This is a collection of 26 fascinating meditations on food and drink and what they mean to us. In elegant, self-contained chapters including 'D is for Delusion', 'F is for Fire', 'O is for Offal' and 'U is for Undead', Alan Saunders brings his witty, well-informed perspective to various aspects of our culinary lives. Why is pizza a truly democratic dish? Does anyone really eat raw monkey's brains? Should music accompany fine dining, and if so is Handel or Verdi more likely to upset your digestion? What's the significance of the archaic dish called saunders? And is sex just a metaphor for eating? This is a deliciously thought-provoking, humorous and intriguing book.