Slim to None Quotes

“When I look at a pumpkin muffin, I see the brilliant orange glow of a sugar maple in its full autumnal glory. I see the crisp blue sky of October, so clear and restorative and reassuring. I see hayrides, and I feel Halloween just around the corner, kids dressed up in homemade costumes, bobbing for apples and awaiting trick or treat. I think of children dressed as Pilgrims in a pre-school parade, or a Thanksgiving feast, the bounty of harvest foods burdening a table with its goodness. I picture pumpkins at a farmer's market, piled happy and high, awaiting a new home where children will carve them into scary faces or mothers will bake them into a pie or stew.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“It all seems so upside down. Upside down cake. I once had a spectacular mango upside down cake while on vacation in Jamaica. Drenched in caramelized mangos and saturated with Jamaican rum.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“I don't want to call Jess, because we have bigger fish to fry than to chit-chat about my issues. I'm so upset with her right now that fried fish doesn't even sound good to me. Although once in Calabria, William and I had the most perfect fried sardines, silvery melt-in-your-mouth crisp and not at all fishy. God, what I would do to have a platter of them, along with a helping of 'nduja, the region's famously spicy pepperoncini salami spread, smeared across a fresh loaf of crusty bread. And an earthen pitcher of vino rosso, made by the contadini locali.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“His marriage is on the skids. He told me so."
I laugh minus even a hint of humor. "Oh, ho, ho. Of course he's going to tell you that. What do you think he'd tell you- that he loves his wife and that things are just hunky dory between them? That's not how these things work, in case you were too busy with your heavy petting to notice."
"Heavy petting?"
"Yeah. Heavy petting. I should've directed the two of you over to the Tisch Zoo where petting is encouraged.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“Between snatches of "I loved when you did that to me, bear!", "that felt SO good", "when's he going out of town again?", a couple of growls, a purr, and a few "pookies", "bunnies" and "babes" thrown in for good measure, I'm fairly certain I'm either at a petting zoo or else I've found myself wiping the steam off of the window of the intimate world of Jess does Dex. Or the other way around.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“To celebrate when I finally landed my fantasy job, William surprised me by preparing- all by himself- a feast of my favorite French foods: escargots with garlic butter and a splash of cognac; langoustines (flown-in overnight from Brittany), sautéed in their shells with butter and garlic and a hint of malagache curry; potatoes daphinoise (a little overpowering with the langoustines, I know, but I was going after my favorites); and haricots verts sautéed in shallots, all paired with a vintage Dom Perignon.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“I've been impeached. Well, that's just peachy. Yummm, like those heirloom Elberta peaches from the farmer's market on Block Island last summer. Juice that dripped down my arm with each bite I took. I made a fantastic peach tart, with black raspberry puree on a crispy bed of buttery phyllo dough. Served with a dollop of crème anglaise.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“I open it, feel the rush of steam leaving the bag and smell the unmistakable aroma of Corfu.
Loukoumades. Drizzled with honey and dusted with a flourish of cinnamon. Sugared perfection in the form of golf-ball sized fried dough.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None

“I don't know where to begin on my plate. Everything looks so unfamiliar, yet appetizing. I decide to aim for the starch first, and settle my fork into a generous portion of what turns out to be risotto with bite-sized pieces of suckling pig. I'll take creamy risotto over that vile poi any day. The pork, so tender and juicy, has me humming Mele Kalikimaka, cause it feels like a Hawaiian Merry Christmas gift.
I next try the entrée, a tender, flaky and surprisingly un-oily mackerel sprinkled with feta cheese and olives and cloaked in taro leaves. I have to give Telly some credit, I didn't know how this place could pull off merging three such divergent flavors, but somehow it works despite itself.
"I can't believe how fantastic this food is," Jess mumbles through a bite of her pineapple-balsamic glazed wild boar spare ribs with tzatziki sauce. "Who'd have thought you could actually assemble a menu with Italian, Hawaiian and Greek food? I honestly thought it was a joke."
"Joke's on us, cause this stuff is amazing."
After dinner ends, Telly returns with a selection of desserts (including a baklava made with mascarpone cheese, coconut and pine nuts), a tray with sample shots of grappa, ouzo and okolehao, and a somewhat excessive appreciation for his customers.”
― Jenny Gardiner, Slim to None