Wry, witty, informed, fascinating, this book ricochets like a pinball machine between topics, from baking bread in France to making pefect mashed potatoes, diet fads to pheremone research to why butter is good and raw vegetables are questionable. Almost every page offers facts you'll want to underline or wit you'll want to remember. I feel like Steingarten has become a friend who has taken me into his confidence, sharing secrets and personal insights about his own journey with food. I like him better with every chapter. Oh -- and he can really write. I've read a few other books lately where the info was great but the writing was like eating flour in Death Valley, but Steingarten remains an amiable companion whose charming stories make the time fly.