I spent years unsure of why Madame Carey used a

cast iron

skillet when making

crepes

. Whenever I tried to make them using cast iron my batter would stick to the surface and I'd end up eating a scrambled fried batter mixture instead. Also I'd be left with a nasty cleaning job to do.

Still I kept trying with a skillet because that's the only tool the best crepe maker I knew used. My roommate would laugh at me straining my wrists, telling me it wasn't the tool. That just because I used a cast iron skillet didn't mean my crepes were going to turn out at all like Madame Carey's. I knew he was right, but still, I was haunted by this curiosity. Why didn't she just a non-stick pan.

I was waiting for my grilled cheese to finish, dripping butter sizzling on the non stick pan, one late morning when I thought of this deeply. Until now I just assumed it was because the cast iron led to the best taste. I couldn't think about

cooking

technique in any other way.

But when I sat down to eat my grilled cheese, I thought of a crazy idea. I would just go and ask Madame Carey. After the sandwich and pickle, wiped my hands on a paper towel and went to my laptop.

Hi Madame Carey! It's been quite awhile. How are you these days? ...

I shared a little bit about myself and then closed the email, not explicitly saying I would like to meet, but implying I'd be open to it.