I met Shannon Plumb, artist, at her studio in Brooklyn on July 15, 2010.  I asked her what her romance was.  She said, “listening to Frank Sinatra, making red sauce with meatballs on Sunday afternoon.  The smell of the sauce is really comforting.  Fire to me is really romantic if it’s not out of control.  Typical is like a date with Derek, going to the movies, eating ice cream, and drinking coffee.  I can say more?”  I asked her if she could say it in a few sentences.  She said, “I think 5 o’clock in the evening is romantic.  Maybe it has to do with dusk.  People coming home.  I think cooking can be romantic.  Garlic is romantic.”  I told her that I had never heard “garlic is romantic.”  She said, “garlic and oregano is even more romantic!  The smell together, you know.”  I asked her, “who is garlic and who is oregano between you?  She said, “Derek is garlic.  I am like oregano because you can just pick me up from the ground and sprinkle me around.  That’s it.  But Derek…. you gotta peel them, you gotta chop them, you gotta put them in a pan…. if it goes too long, it’s gonna turn brown.  Then this odor comes out, it will take over the whole house.  That’s the way he is.  It’s just a little white piece of garlic, but once you open it, THAT’S IT!  Oregano is just there.  We are good together.  Garlic and oregano are perfect.”  I asked her if she often puts them together when she cooks.  She said, “oh yeah, yeah, yeah….”