What Can Duncan Keith Eat?

What a game, man. Chelsea Dagger is hard enough to dislodge from the brain without the excitement of advancing to the Stanley Cup finals.

Duncan Keith lost seven teeth in yesterday's Blackhawks/Sharks game (two of those teeth, apparently, were fakes to begin with). What is a heroic puckster to eat following injury and dental reconstruction?

While Keith could go on that silly baby food diet everyone was talking about last week, but I'm guessing he'd be much happier with heartier fare like scrambled eggs, egg salad, yogurt, cottage cheese, oatmeal, smoothies, mashed potatoes, soft pastas and soups. He might like pastina, teeny tiny star-shaped pastas. When I was a kid, my mom would boil then drain pastina in her smallest mesh strainer (about 2/3 cup capacity) and serve the perfect mound with a little pat of butter on top. You don't really need to chew them, so they'd be good for a sore mouth. I was thrilled to find pastina a couple of weeks ago at Dominick's. In the past I've asked my sister to bring it when she visits from New York.

Anyone who's had to subsist on yogurt for a few days can attest to palate boredom. Soft foods are often neutral or sweet, or lacking substantial protein. A few exceptions are cottage cheese, a great protein source, which is quite lovely with Spike, a healthy seasoned salt. Lentils also score well on protein and you can keep them simple or flavor them. Masoor Dal, curried lentils, was one of my favorite foods last winter. Then there's soups. Spring vegetable soups, or heartier ones like Potato Leek, are great comfort foods. Not that Keith needs comfort. After taking a puck to the mouth he returned to the ice in the same period. And had an assist.

Go Hawks.