The difference between my books and those of many of my fellow suspense/adventure novelists, is that in my stories, my characters always take the time to eat something fabulous!
I love foods of all kinds, but I never learned to cook anything until I was in grad school –trained in the primitive kitchen of my then-boyfriend, Jones, a gourmet chef, who apprenticed me as his sous-chef, and taught me to dice, mince, chop, mouli (grate on a French food-mill), and to clarify butter. Other than learning the basic skills, Jones’ method of teaching was to have me read hundreds of recipes from every world cuisine, and try to imagine how each would taste if we changed one or more ingredients.
That trick has served me very well, in appropriating recipes from some of the great places I’ve dined all over America and the world — recipes that are, like my characters, simple but eloquent. (See “Secret Venetian Soup”)
Today, I also love cooking, but I almost never gain an ounce! Why?
Because years ago I discovered (invented, really) something I call “The Delphic Oracle Diet.”
On the stone walls of the ancient Oracle at Delphi — frequented, over the millennia, by everyone from Socrates to Lord Byron, two mottos are carved into the stone wall:
“Know Thyself” and “Nothing in Excess”
These two principles guide The Delphic Oracle Diet – know the nutrition you require (and what you will eat) and consume reasonable amounts – in doing so you are always able to eat great food that is delicious and totally healthy.
