Drugs didn't work out too well for me.

I'm a decent cook; I'm a decent chef. None of my friends would ever have hired me at any point in my career. Period.

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.

New Orleans is a glorious mutation

Food is so personal - I mean someone is talking to you when people are cooking for you. I like to hear an identifiable voice.

I'm not trying to explain other cultures, or to give a fair and balanced account of a country, or the top ten things you need to know. I'm not trying to spread world peace and understanding. I'm not an advocate or an activist or an educator or a journalist. I'm out there trying to tell stories the best I can.

I'm really good at sleeping on planes. I mean, I smell jet fuel and I'm out; I'm asleep for takeoff.