Food is one of women's most basic methods of communication, passing on histories, love, a sense of community. These poems speak of social responsibilities and relationships -- women cooking pots of soup, then patrolling a neighborhood to keep it safe -- marveling at both the joys of love and the anguish of famine and human need.

Ms. Randall's many followers will discover her personal struggle with body image, compulsive overeating, and finally her delight in coming to terms with what she really savors in life. Some of the poems are literally recipes that Ms. Randall received, begged, pondered, dreamed about, prepared, and consumed.

Through her inimitable metaphors, Randall insists that food is not just tasted through recipes but experienced through cultural, physical, intellectual, and emotional issues.