31.   Food writers see the return to tubers, squashes and chards as a search for wholesomeness from the land, a kind of stability in a shifting world.

32.   For Kummer, a food writer and a senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly, coffee is a subject loaded with economic, environmental and nutritional intrigue.

33.   Freelance food writer John Mariaiani wants to reintroduce the idea that eating and pleasure are a natural pair.

34.   In a pre-dinner tutoring session for the food writers, she coached them to pay attention to the silent signals as well as the food.

35.   Insulted by food writers, condemned by professional cooks, canned soup as an ingredient is nevertheless here to stay.

36.   It was heresy for chefs, food writers and purists who always promote fresh as best.

37.   It is not spelt, says Mediterranean food authority Nancy Harmon Jenkins, no matter how many cookbook authors and food writers translate it that way.

38.   John Mariani, a free-lance food writer based in Tuckahoe, N.Y., wants to change that.

39.   Its complex flavor forces food writers to reach deep into their bag of adjectives.

40.   Janice Wald Henderson is a freelance food writer and senior editor of Chocolatier.