Another special pain is when you’re in a fine dining tasting menu place and you have a dawning realization from the first few courses that the people you’re dining with know nothing about food, wine, and the artistry therein and are just NPCs attracted by the price tag.

One of the great joys of my life is dining with my best friend of 28 years who is a former pastry chef and sommelier at a Michelin. I could listen to her for hours talk about food, wine, how it’s made, why things work or don’t. Absolutely fascinating.