David Leite's Blog, page 2
April 12, 2022
Bipolar Disorder and Julia Child, My Therapist
David reveals his gratitude to the late, great Julia for all that she gave him. Especially a much-needed respite from what would 20-plus years later be diagnosed as the hell of bipolar II disorder.
: Lynn Gilbert Watching HBO Max’s wonderful new series “Julia,” which chronicles the creation of her famous WGBH series “The French Chef,” has brought back a flood of memories. Most delightful, some not so....
April 10, 2022
Abstinence Makes the Taste Buds Grow Fonder
David explains the only thing in the world that could get him to exercise—a doctor-issued threat of giving up his pistachio gelato. (An essay from 2000, but still tasty after all these years.–ed.)
: Emily Brooke Sandor I have butterfat flowing through my veins, and I have the documents to prove it. The day before my 40th birthday the universe decided to torment me with a little game of Mess With Your Head. I was happily gathering...
February 14, 2022
The Time We Almost Became Reality TV Food Stars
There was the briefest of time (like a week) when David and The One might have become reality TV stars. But David’s big mouth and The One’s sensibility caused them to lose the deal. But they got something far better: TV on their own terms.
If you had asked me when I was a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, you’d be dead wrong if you thought I’d say a fireman or policeman or a carpenter, like my dad....
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February 12, 2022
A Gay Man’s Super Bowl
“Looking forward to the Super Bowl?” a male friend asked recently, not with without a little snigger. He’s the kind of guy who finds burping as punctuation to his words to be inordinately funny. I also suspect he’s fond of manscaping. But since we’ve never gone swimming together–I’ll only go in the water if I’m swathed in fabric, much like the saris old women wear while bathing in the...
November 19, 2021
Where is the Thickest Part of a Turkey Thigh?
Where is the thickest part of a turkey thigh, anyway? Read about David’s past goofs with Thanksgivings of yore and we’ll explain exactly how to make certain your Thanksgiving turkey is roasted to perfect doneness.
For a long time, every year when it came to the interminable turkey-eating season—November to New Year’s Day—I stood there holding a meat thermometer, hands trembling, face twitching, wondering if this bird...
October 10, 2021
Love Food: Pork and Pie
Love food is, as David explains, the food that you make that’s full of love, desire, hopes, or dreams. Pork loin with apples, sour cream apple pie, it’s the food you share with your favorite person, the meal that’s imbued with all the promise of love, now and forever.
Today marks 17 years that The One and I have been together (which is actually more like 30 in straight years). [Can you believe that...
September 19, 2021
In Defense of Grandmother Cooking
In defense of grandmother cooking takes a look at the, possibly old-fashioned, notion of how the best food has been patiently tended to with hours of standing and stirring at the stove.
In Defense of Grandmother Cooking
I come from stirring stock. That is to say, my people are stirrers. It’s how my grandmother, avó Costa, cooked. She stood, facing the stove, for hours in her pink housecoat and pink slippers, her tiny hand...
September 12, 2021
Saying Goodbye to Devil Cat
In early April 2021, David and The One had to say goodbye to Rory, the cat that made an enormous impact on their lives. It was a 14-year relationship that taught them all a little something about love, acceptance, and patience.
The day we had dreaded from almost the moment a stunning tuxedo cat first swaggered up our front walk on my forty-seventh birthday had finally come. Devil Cat–whose real name is Rory, short for...
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September 10, 2021
Remembering Windows on the World
Windows on the World, on the 107th floor of the World Trade Center’s north tower, was a quarter-mile in the sky above New York City. As lively as the restaurant was, weekday mornings occasionally afforded the employees, including David, a serene moment to take in that famous skyline at dawn.
When the horrific memories of the World Trade Center attack sometimes threaten to crowd out everything else, especially on the anniversary of 9/11,...
August 15, 2021
Cherry Tomato Tart
This cherry tomato tart calls for a homemade herbed crust, heavy cream, goat cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and tons of tomatoes.
One of the ways The One and I tried to fend ourselves against the Great Tomato Attack of 2015 was with this tart. It only calls for a few dozen cherry tomatoes—that’s not enough to put a dent in even the most modest of gardens, but it’s a start. I chose to use only red tomatoes, but Sun Golds or a...
