Novelty potato chips walk a difficult path. Their task is not merely to taste like the thing, but to recall the Platonic ideal of the thing. In order to succeed, a simple bag of chips must attain some quiddity, a -ness. Biscuits and Gravy-ness, Fried Green Tomato-ness, Crispy Taco-ness.

When my old regular tempura spot closed, all I wanted in a new one was really good food, ordered à la carte and served by a friendly chef at a comfortable, well-worn bar. In other words, I was like a newly single person looking for someone a lot like my ex. Great plan, right?

Of all the Italian holidays we celebrated, the best by far was the Feast of Santa Lucia, which takes place on December 13. That's when my mother would make my favorite Sicilian dessert, cuccia—a porridge of boiled wheatberries, mixed with sweetened ricotta cheese and topped with a dusting of cinnamon and shaved chocolate.