What are the secrets to being a great waiter? Phoebe Damrosch learned there’s more to it than writing “Thank you” in bubble letters next to a smiley face on the cheque at the end of a meal. By working her way into the restaurant of a celebrity chef and learning from the best in the field, she became privy to those secrets. Service Included: Four-Star Secrets of an Eavesdropping Waiter chronicles her success moving from English student busboy to dining room captain. Read more
Many people travel to enjoy exotic food directly from the source. Who couldn’t argue that Pad Thai tastes exponentially better from a stall on the streets of Bangkok or that Crème Brule has a certain je ne sais quoi when eaten in a Parisian bistro? Sometimes it’s beneficial to get a glimpse of the food served in other countries, if for no other reason than to avoid any surprises; as British food writer, Tom Parker Bowles, describes in his book, The Year of Eating Dangerously: A Global Adventure in Search of Culinary Extremes, sometimes we need to experience cuisine by delving into menu items that define the extreme edges of a culture, the type of food that not everyone would even agree is food. Read more