This morning’s New York Times was hard to put down for a variety of reasons but one op-ed by Andrew Beahrs stood out particularly. His piece “Where the Wild Things Were,” speaks about the foods that Mark Twain missed when he was out of the country one Thanksgiving. Many of these foods no longer grace our tables because they are extinct. Twain happened to have been in an Italian Hotel room when he wrote the list of foods that he missed, according to the op-ed, which perhaps is also what caught my eye. When I lived in Italy, I rarely missed the foods of my childhood, except the Thanksgiving meal and Roast beef at Christmas. Once in a while, I missed foods from a Passover Seder but that usually had more to do with missing the people rather than the food. This Thanksgiving, I am going home to make my favorite foods en famille, dragging with me a variety of wines to pair. I know many people are having Zinfandel, Pinot Noir or Riesling but I am thinking about having a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano from Susanna Crociani . Susanna’s a friend and her traditional wine is right up my alley. I will write more about her later this week. Back to the Op-ed, Beahrs’ article is not just about missing home but about the links between our lives and the foods (and wines) that reflect them in specific landscapes. A lovely read. I am to looking forward to reading his forthcoming book “Twain’s Feast.” Off to make a sweet potato dish.