Ralph scraped his chair back as he settled himself at the table. Alice placed the hot meatloaf dish on a trivet in the center. She placed a potato on his plate and a smaller one on hers. She set the chopped green beans in a bowl topped with melted cheese and crumpled taco chips.
"Looks good, Alice," he said. He cut the potato in half and tilted his head to avoid the steam. He put a good slab of butter inside each half.
"Easy on the butter, Ralph." Alice reached over to take the beans after he'd spooned some out on his plate. "How's work?"
He lifted a forkful of beans to his mouth. "Is this the artichoke?"