Meal

The American love affair with tastes from south of the border no longer is a fad based on heavy spices and chili. It is now a permanent affection for a cuisine of such rich diversity that increasing familiarity breeds only greater appreciation. Bearing in mind that not everyone is enthralled with hot peppers and fiery seasonings, we offer this month a wonderfully satisfying Latin-style meal that not only is very easy to fix but is inoffensive to the touchiest digestion. All ingredients needed for this four-person menu are available in supermarkets at the extremely low price of a little more than $11 for a real bargain banquet.

"What exactly are we making here?" asked my son Tim as the blender whirred with liquid neon. "It looks like green sludge. " "It's Petits Pois Sauce, a lovely springtime accompaniment made with, well, little peas," I told him. "It's French. " We had only just begun the cooking endeavor: teaching my kids a recipe they could prepare on Mother's Day. And already I was getting, shall we say, gentle resistance. "Who do you think is going to eat this stuff, really, Mom?" he continued.

To eat is human; to dine, divine. But the notion of breaking bread each day with one's loved ones is a faint memory for many of us, gone in the wake of Little League games, aerobics classes and overtime at the office. And gastronomically, our standards have shifted. Meat and potatoes are history, shattered by changing lifestyles and a din of exotic cuisines, as stir-fried beef, pizza bianco and enchiladas fast become the meat loaves of the '80s. All this has taken its toll on American dining habits.

On a recent weeknight when the Dilworthtown Inn's 15 elegantly appointed dining rooms were crammed with holiday happy patrons, three review partners and I dawdled selfishly over our food and drink. The 18th-century inn, lovingly restored after a devastating fire five years ago, is easily the area's handsomest setting for a luxury meal. It is also one of the most popular. Yet despite the crowds on the night of our visit, our server let us linger, waiting without hovering as we basked in the festive setting.

The first cooking utensil was probably a stick. And since its discovery, people all over the world have been cutting up food, skewering it and roasting it over flames. Sate, yakitori, brochette, anticucho, souvlakia, shisk kebab - call it what you will - but the common denominator of this style of food is bite-size hunks of food that are steeped in tasty marinades, stuck on a stick and grilled. Skewered food can turn any meal into a festive occasion. That's why they are so good for barbecue parties.

New-age Irish singer Enya's music played softly in the background, as the freshly lit candles sent a soft glow over a table graced with fine china and generous glasses of wine on a table covered with a crisp linen cloth. Yup, it's Wednesday night dinner at Scott and Maureen Murphy's modest townhouse in Chesterbrook - and that's how it is every night. But it wasn't always so. Scott Murphy was happy to take on the task of making dinner every night after he and Maureen got married.

Chances are you're eating dinner at home more these days, taking refuge in "comfort foods" - roast chicken, meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy. Chances also are that you're doing less of the cooking yourself. Instead, on the way from work, you pick up a home-style "replacement meal. " That's '90s talk for the hot and hearty dinners provided by a new class of fast-food chain, by supermarkets and other food retailers. Don't confuse this latest dining trend with your indulgent order-in-pizza or bucket-of-fried-chicken nights.

The last meal. It's a condemned prisoner's last free choice, a final moment of dignity and, perhaps, even pleasure. And it's one of those odd details of life people want to know. Make that an odd detail of death. Whether it's a cheeseburger with fries, a steak and potatoes or even a bag of chips, the last meal is always dutifully reported in news accounts, along with the last words. Last meals - like the one that presumably will be served tomorrow in Delaware to condemned murderer Billy Bailey - go down in history, just like the names of presidents, the victors of wars and the life stories of sports heroes.

Back when proper meals were served hot, preparing food for summer's hottest days was a thankless and unpleasant chore. Kitchens were sweltering, appetites wilted and cold cuts were the only alternative. Now cold foods have achieved new distinction and outdoor cooking is no longer limited to hamburgers. Our four-person menu this month reflects these culinary changes, with touches of luxury and lots of economy. Preparation is easy, using ingredients found in local supermarkets.