When it comes to food, a human brain operates a lot like the recipe search section of the Epicurious website. You know the one, where you just enter a couple of keywords, like "eggplant" or "chicken," and with the click of a mouse you get pages of recipes, complete with photographs, reviews, comments and sometimes even nostalgic, feel-good stories written by enthusiastic foodie types. I think most people, at the mention of a particular food or ingredient, can dip into a well of memories, and get transported back in time. We can recall, sometimes viscerally, every detail of our younger selves, like sensory snapshots. Food is good for that. Its mere mention helps us remember who we were once, and what life was like a time ago. So when I toss the terms "fruit" and "cocktail" into the search engine of my mind, and add "August," out comes a truly memorable recipe from the summer I was 21.


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