I like fresh seafood and a twenty minute drive gets me to the south shore and lots of great beaches when the traffic isn't all jammed up. A quicker drive gets me to Freeport where you can meet fishing boats and haggle over fish that are still flopping around. And down the Woodcleft Canal you can deal with old-fart fishmongers for fish and shellfish and lobster and home-made chowders by the quart. I love fresh seafood and live in a place where it is available and affordable.

The nearby ShopRite supermarket has a fishmonger that takes in fresh fish every morning. The store opens at 6 a.m. but the seafood vendor opens at 8 a.m. to get the morning's ocean offerings ready from overnight.

I like sea scallops but at $19.99 a pound fresh I usually need to hit a good horse to buy some. This week they are on sale for $18.99 and ShopRite had a coupon for $2 if you spent at least $12 on fresh fish.

The 18-year-old teen bride who got by 62 last month went food shopping today and brought me home a bunch of slimy and sloppy sea scallops. Kindness and consideration and just a touch of love can keep a couple together for a long time. I went out of my way Sunday morning to purchase her beloved rye bread warm from the oven out of Riesterer's Jewish bakery over in West Hempstead. It was no big deal but it meant a lot to her.

Just doing nice simple things with kindness and keeping your mouth shut during a pissoff go a long way in a marriage.

Sea Scallops:

They cook quickly as does all seafood. Warm up a pan (easy, this job doesn't require "searing") and set some butter down. Forget about the "no-stick" - the butter does wonderful things. The sea scallops look like cylinders. Sit them on end and let them go. When they become golden on the bottom flip them one by one. Toss in some more butter and finely diced garlic. Get the other end of the scallops golden brown and don't worry about the sides. They're in the pan less than ten minutes.

Serve. I like them with fresh lemon juice and lettuce & tomato on the side. French fries go great too. Have a soda with the great meal. The garlic with the scallops will thrill your taste buds.