noon
Raymond began to eat mental meals . He would catch himself thinking of breaded veal chops , done slowly , simmeringly , in butter , so that they came out a golden brown on a parsley-decked platter . With this mashed potatoes with brown butter and onions that have just escaped burning ; creamed spinach with egg grated over the top ; a rice pudding , baked in the oven , and served with a tart crown of grape jell . He sometimes would order these things in a restaurant at noon , or on the frequent evenings when they dined out . But they never tasted as he had thought they would . They dined out more and more as spring drew on and the warm weather set in . The neighbourhood now was aglitter with eating places of all sorts and degrees , from the humble automat to the proud plush of the Sheridan Plaza dining room .