"What a story, told with verve, insight, and a sense of history! I suspect it of being a classic." Mark Peattie, Stanford University. "One of the most fascinating and unusual memoirs I have ever read." Doug Merwin, MerwinAsia. A carefree child of expatriate parents at age 10, a prisoner of the Japanese at 16, a valued source of intelligence to the U.S. military at 19, and a fervent advocate of public diplomacy throughout his long career as a Foreign Service Officer, Clifton Forster spent his life crossing and recrossing frontiers, determined to use dialogue, not conflict, to solve differences...

In her engaging new book, the author of the award-winning memoir Encounters: A Lifetime Spent Crossing Cultural Frontiers illuminates the culinary dimensions of that story. As a young bride, Nancy Forster was challenged by her new role as a diplomatic hostess in a distant land, without the familiar conveniences of home. At first, she struggled to prepare simple meals for her husband and herself. As her confidence, recipe collection, and family grew, she learned to provide stylish refreshment to a steady stream of guests, as well as delicious meals at home. Featured here are recipes collected...