Talk About Food

I don’t know what was running through my head when I wrote this, but I was in a dark place.

27^th October, 2007  

Dear (Soldier on deployment in Iraq),

As I had dinner this evening you and (your wife) popped into my head. (My brother) is not good company when it comes to dinner conversation. He starves himself all day then shoves food in his mouth until he is about to burst. 

I had venison with green onion and red jalapeno. Squash with dill then the starch was peas and rice with green jalapeno smothered in cream of golden mushroom soup. We had enough for three, I can tell you, even if (my brother) eats enough for two. The extra stake is kind of what did it to me, you know, gave me the blues.

We had Alaskan cod not too long ago that (the person who caught it) declared inedible because of freezer burn. I had to cut half of it away, but I still got a good meal out of it. Cod is a big fish. If I had made anything else with it I would have been able to feed four easily, and at a whopping four bucks for beer to soak the fish in that the most expansive meal I’ve cooked in some time. I haven’t had to buy meat for months.

Funny thing is that I feel home sick for a home that I’m still at. I don’t know, foo, I want back the home I had before my father put it all to ruin. I keep thinking “two years, two years,” but it’s just not that simple.

I hope you are doing well,

Richard Leland Neal