From the aromas wafting from the kitchen and the sometimes dubious dishes put on the table to oft-repeated tales and shameless jokes, memories of family dinners conjure up a flood of sensations and emotions in all of us. In pieces that range from heart-warming to hilarious, this volume pay tribute to this universal experience.

Buddy Hackett contributes this critique of his childhood meals: My mother's cooking consisted of two choices: take it or leave it. Mollie Katzen wryly recalls the miracle foods of the 1960s (Minute Rice, Velveeta); Anna Quindlen shares a delightful story about her child's discovery of Jell-O; Ruth Reichl discloses what she learned about cooking (not much) ad love (a whole lot) at her family table; and much more.