Cooking is therapeutic

For years I have been saying that. When I get stressed I like to plan a big elaborate dinner, shop and chop, cook and present it and I'm done. It isn't necessary for me to actually eat it, I just enjoy the doing.

Salon.com Books | Recipe for success: "Yes, actually. I really admire their skills. For a long time while I was working as a nanny in the West Village I got in the habit of going to Ottomanelli's, a wonderful old-fashioned butcher shop, anytime I needed something special. Butchers are great because they sell you the duck, and they can also tell you how to cook it. If you go to a store, even a nice grocery shop like Whole Foods, you call them up and they have to patch you through to the resident butcher who is there three days a week until 5, and he's the only guy who knows how to do anything. For my next book I want to train to become a butcher. My husband, Eric, of course wants me to butcher a dog in Korea and a horse in France."

The reason why I shop at Cosentinos is because they have great vegetables and several butchers on staff. They cut anything I want, they prep stuff for me. I asked for some boneless short ribs once and I had to add oil to brown them they were so lean. A good butcher can and will tell you what is fresh that day. Sometimes I order one thing and they start talking about something that just got there and would I like them to cut me one of the first pieces? No saline solutions, no added flavors I don't know about. Just the meat.

Good eats.

I don't know about the dog though, I have one as a pet. One of my Chinese teachers (who married a woman from OK) maintained that dog had more nutrients and was better for you than chicken. The ewww factor on that is pretty darn high.