When does an object become a symbol? All I know is you cannot force it.

Food and love are all intertwined at our core level. It can be a very nurturing, wonderful, loving thing.

Young adult novels don't shy away from the discussion of weight issues, and 'Blubber,' the tale of an overweight, not-so-sympathetic fifth-grader bullied by her peers, is a refreshing take.

There's something to be said for an author who clearly respects a reader.

Maybe just as many women writers as male writers could be billed as the next great American writer by their publisher. Maybe book criticism sections could review an equal amount of female and male writers. Maybe Oprah could start putting some books by women authors in her book club, since most of her audience is women.

My grandmother died when my mother was just 11 years old, and consequently, my mother never learned how to cook particularly well.

In 'The Odyssey,' every feast is extremely ritualized; high-status individuals even get a better cut of meat.

I won't go anywhere near the new Times Square. It's seizure-inducing.

There are generations of people who don't know how to eat properly.