It is Labor Day weekend, with the Taste of Madison happening at the Madison Capitol square. Denver is waiting for me where he'd said he would, sweat underneath his white shirt. He smiles big when his eyes meet mine, and I do the same.
The many tents around the square serve all types of food. The smell of meat mixed with Asian food, burger, and fries fill all corners of the square among the crowd that slowly walk as they try the different options. I don't even know what direction we are going, but my stomach starts to beg something from there.
"What do you feel like eating?" his hands brush on my arm, and I feel the electricity throughout my body.
"I love Italian."
"Here," he points to the tent where people are getting pasta.
"I'd like linguini with alfredo sauce," I say.
"Sure. I'm more like a pesto sauce type of guy."
We order our dishes with a glass of white wine. The smell of white sauce and the spices make my mouth water. With a plastic fork, I bring the linguini soaked in the white sauce to my mouth. Then, I sip my wine. Divine.
"I love Thai food, too," Denver tells me as he eats his pesto pasta. I'd never tried many different things, maybe because I'm vegetarian, and I keep assuming there aren't many options for me, even though this isn't true. It is just a myth I created into my mind. My father took me, Jessa, and Jason to a Chinese buffet near our house. I liked the pasta with soy sauce, but I wouldn't say I liked the smell of raw seafood.
"What about some empanadas now?" Denver offers. I hadn't realized how fast I ate my pasta. Denver's pesto is still inside his plate, and he is about to finish in a bit.
"That sounds good."
Denver shows me the colored food cart with a man frying a few empanadas. It smells delicious. The man in his forties smiles at Denver when we approach the window, "Hi, bro. What's up? Which ones are you getting today?"
"Plantains."
"How many?"
"Two."
The man places two empanadas on a bowl with a few napkins and handles it to Denver. "New girl?" He looks down at me with a grin.
"I wish." Denver smiles back when he says the words, and I remember I'd seen this movie playing before with him last week.
"You have good taste. Plantains are awesome." The man affirms.
"She is vegetarian."
"That's the way to go." The man collects the fresh empanadas from the fryer and places them on a plastic bowl with a napkin. "Here," he says.
Denver and I find a place in the corner where he handles me one empanada.
"It is great," I tell in surprise after giving the first bite despiting of the empanada practically burned my tongue. I see the smoke coming from inside, and I wait. I take a swallow of whatever is left of my wine to alleviate the burn and then wait another minute before giving another bite.
"I've been eating those forever."
We eat in silence as I love the taste of sweet plantains inside the soft dough. When we finish it, I throw Denver and my plastic wares into the garbage can along with our bowls and used napkins.
"Dessert?"
"Oh, I can't resist that." All the food without meat seems delicious on people's plates, and they smell so good, but unfortunately, I don't seem to find more space inside my stomach. So, I will stick with the dessert.
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Beyond Denver
عاطفية18-year-old Cassidy Bardot moves to Madison to start college in the fall. She follows her mother's advice: "Working hard will help you to forget." Initially, everything is working out just as Cassidy planned. She is living in a new apartment, finds...
