I pass by these windows of the Williams Sonoma store in Hyde Park Village almost every day. The store is like a dear friend. For over 15 years it has been the source of countless kitchen-related, read cooking...food... gifts that I have bought and given at Christmas, assorted holidays and for of course birthdays. In return for my thoughtful, caring and unselfish gift-giving, I have eaten like a king. I have brought home perfect, crisply-wrapped boxes (with their distinctive ribbon) holding pots, knifes, waffle-makers, weird kitchen gadgets that no one on this earth knows how to use, kitchen mitts, more kitchen mitts and so many hand towels I was finally asked/told to not gift any more towels. (OK, I did get that message.) There are exotic food stuffs, like Vermont maple syrup, and cooking books featuring cities all over the country and the great cities of the world. It is a store that always delivers. And then just walking by, minding my own business tonight, I spot what looks to me to be the biggest sugar cookie I could dream of. The rest of the window goodies may be slightly obscured but not the cookie. The first time I went inside a Williams Sonoma was in Ridgewood, New Jersey, 25 or so years ago. It has only gotten better with age. If you've never had the pleasure, it is a cook's and real chef's dream. But without me, what would the best chef on earth do with all that delicious food? I ask you, isn't my purchase of these these fine kitchen implements and foods a magnanimous gesture on my part? Save the Gourmet Meals. Save the Gourmet Meals. It's been my rallying cry for almost 30 years. I can't stop now. I'd whither and die.
