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

...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.

I felt that I was really living in the moment. I did not know where my life was going, but right now the future did not trouble me.

Plain fresh bread, its crust shatteringly crisp. Sweet cold butter. There is magic in the way they come together in your mouth to make a single perfect bite.

I had done this. I had pulled my life apart. I would never, ever be safe again.

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.