. . . We like food that wins. "America's Favorite Pizza." "America's #1 Coffee." "A Billion Customers Served."

Like the pretty girl who becomes class president for showing cleavage on her campaign posters, restaurants thrive based on their mystique, their sex appeal. "I don't care if the food is good," America says, "I just care if I look cool eating here." . . .

. . . We approach food, in this country, like a gladiator in the ring with an enemy. Dinner isn't something to enjoy, it's something to conquer.

Is it any wonder that Rachael Ray looks like a cheerleader? . . .

. . . I am a recent convert to Julia Child and I am convinced--after only a few DVDs--that she is the best thing that ever happened to food in America. Why? Because she brought her spirit, her energy, her intelligence into American homes and tried to elevate us. She tried to show us that for a dinner to be successful, it needn't be expensive, it needn't be pretentious. It need only capture the chef's enthusiasm, the chef's love.