Daily Bread

If I was ever stranded on a deserted island, the 3 foods I would need to survive are bread, cheese, chocolate. A day does not go by when I don't consume at least a small amount of each of these dietary essentials. While the cheese and chocolate may not be as vital to others as they are to me, I think it is safe to say that bread is a staple in everyone's diet. It is hearty and filling. Warm and comforting. Practical too: use it to sop up all the leftover sauce in a dish, or create a delicious sandwich.

Tonight my mom and I went to Paparazzi's for dinner. Although it is a chain, they have some of my favorite bread. The rosemary focaccia with its salty, golden crust always leaves me wanting more. Paparazzi's bread is such a hit in my house that we will even call ahead to order a whole loaf, which we will then feast on throughout the week at home.

Bread is so loved in our house that my mom and brother even invented "bread parties". The "party" begins when my mom heats up the focaccia loaf in the oven. The smell warms the whole kitchen. We all gather around the island, cutting off chunks of bread and dipping them into olive oil. Our bread parties are often so indulgent that half the loaf (or more) is usually gone, and appetites have been somewhat spoiled for dinner.

My friends and I have a similar obsession with bread whenever we go out to eat. Not Your Average Joe's is a big one for us. We usually go through 2-3 bread baskets before the food even arrives. Bertucci's is another. Whenever we order takeout, we always ask for extra rolls. As cheap college kids, you gotta mooch the free food whenever you can. Especially when that free food is bread.

My friend and I also shared some divine bread on our trip through Europe. At the Mercato Centrale in Florence we picked up just a few things (haha, yea right) to

have a picnic for lunch. Our picnic turned into more of a feast with grapes, apples, brie, mozzarella, a huge chunk of salty focaccia and a whole loaf of nutty, multigrain bread. We tried every possible combination of food: focaccia with brie and grapes, multigrain with mozzarella and apple, etc. But no matter how we paired it, the breads were so good that we didn't need anything to jazz them up.

Bread is the universal constant. It is exists in various forms in all cultures and cuisines. It fills us up. It sustains us. It comforts us. Bread is so good, that a band even named itself after it. Perhaps we can create world peace by uniting everyone in our shared love of bread. Bread makes the world go round.