Acknowledgments

I extend my thanks to my good friends Mark Lewis, Aaron Double, and Paula Huston. Mark suffered through the first versions of both the food and the chapters and provided invaluable feedback on both, Aaron spent too much time turning my sketches into many of the charts that appear throughout the book, and Paula lent me her ear and culinary thoughts in enumerable ways.

Quinn Norton helped me in more ways than one, from shoving a bowl of congee (see page 22) under my nose while I was writing to showing me how to give interviews and text voice. Barbara Vail and Matt Kiggins dug up research papers on everything from proteins to average weight gains during the holidays (about 0.5 lbs / 0.2 kg—not much, but it turns out we tend to not lose it the following spring). For the second edition, both Grace Cheng and Steven O’Malley (L!) assisted in reviewing the text.

I’m grateful in ways that I don’t know how to express to Marlowe Shaeffer, Laurel Ruma, Brian Sawyer, Edie Freedman, Ron Bilodeau, and all the team at O’Reilly who believed in me and made the book happen. (Marlowe: I’m sorry I had you crack all those eggs!)

And of course, thanks to my parents for being so supportive and encouraging. I promise to not splatter duck fat on the ceiling next time I’m home.