Augusten Burroughs refers to this essay of his as “How to Be Fat.” We prefer to think of it as “How to Be Beautiful.”

Being obsessed with fresh figs means you’ll do anything to satisfy your insatiable appetite for them. Well, almost anything.

We have a different sort of recipe for celebrating Independence Day. And it’s all about many of us celebrate freedom through food.

A flexitarian keen to make friends in her new town sorta commits to buying a side of beef from a local rancher. Much musing ensues.

Lisa McNamara divulges how she finally learned to appease her overly critical father through food. Recipe not included.

Leah Odze Epstein recalls what she remembers most about birthdays growing up, and it has everything to do with cake.

While traveling in Tuscany, Lynne Curry learns the unexpected and underrated pleasures of dining tutto solo.

Stephanie Lucianovic tells how the grande dame of French cuisine knocked her up…via a recipe she’s dubbed “fertility flank steak.”

Living in Nigeria, Jamie Schler finds herself game for almost anything—and capable of a heck of a lot more than she’d imagined.

Garrett McCord finds himself suddenly unemployed—and seeking solace in a pot of steamed mussels. Things could be worse.