Table of Contents
Introduction ix
1 Lunch with Gael 1
2 Eating with My Father 19
3 Eating with My Mother 39
4 Eating with My Brothers 57
5 After Leaving China: Japan 75
6 The Birth of a Critic, Part 1 87
7 The Birth of a Critic, Part 2 105
8 Eating With My Family 111
9 The Showdown at ZZ's Clam Bar 123
10 "Adam Platt is a Miserable Fuck," Part 1 133
11 "Adam Platt is a Miserable Fuck," Part 2 143
12 Travels, Part 1 151
13 Travels, Part 2 161
14 Meditations on Dieting as a Restaurant Critic and Other Ridiculous Pipe Dreams 175
15 Further Meditations on Dieting 183
16 Meditations on Dieting, Final Thoughts 191
17 The Best Job of the Twentieth Century, Part 1 201
18 The Best Job of the Twentieth Century, Part 2 215
19 Faking It: The Imperfect Art of the Perfect Review, Part 1 225
20 The Imperfect Art of the Perfect Review, Part 2 235
21 End of Days 243