Save Me the Plums: My Gourmet Memoir

by Ruth Reichl

Nothing feels as good as building a team and empowering people, watching them grow and thrive.

I had the awful feeling I was about to get one of those stinging assessments your children are uniquely equipped to deliver.

“You should read Myths to Live By. The idea that’s been resonating with me is his notion that we must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us. I’m curious about what the future might hold.”

“The most important lesson we learn at the table is that great rewards await those who take chances. Do we really want to be telling our children, ‘Just eat your nice chicken nuggets’? It would make so much more sense to say, ‘Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.’

I’d forgotten how money becomes a barrier insulating you from ordinary life.

reminded us how it felt to be young, hopeful, and open to possibility. Reminded us how exciting it was to abandon security and run toward the life that is waiting.

“When you attain my age you will understand one of life’s great secrets: Luxury is best appreciated in small portions. When it becomes routine it loses its allure.”