blogwithvalor

David entered the kitchen, ready to make his lunch.

He turned the gas knob on the stove and waited for ignition. The blue flames burst to life. The natural gas reacting with oxygen in a beautiful dance of chemistry, creating light and heat. He placed the stainless steel skillet over the fire. As the metal heated up, he pulled the hickory smoked, thick cut bacon from the fridge and pulled out four perfect slices. Immediately, the slices danced in joy as David placed them into the skillet. They sang a high pitched song to accompany their movements. This was the background music as he pulled out a fresh heirloom tomato from the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator.

He rinsed the tomato in the sink under cold water, rubbing every inch of the blood red surface with a gentle hand. Then he gripped the green stem firmly and pulled it off the top. The heirloom tomato released it without any resistance. It was almost like it preferred the purely smooth surface, undisturbed by any protrusion. He set the tomato on the large cutting board and pulled out a serrated knife. Turning the tomato on its side, he put the knife up against the juicy flesh. The blade passed through cleanly and he cut it into fat slices about a centimeter thick. After pushing the slices to the side and placing the knife down. He took one of the ends and began eating it. He wouldn’t let any part be thrown out.

The bacon’s music had subsided and he turned his attention back to the fat and meaty quartet. As he turned each one over with his fork, they bent just slightly in the middle as if to bow for the end of their performance. However, after being flipped, they began an encore performance. Their music again filled the kitchen.

David grabbed the cotton bread bag containing the sourdough loaf he’d recently picked up from the bakery. He set it on the cutting board, the soft body bouncing on the wood. The bread knife glided through the pillowy texture with ease. The small end he cut off, that generally went unused, was his second preview to his meal. He enjoyed the small slightly tangy gift of the first few slices from a fresh loaf. Then two slices of sourdough went into the toaster.

The vegetable drawer of the refrigerator opened once again, but this time it produced a head of romaine lettuce. He pulled off three deep green leaves and put the rest back into the fridge. These leaves were rinsed off in cold water and massaged to remove any debris. He laid them down on the cutting board and with a small knife, traced a line on each side of the white spine. Little snaps could be heard as the knife passed the thicker sections of each leaf. While the white spine would not join the coming meal, David did begin eating each of these as he grabbed a plate and put a paper towel on top of it.

He brought the freshly made, paper towel bed over to the crispy and wavy bacon. Their singing had ended and it was time to let them rest. Their leftover juices in the skillet were poured into a ceramic ramekin, a perfect fat for tomorrow’s eggs.

The toaster popped and the sourdough jumped excitedly. The finished product was close at hand. David grabbed a plate and set the two toasty slices down onto it. He smeared a healthy amount of mayonnaise onto each one. Then he began the build.

First came the heirloom tomatoes. They were laid onto the sourdough like fallen dominoes, each one partially covering the other. Second was the romaine. They blanketed the heirloom tomatoes in a forest of green. Last but not least came the four thick cut slices of hickory smoked bacon. The stiff and crispy strips weighed down the romaine just slightly. Then David placed the other slice of sourdough on top but let the sandwich sit for a few minutes in its final state. It was a practice he always enjoyed because it gave him time to do some pre-cleaning. After a few minutes of putting dishes in the sink, he picked up his perfect BLT.

David exited the kitchen, ready to eat his lunch.