A Plateful of Myths
Did you find any good reason to eat organic foods?
Except for special populations, like those with compromised immune systems or young children, I found little evidence for the health benefits relative to the additional costs.
What did you learn about obesity?
What I found out is that there are many causes. The notion that it's just people eating more is simplistic. For example, antismoking campaigns [may have played a role]. When people's weight increased, smoking was going down.
Is being obese not as bad as we think it is?
There's no question that truly obese people face health dangers. But it's a far cry from acknowledging that reality to saying that people who are a few pounds overweight should be worried about it and condemned to eating meals that don't satisfy them.
Did you see any evidence that diet can make us live longer?
The deeper I looked into the studies, the clearer it became that while my diet partly doesn't meet the current recommendations from the preachers of the gospel of naught, I probably wouldn't live any longer-or maybe only a little bit longer-if I followed their dictates.
So how do you eat?
The moral of the story for me, and what has become my own mantra, is to eat well and enjoyably and moderately over the long haul rather than according to any of these pathological patterns that have been common.
What's the best meal you ate in your five years of researching the book?
It was at Daniel [in New York City]. I had a terrine of foie gras with pheasant. Then tuna tartare with fresh wasabi followed by a Meyer lemon coulis. I had Nantucket Bay scallops served with wild mushrooms and bacon in a rosemary-infused lentil broth and, finally, whole roasted squab with crispy spinach and seared foie gras.
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