“‘Why don’t you take a large bite of that sandwich?’ Jake said.”
- Sycamore Row by John Grisham
“Within minutes she delivered food he never ordered—wheat toast, grits, and strawberry jelly, the usual. As Jake was shaking Tabasco sauce on the grits…” – p 11
“The hoagie was spread before him on wax paper, with a small mountain of barbecue potato chips piled around it. He was washing it all down with a bottle of Bud Light.” – P. 39
“It was a flat, one-layer sheet cake coated with store-bought vanilla icing and laden with slices of toasted pineapple, without a doubt the least appealing of the half dozen arranged on Mr. Hubbard’s kitchen counter.” – p 44
“After a quick, late supper of grilled cheese and tomato soup, Jake and Carla cleared the table and cleaned the dishes …” – p 59
“…Lettie decided to clean out the pantry and refrigerator. She fried bacon and sausage, whipped up pancakes, scrambled eggs and made omelets and cheese grits and warmed up store-bought biscuits, Seth’s favorite brand. The table was covered with steaming bowls and platters when the three sat down for breakfast, complaining the entire time about all the food and fuss. But they ate.” – p 74
“They moved to a small table at the other end of the porch where Sallie was arranging lunch—butter beans, squash, stewed tomatoes, and corn bread.” – p 88
“They ordered sandwiches, covered the weather and football, and soon got down to business.” – p 121-122
“Rontell fired up the grill and the rich aroma of barbecue ribs settled like a fog over the backyard.” – p 142
“At Oxford, they zipped through a fast-food drive-in and got coffee and biscuits.” -p 148
“Early on his second morning of captivity, and not long after a breakfast of cold scrambled eggs and even colder white toast…” – p 187
“Roxy had sandwiches and chips ready for lunch, and they ate in the conference room where Lucien joined them.” – p 206
“He brewed coffee, scrambled eggs, and toasted muffins, and when he returned with breakfast in bed she grudgingly came to life.” – p 221
“Lettie arranged two tables end to end in the dining room. The ladies then covered them with roasted turkeys, hams, sweet potatoes, half a dozen other vegetables and casseroles, and an impressive array of cakes and pies.” – p 226
“The smell of grease hung heavy in the air and hamburger patties sizzled and popped on the grill.” – p 237
“Menus were not needed. Daily specials were sometimes scrawled on a chalkboard, but for the most part you ate whatever the sister was cooking.” – p 252
“She listened as she chewed the elastic chicken and washed it down with sugared iced tea.” – p 281
“Simeon Lang was finishing Monday’s dinner of pork and beans from a can and four slices of stale white bread when the jailer appeared and stuck a package through the bars.” – p 283
“Lunch in the rear of Bates Grocery was a selection of four vegetables chosen at random from a collection of ten pots and skillets simmering on a large gas stove.” – p 288
“He ate a sandwich while standing and talking and sipping a Diet Coke through a straw.” – p 314
“…then he would park himself in the downstairs conference room each evening as they ate pizza and sandwiches and argued about what went wrong and what might happen the following day.” – p 327
“They browsed for an hour in the bookstore, had a coffee on the balcony upstairs, then went to dinner at the Downtown Grill, the most expensive resteraunt within eighty miles. With money to burn, Jake ordered a bottle of Bordeaux—sixty bucks.” – p 329
“After a tour… they settled around a plank farm table on the porch and had French toast and scrambled eggs.” – p 333
They ignored their cold sandwiches while they argued over body language and facial expressions.” – p 346
“They waited in line as Mrs. Bates patiently filled their plates with her vegetables and Mr. Bates collected $3.50 from each customer, sweet iced tea and corn bread included.” – p 396
“Willie Traynor stopped by Jake’s office with a platter of sandwiches and invited himself to lunch… They appreciated the sandwiches and helped themselves.” – p 434
* all page numbers reference the first edition, a 2013 Doubleday hardback copy lent to me by my father.
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