Now it's all about me -- all over again. What began as a subtle change of thought, an almost imperceptible mood alteration, has now arrived. It is visible, audible, tactile, and it has a name.

Holistic personal evolution.

The perception of what keeps us happy --...

A single street lamp illuminates the Piazza Statuto near the center of Asti. At dawn, the dealers begin arriving. The headlights of their Mercedes and Alfa Romeos pierce the darkness. Others drive up in humble Fiats. Groups of men huddle together in the damp, fall chill, making small talk: the...

Kaiseki-ryori.

My friends are all ears. At our monthly gourmet dinner party the table talk has turned to Japan and its esoteric culinary world. Still glowing with memories of my recent visit, I offer, "Kaiseki ryori is like foreplay to the palate. A number of courses of...

With chocolate, it's love at first bite.

To suggest that chocolate is as good as sex -- when we're talking about champagne truffles for example -- is not as outrageous as it seems. But like anything that's almost too good to be true, there's a downside. Chocolate doesn't sustain...