I'm working on the chicken dish below right now. I thought I would right quickly about something. I was reading in a newspaper food supplement about the pet foible of a famous food critic. Normally, of course, he would turn his nose up at anything below olestra caviar. But, the column went on to point out, he had a tragic soft spot for sliced bread topped with tinned asparagus and some cheddar, broiled under a grill.

It's not as funny in my case, given that I'm a short of money law student and not a famous food critic. But my version of this kind of cheap comfort food is the Mcdonald's hotcake. I don't know why I'm obsessed by them, but they're terrific. You should give them a go, and remember to ask for some extra syrup, since they suck it up like three delicious sponges.