Once upon a time, before the year 2020, in a land far away, I found myself trapped, stuck in a tiny space and desperate to escape, but . . .

My French village is not in the guidebooks. It’s not swarming with sweaty tourists in shabby shorts. So what’s so special?

Culinary crisis in an elegant restaurant in Rome: Not even a free lobster the size of a small dog could appease this miserable couple.

As an expat, dealing with creepy things in a foreign country can be an adventure.

Cooking disasters, anyone? I was once faced with a culinary fiasco of mystifying proportions while living in an African village.