We go to the movies and buy popcorn in a container that could double as a trash can. A six-ounce “small” drink has grown to 64 ounces — enough to fill a small wading pool. A sandwich is stacked as high as the New York telephone directory. A bowl of pasta could be used as a bath for the baby. A “decent” size serving of mashed potatoes is one that has a crater of gravy deep enough to nestle in both buttocks. A serving of fish in a restaurant can cost as much as the monthly utilities bill. A steak can weigh 36 (or even more) ounces. It is so huge you could sit at one end of it and carve it from the other.

Big, of course, is the natural swing away from small. Small was a fad (mercifully now faded,) during which vegetables were miniaturized. Suddenly we were confronted with one-bite cauliflowers, one-chew artichokes, turnips, once as large as a small pumpkin shrank to the size of a green grape, (seedless,) eggplants dwindled to the contour of an index finger and zucchini grew so small it appeared for a while as though it may disappear entirely or simple be pained on the plate as part of the pattern.

There is a brilliantly researched article on The Ladies Who Lunched in the February 2012 Vanity Fair magazine. It reminded me so much of the early days at The Four Seasons restaurant in New York City.

While capturing our  imagination, Joe Baum elevated the act of dining into a fine art. Long before it became fashionable to embrace farm to table concepts, this legendary restaurateur extraordinare, changed the way America eats.

• He was the first restaurateur to commission farmers to grow vegetables and fruits specifically for his restaurants
• The first to have salt water and fresh water fish tanks in his restaurant
• The first to introduce fine art in the form of paintings, sculptures, carved wood and blown glass into restaurants
• His table top designs are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art
• He was the first to undertake scholarly research to authenticate the details of his restaurants
• The first to engage professional theatrical designers to produce custom-fitted staff uniforms
• The first to create restaurants as entertainments
• The first to offer a formalized seasonal menu and create a distinctively American menu — written in English
• The first to launch major advertising and public relations campaigns for restaurants

In the depth of winter, it may seem fanciful to open an ice cream shop. If a store front seems like too big a commitment, perhaps the idea of a mobile ice cream truck might be more appealing. With wheels of your own, you can create your own flavors.

In a January 5^th article in The Tribune, Nancy Maes resports: Gemini Birstro and Rustic House is serving offer a trio of gelati: rosemary Irish cream; casatta with dried fruits and nuts in a cinnamon orange base; and honey chestnut. $7.  Big Jones’ Paul Fehribach created a sour orange sage sorbet paired with sweet potato pie. There’s also a chocolate chili ice cream served with chocolate bread pudding, garnished with salted caramel and chocolate sauce. $8 sorbet with hints of cinnamon, allspice and clove. Another is a vibrant orange persimmon pudding ice cream, inspired by the fruit that its originator ate growing up in northern Indiana. She says it has a flavor like that of a pumpkin combined with a citrus fruit, enhanced with cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Another choice is a dark chocolate ice cream laced with a burgundy-colored ribbon of house-made fig jam, created with dried figs, red wine, honey, orange zest and balsamic vinegar.

Yum.  Who sez ice cream is only for summer days?

By the way, even small dairies employ a professional ice cream taster who may be asked to suggest new flavors too.

I recently came across an article in the Los Angeles Times about Katherine Montero who describes herself as an ice cream sommelier.

She graduated with a business degree from Harvard University and an interest in molecular gastronomy and biology. She’s created a job working with a chef in an ice cream laboratory in Miami.

They’ve dreamed up some truly weird flavors including pizza ice cream: a combination of basil and tomato marmalade served with a curl of parmesan cheese. There’s also maple syrup served with a strip of crisp bacon and chocolate mole ice cream. Those who yearn for vanilla may be out of luck but there is a never ending parade of people who are willing to try anything, at least once.

I mention these things because if you can identify the thing you truly love, you can scoop up a career wrapped around the object of your affection.