For writers, there's no better feeling than seeing one's own name in glossy print. I know, we're a vain bunch. But it's a justifiable reward for hours spent hunched over at the desk, racking your brain endlessly for the perfect turn of phrase. Getting carpal tunnel and increased myopia. Missing out on fresh air, merry water cooler gossip, and a 401(k).

But I'm digressing. What I really want to tell you about is a book I contributed to last year called Food Journeys of a Lifetime: 500 Extraordinary Places to Eat Around the Globe, published by National Geographic. It came out last fall, without a lot of fanfare, but still managed to climb to #159 on the Amazon Best Sellers list before Christmas. A big pretty coffee table book, it's full of hunger-inducing pages on suckling pig in Segovia, street food in Singapore, dim sum in Hong Kong, feijoada in Rio, and 496 other journeys both abroad and stateside.

(I write about a certain hairy crustacean Shanghai is known for, and a festival of all cold foods that China is lesser known for. Other equally peripatetic and insatiable contributors include Robyn Eckhardt from Eating Asia, Karen Coates from Rambling Spoon, Cathy Danh from Gastronomy Blog, and Darra Goldstein from Gastronomica.)

In short, perfect reading material for the breakfast table.

And by the way, thank you all for continuing to read while I've been on somewhat of an unplanned hiatus, due to the hecticness of moving back to the US and life in general. The good news is that I have a ton of photos to edit and thoughts to get down on the screen. In short, new content just waiting to be organized.