I lurched away from the table after a few hours feeling like Elvis in Vegas - fat, drugged, and completely out of it.

Everything was different now. Everything. I'd not only survived - I'd enjoyed.

Good food and good eating are about risk. Every once in a while an oyster, for instance, will make you sick to your stomach. Does this mean you should stop eating oysters? No way.

I've long believed that good food, good eating, is all about risk. Whether we're talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime 'associates,' food, for me, has always been an adventure

Too lazy to peel fresh? You don't deserve to eat garlic.

I'm very type-A, and many things in my life are about control and domination, but eating should be a submissive experience, where you let down your guard and enjoy the ride.