Won't share your recipe? That's just mean!

It astounds me when someone refuses to share a recipe. Here I am, raving about your great brownies or fudge (chocolate causes me to lose all dignity), begging for the secret so this ecstasy doesn’t happen only once in my life.

And then I’ll continue to humiliate myself, promising never to publish it in a cookbook, never to serve it in public, to eat the whole thing alone in the dark.

But your answer is NO. And then my inner child throws a hissy fit: Inconsiderate! Small! Just plain mean!

Really, what could a cook be thinking? Moving to the mall to compete with Mrs. Fields? Your grandmother bestowed this culinary gem on her deathbed?

When someone swoons and asks for a recipe, it’s the ultimate compliment. Pride and friendship are at stake. Maybe I should just move on, and eventually I do. It’s not like there aren’t a gazillion great brownie recipes in the cookbooks on my shelf. But still.