10 things I love about you

This September marks my 12th anniversary in Boston. I moved here in 1995 to attend graduate school at Boston University. I'd come out to interview in the spring of that year, and when I got off the train it was like every movie you've ever seen of the young woman landing in the big city to make her fortune--love at first sight, a sense of home, of the promise of both adventure and finally, finally, the sense of a place where I belonged. I adored it. Despite the fact that no one at BU had research interests compatible with mine, and that the psychology department didn't promise financial aid beyond the first year or two, and that rent on a studio apartment would, in Kansas City terms, translate into a mortgage payment on a five-bedroom suburban split-level--I had no choice. I was coming to Boston, and G-d willing I would never leave.

So, to celebrate the anniversary of the great metropolitan love of my life, I will be blogging "10 Things I Love about You" this month: ten of my favorite places, people, and things in this city that brought me to life.

Every character in a play has his or her own story. Every person who lives in a city has his or her own city. This month, let me show you around my Boston.

We'll start with a salad:

1. Veggie Planet's Caesar salad

Don't get me wrong, everything at Veggie Planet--the vegetarian restaurant located in Harvard Square's Club Passim--is good. In fact, the only complaint I've ever heard about the place was from a vegetarian rabbi whom I took there once: "One of the reasons I became a vegetarian is because I hate making decisions in restaurants, and not eating meat narrows my options," he said. "But here there's too much good stuff to choose from!"

But the Caesar salad is really special. I don't even know why I ordered it the first time; I don't like Caesar salad, and although I like both broccoli and tomatoes, I don't like them together. Yes, VP features non-canonical broccoli and tomatoes in their Caesars. Also tofu croutons. And do you know what? It is the most addictive thing on earth, it's like no other salad I've ever had. Cheesy and tangy and crunchy and chewy. Tofu croutons may not sound appealing, but oh they are savory and won't necessitate an emergency trip to the dentist to restore a broken cap, either.

If you're really feeling decadent, you can get it on a cheesy whole-wheat pizza crust for just a dollar or so more. Never thought a salad could make you moan, eh? Think again.

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