever in my life, but perfect for that moment in time.  I didn’t travel far-- less than a block down the street from my apartment-- nor did I go anywhere special-- an inauspicious wine shop that happened to serve food.

I literally drove by this place for the better part of a year, never paying much attention to it.  I’ve eaten at the pizza place next to it several times.  I’ve had coffee at the shop right next door to it.  My dry cleaning gets done three places down.  And I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve used the ATM right in front of the place. 

Early yesterday, President Barack Obama  jokingly told a Bloomberg reporter he might serve America's favorite drink, the Slurpee, during an upcoming meeting with the incoming House Speaker, Ohio Rep. John Boehner and referred to Slurpee as "a very delicious drink."

"We are not surprised by President Obama's comments about Slurpee, which is non-partisan and has been bringing people together for more than 40 years," said Joe DePinto, 7-Eleven, Inc.'s president and CEO.  "We have made an offer to the White House to install Slurpee machines and to host a Slurpee Summit." 

A lot of time and creativity will go into explaining what happened tonight, but the most important question to answer is what are our elected leaders - both outgoing and incoming - are prepared to do right now to help America get past this economic crisis.

Tomorrow, one in four kids will wake up hungry.  Nearly 27 million Americans will be looking for work.  Hard-hit families will still be using credit cards to pay for basics like food and utility bills, and every minute, two more families will be foreclosed on.

Election Day is almost here... and your members of Congress are paying attention to you!

Now’s the time to get child hunger on their agenda, ensuring that the world’s hungriest and most vulnerable children aren’t forgotten.

The U.S. Congress has a chance to reach 1 million more hungry children each day with a healthy school meal. Tell your members of Congress that you need to know where they stand on this issue before you cast your vote.

Food has become another way we identify who we are.

"I only eat organic dairy products."
"I try to eat as local as possible."
"I'm a big supporter of the meatless Monday movement."
"I only eat fish that is proven to be sustainable." 

The food world is filled with these statements; it seems we're constantly moving from one trendy topic to the next-- all in search of a "foodie" identity.

While watching an episode of Top Chef Washington DC, I stood up and cheered for Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini. He was judging that week’s Quick Fire Challenge in which these best-of-the-best chefs had to make a pie.

I watched in frustration as the chefs turned into quivering masses.  At one point a contestant, who was clearly out of her element, told Chef Iuzzini that she wasn’t a pastry chef.  His response: “neither is my grandmother, but she can still bake a pie.”