M is for Menu

What do you do when stress and panic threaten to erupt? Instead of relaxing in a warm bath or binging on chocolate ice cream, consider the comfort of menus.

Menus are everywhere, and slowly reading a menu can equal a yoga stretch. Take in the appetizers like a deep breath, then proceed on to salads, soups, entrees, desserts. As you read each item, imagine tastes, compositions, smells, textures.

Start collecting menus for those days when you need a little pick-me-up. A list of cakes from a bakery. An eight course tasting menu. The noodle joint from down the street. Each menu challenges you to create the perfect meal. If you take the seared scallops with pea tendrils for an entree and the fried calamari for an appetizer, will the meal be too seafood heavy? If you have pasta amatriciana and a side salad, will you still be hungry for affogato di gelato?

You don't need a new menu every time. A good menu can be read over and over again because your perfect meal differs from day to day. And menus are convenient--you can usually find one as you walk down the street and you can easily keep a couple in your bag for emergencies. A warm bath and a tub of ice cream are not quite so portable.