The fact was, I wanted the same thing again and again. And so I yielded, bought the good, took them home, cooked, ate, accompanied usually by music, preferably a public radio station that played music...

The fact is, I love to feed other people. I love their pleasure, their comfort, their delight in being cared for. Cooking gives me the means to make other people feel better, which in a...

Because cooks love the social aspect of food, cooking for one is intrinsically interesting. A good meal is like a present, and it can feel goofy, at best, to give yourself a present. On the...

Taking solitude in stride was a sign of strength and of a willingness to take care of myself. This meant – among other things – working productively, remembering to leave the house, and eating well....

There was real plasure to be had eating ice cream out of container and pickles out of a glass jar, standing up at the counter. I wondered whether the cravings associated with pregnancy were really...

What does an introvert do when he’s left alone? He stays alone.

Never be daunted in public’ was an early Hemingway phrase that had more than once bolstered me in my timid twenties. I changed it resolutely to ‘Never be daunted in private’.- M.F.K. Fisher “A Is...