The worst, most dangerous person to America is clearly Paula Deen. She revels in unholy connections with evil corporations and she's proud of the fact that her food is f---ing bad for you. If I were on at seven at night and loved by millions of people at every age, I would think twice before telling an already obese nation that it's OK to eat food that is killing us. Plus, her food sucks.

I believe - to the best of my recollection, anyway - that I soon made the classic error of moving from margaritas to actual shots of straight tequila. It does make it easier to meet new people.

Being on television, being recognizable, this is unnatural.

If you have a good experience in a restaurant, you tell 2 people. If you have a bad experience, you tell 10 people.

Food is everything we are. It's an extension of nationalist feeling, ethnic feeling, your personal history, your province, your region, your tribe, your grandma. It's inseparable from those from the get-go.

Cream rises. Excellence does have its rewards.

I wanted it to look like real cooking in someone's real home or just so out-of-there bizarre that it would be fun.