Why is there a food section at a web site devoted to books and reading? Over a lifetime spent in close proximity to books and book people, I've noticed -- as have many before me -- that those who take books seriously also tend to take food seriously. A love of reading and a love of dining seem to develop in the same region of the brain.

I've always enjoyed eating, often to the detriment of my waistline. About eight years ago, my life got much more complicated and much more stressful than it had been, one effect of which was to numb much of my previous appetite. Without really trying to, I dropped about 80 pounds over a period of four or five years -- which was all to the good, believe me! My cholesterol count dropped, my high blood pressure pretty much healed itself, and I could walk more than a half-mile without getting out of breath.

Two years ago, for a number of reasons, the stress and complications sort of dropped away. I find myself reading the restaurant reviews in the paper again. And, having recently moved to Louisiana -- a "food culture" if ever there was one -- I've been re-exploring the joys of dining. (But I'm trying hard not to change clothing sizes again!)

Even though I've always liked food, I'd never really done much cooking until I was divorced. (My first wife was a pretty good cook, no denying that.) Then I had to learn to do more than fry a steak and make spaghetti sauce and chili. I've remarried since then, and my wife is still working even though I'm now retired, so I've taken responsibility for the kitchen (. . . and the housework, and the yardwork . . .), and I'm getting much better at it. Nothing very fancy, but I can hold my own. And I truly enjoy taking my shopping list to one of the three supermarkets near me and spending most of the morning pushing a cart up and the aisles -- reading labels, comparing prices, concocting recipes in my head. (And dodging the little kids pushing their mothers' carts. . . .)

I'm also an inveterate restaurant scout. I love to try new places (something I inherited from my mother), especially ethnic restaurants, and I enjoy working my way through the menus at my regular spots. I'm not a snob about dining. I'm as likely to eat at Chili's or Jack-in-the-Box as I am at one of the terrific seafood places in Baton Rouge. It depends on whether I'm alone or with my wife, whether it's for a quick lunch or a leisurely evening out -- and simply whatever I'm in the mood for.

I love Italian and Mexican. I like German and Viennese, but they're hard to find in this part of the country. And, of course, I enjoy Cajun/Creole -- though I have never liked shellfish other than shrimp, so I stick to fish and shrimp and chicken and pork. No mudbugs for me, thank you! (And oysters and clams are quite beyond discussion.) The reviews you'll find here are the result of my explorations in south Louisiana, but also of my eating adventures back in Dallas, and on my occasional travels around the country. Which means they aren't organized or terribly systematic -- they're just the places I happen to have visited, often only once or twice.

I think about food a lot, too -- in a good way, I mean <g> -- and I watch how they do things in my favorite restarants. So I have at least one short essay here on that subject, called Short-Order Thoughts. Maybe there will be more.

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Please direct comments and inquiries to: Michael K. Smith

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Last revised 4/01/2001