Wheeled by the cook, a cart of bowls of rice and beans emerged from the area of the stove, and proceeded down the corridor. offering food to anyone who wanted it.

The bowl that Clara was handed was white, ancient, and sturdy -- with a stripe of blue around its rim. It was filled with rice, spicy beans, and tomatoes -- a mixture that burned her mouth. "Don't eat so fast," the cook said. "We don't have very much to drink today".