Getting mail, real, tangible, paper goodness “snail mail,” whether a letter or a package, is one of my favorite surprises. I say surprise because the times that I actually get to enjoy this small pleasure are few and far between. News, invitations, announcements, hell even bills come via the computer. My apartment’s mailbox mostly collects a lot of junk mail and not a lot else.

So yesterday, when I went to check the mail, I was elated to see a big, fat envelope folded and squished into the small mailbox. It was from my friend Terry in D.C. who I hear from every so often but wasn’t expecting anything from. When I opened it, along with a handwritten note (another small pleasure) and a couple of newspaper clippings (including one on the recent death of Thomas Angove, inventor of the wine box), there were two edible inclusions. One was Vietnamese flour for making savory pancakes (read about it soon on in an upcoming post) and the other was a belated Easter gift, a chocolate pig. (Terry, you see, works for pork lobbyists in D.C.)

I was happy enough as it was to have a real piece of mail in my hands, but to then have chocolate inside, well that was just awesome. Thank you, Terry, for the nice surprise, and thank you chocolate piggy, for being just what my empty mailbox needed.