ENJOY (FMF31 2019 Day 31)

I am participating in 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes 2019 (all of my submissions can be found here).

Today’s prompt is: ENJOY

Here’s an unexpected treat I enjoyed recently.

When I accompanied Wayne on his business trip earlier this week, we had two nights of the business trip part where we needed to make dinner decisions.

The first night, we ate seafood by the water. The next night, the plan was to go to Tarpon Springs and eat Greek food.

However, Wayne ended up not feeling very well, so we had to change our dinner plans.

His coworkers had raved about an Italian place down the road, so we agreed to get something from there “to go” that we could split.

What I didn’t know is that walking into Argento’s was going to throw me back about 30 years and more than 1,000 miles away.

The bakery case was full of all the goodness I remembered from Arthur Avenue in the Little Italy section of the Bronx, where I worked at Fordham University 1989-92.

I really wanted one of the more decadent treats (cheesecake, tiramisu, cannoli), but I knew I wouldn’t be hungry enough for that after a pasta dinner. There’s also the small issue of me being on Weight Watchers.

I settled for a modest cookie – sort of a shortbread with chocolate frosting.

I thought I would be disappointed, but every single bit of that cookie was delectable!

I’m sure it didn’t hurt that the way the people at the restaurant conducted themselves and sounded reminded me of the Bronx.

But I ended up not being disappointed that I had chosen a smaller dessert.

I enjoyed its taste as much as I enjoyed reminiscing about Little Italy.

The Greek meal will have to wait for another time, but I had the good fortune to send my taste buds (and my heart) on a little tiny trip to New York that night.