Last night I supped on a handful of grapes and a couple of animal crackers. After eating only one piece of toast during the day. I was hungry, yes. But sure didn’t feel like cooking. Heated up a little something for the little man. But nothing sounded appetizing to me. Well, nothing nearby anyhow. Too frequently, and most frustratingly, my cravings are for foods I enjoyed while travelling. Several years ago I was making regular trips to Chicago. On those sojourns I would invariably dine at the savory Soul Vegetarian, sometimes multiple times per trip. Sometimes that was the main focus of those trips, as I then (and still) frequently found myself craving Soul V’s tofu tidbits and garvey burgers upon returning home. Then I discovered Milwaukee’s East Side Ovens. When I last visited it was an all-vegan bakery and deli, with vegan delights not to be found elsewhere (well, certainly not in the Twin Cities). Steaming hot calzones and pot pies (it was winter, all right) and muffins, bear claws, eclairs, turnovers, and other pastries. Not long after that I stayed in NYC for a week. At the offices of Love and Rage, a now defunct anarchist newspaper. I have many fond memories of that Brooklyn Heights neighborhood. Unfortunately I can’t recall the name of my favorite little restaurant. It was a delightful deli, all-vegetarian, nearly all-vegan. It was tasty, cheap, and in walking distance. It may not be there any longer, which would be very sad. I did a search of veg-friendly eats in that area and nothing sounded right. So even though it will remain nameless, for now, I still crave their burritos, sandwiches, homemade pies and apple cobbler. And lastly…the strongest cravings of all, perhaps because I most recently dined there, are for the Bay Area’s amazing Ambrosia Garden. The name rings true. This place is a little piece of heaven. Dangit, now I can’t remember the name of the dish I so dearly desire (help?) but if you’re in the neighborhood, drop by and order just about anything. I know we did. Between the two of us my companion and I ordered like eight different things. And they were all divine. I was eating those leftovers for days and loving it. Sigh.