When I was two years old, my mother begged my babysitter to stop feeding me donuts.  My baby fat, apparently, could no longer be classified as baby fat.

“But she loves them so much,” Susan cried, hoping my mother might show some sympathy. But my mother remained steadfast and a heart-broken Susan complied. The highlight of both my and Susan’s day had been destroyed.

I have always loved food. Over the years obsessions have ranged from thin-crust clam pizza to New York bagels to fresh rice noodles to soft pretzels to fish tacos. But in the past few years, my idea of good food has changed considerably. Like many people, I’ve been swept up in the local-food movement.

To keep this short and sweet, I suppose I can sum up my thoughts about food and eating with two quotes I have taken to heart:

The first, by Wendell Berry, appeared in one of his essays, The Pleasures of Eating:

“Though I am by no means a vegetarian, I dislike the thought that some animal has been made miserable in order to feed me. If I am going to eat meat, I want it to be from an animal that has lived a pleasant, uncrowded life outdoors, on bountiful pasture, with good water nearby and trees for shade.”

And the second, by Michael Pollan, is from his latest book, In Defense of Food:

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Photo: Me, with my sister, dreaming about donuts.