What comforted me? That is easy. It was a strong cold chicken jelly so very, very thick. My mother's Chinese cook would fix it. He would cook it down, condense it-this broth with all sorts of feet in it, then it would gell into sheer bliss. It kept me alive once for three weeks when I was ill as a child. And I've always craved it since.

Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.

Be simple. Be honest. Don't overcook and don't undercook, but it's better to undercook than overcook.

In a house without a genuine kitchen, one of the delights of growing up is lost.

The kitchen, reasonably enough, was the scene of my first gastronomic adventure. I was on all fours. I crawled into the vegetable bin, settled on a giant onion and ate it, skin and all. It must have marked me for life, for I have never ceased to love the hearty flavor of raw onions.

The roe of the Russian sturgeon has probably been present at more important international affairs than have all the Russian dignitaries of history combined. This seemingly simple article of diet has taken its place in the world along with pearls, sables, old silver, and Cellini cups.

I don't like gourmet cooking or 'this' cooking or 'that' cooking. I like good cooking.