Perception.

And I'll tell you who you are, so said the food critic Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

Just attended a lecture on food culture in Europe. If you know me well, you know I love to eat. So, instead of writing a post on the virtues of an education(though it's finals feel), I'll write about the joys of gastronomy, which might tempt you to cook or bake instead of studying. If that's your impulse, I say go for it.

Have you ever taken a bite of a juicy cheeseburger, where the cheese is perfectly melted, with that perfectly toasted bun with a little brown on top? Then there are the sautéed onions, or crisp bacon or lettuce that soak up the juices of the meat as it flows from the heart of the burger.

What about that peach cobbler that's fresh out of the oven? There's that crispy exterior, but a moist center with the peaches and cinnamon sugar syrup.

Food, I think, is part of the essence of life. I remember that when I was on my mission, a bad day with three good meals was great, a good day with three bad meals was ok, but a bad day with three bad meals was devastating. My Mom is always complaining that my Dad and I live to eat while she eats to live.

Food makes us who were are. Whether or not we can enjoy the different cultures and cuisines, whether we can appreciate both the bitter and the sweet. Whether we're adventurous or dull. The europeans know and love their food, it is part of them.

I'm glad that I live to eat. There is artistry in the culinary arts. The presentation, the flavors, the texture and colors. One day, I hope that I get to have my own little cafe and cook and eat, cook and eat.

Let's just hope I don't clog those arteries.