Ruth Bavetta gathers us around the table to partake of the meal of living. She serves a piquant simmer of togetherness that tastes of love, loss, and remembrance. This is food as more than recipes and restaurant reviews. We partake of the ragout of ritual and celebration, help ourselves from the platters of tradition and culture. We are nourished with the joys and sorrows of life and find succor in the soup of sex, sensuality, and pleasure.