epicurean
Richard was used to the finer things in life. His family’s small getaway house was larger than most people’s primary residences. He always owned the latest and greatest of whatever he wanted. He ate at the finest restaurants in the world. Even at home, he ate only the finest of meals, due to his family’s head chef having a Micheline Star. He knew good things in life. And what he was looking at was not it.
The plate in front of him was covered with something that could loosely be called food. It was some kind of chunked meat in a sauce that had probably come from a jar. There was a pile of something that could be identified as vegetables, although with how limp and soggy everything was, it was hard to tell what kind. Just about the only thing he could identify with some certainty was the pile of mashed potatoes. And eve those had odd dark flakes and lumps in them.
He looked at the family around him. They belonged to his girlfriend, Lisa. She was a beautiful girl, who looked like she came from a standard of living closer to his. Now, seeing her laugh with people who probably made less than 50 grand a year, it was obvious that he had been mistaken. At least they seemed…nice.
They occasionally asked him questions, and he answered them as politely as he could. Even Lisa’s father seemed to generally accept him, even though he was dating the man’s daughter. But they were barely middle class at best. The tableware was cheap plastic, the décor had probably came from many garage sales, and they wore outfits that looked like they came from a bin.
“Hey, Rich.” Lisa said, leaning close and talking softly. “You should eat before it gets cold.”
“Oh, uh, right. Sure. I’ll just take a bite and…”
“Oh don’t be like that. I know it doesn’t look like what you’re used to, but it’s good, I promise. Besides, Mom worked hard on it, so not eating it would upset her.”
Richard made a non-committal grunt. The last thing he wanted was to upset Lisa’s parents. She might come from a lower class, but he did like her. So, he sucked it up, speared a chunk of meat and, after only a moment’s hesitation, put it in his mouth.
He froze, fork still in his mouth, morsel of food resting on his tongue. It was indeed very good. Much better than it looked. But that was not what caused his hesitation. In terms of pure taste, he had had better. But there was something about this food. A quality that nothing else he had ever eaten had possessed. Something he could not quite put into words. But whatever it was added a depth to the meal. It made the flavors stand out more, making it seem far better than it was. And considering that it was worthy of a respectable restaurant, that meant something.
He slowly chewed and swallowed before tasting the potatoes and vegetables. They possessed the same quality and depth of flavor that the meat had. Richard was momentarily lost in the food, letting the conversation wash over him. And then something happened. He did not know when, but he found himself laughing with the others. He found himself enjoying their company much more than he had. It was like the food had unlocked a door he had not even known existed.
And in that moment, the finer things in life did not seem so fine anymore.
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