When a person has lived generously and fought fiercely, she deserves more than sadness at the end.

She was a great cook, but she cooked more for herself than for other people, not because she was hungry but because she was comforted by the rituals of the kitchen.

A thousand years ago the Chinese had an entirely codified kitchen while the French were still gnawing on bones. Chopsticks have been around since the fourth century B.C. Forks didn't show up in England until 1611, and even then they weren't meant for eating but just to hold the meat still while you hacked at it with your knife.

The strands of spaghetti were vital, almost alive in my mouth, and the olive oil was singing with flavor. It was hard to imagine that four simple ingredients [olive oil, pasta, garlic and cheese] could marry so perfectly.

One of the secrets to staying young is to always do things you don't know how to do, to keep learning.

...in the end you are the only one who can make yourself happy. More important, ...it is never too late to find out how to do it.

It is not 'only' food, I said heatedly. There's meaning hidden underneath each dish.