I begrudgingly conceded to the autumnal equinox with a big bowl of shallot and onion soup at DC' s Brasserie Beck. One needs comfort food when faced with the end of summer...when we say goodbye to long days and hello to dead leaves, when we pack away our gelato spoons and bring on the braise.

If I didn't know better, I would have gone on and on about the Oval Room's delicate medallions of shrimp sausage with citrus-dressed micro-greens in a bath of mushroom jus, because (unless I'm trippin') what's billed simply as "Wild Mushroom Soup" is anything but.

Trying to describe this soup to a friend was like a scene out of Willy Wonka:

So, besides Spam, what am I eating?  Squash. Not because it’s the securities traders’ game of choice at the country club. Not because it implies that our democracy is ill-matched against this stronger beast called capitalism. Not even because it’s tough on the outside but all mushy in the middle (like me). No, I’m eating squash because it’s in season cheap.