Rachel Laudan

Anyone living in a foreign country cannot resist a little (or a lot) of amateur anthropologizing. I listen avidly to my walking companions’ descriptions of the round of groups, pot lucks, baby showers, children’s parties, birthday parties and other events that they attend and that tie together life in the Mexican provinces.
I’ll spare you [...]

I’ve just returned from the main annual meeting of a group called the International Association of Culinary Professionals in New Orleans. It’s an interesting umbrella organization that offers shelter to those interested in food who don’t find a natural home elsewhere. I rubbed shoulders with food stylists, journalists, owners of gourmet shops, tour [...]

I was recently in on a conversation between a group of food writers, most of them English, about what kinds of delicious, inexpensive main meals for four people could be made at home. Their target budget was $10.
Well, I thought, why don’t I ask my walking companions, all of them expert cooks, all of [...]