The central tension of Crudo is the friction between the solitary "I" and the terrifying "We." Kathy, longtime denizen of the "solitary ocean," fears the "domestic cage," believing that to belong to another is to lose the radical edge of the self. But she begins to discover the generous architecture of love.

When did amateur become an insult? From the Latin amator: lover. Someone who does something for love of it. The professionalisation of food culture has given us access to knowledge, but it's also made us feel like impostors in our own kitchens.

Our biology insists on honesty even when our psychology does not. The flush rising in our cheeks, tears springing to our eyes, our voice breaking when we speak of what matters. We are, whether we like it or not, transparent.