Guilty Pleasure: The New York Diet

Maybe it's because we're reporters by training, maybe it's just because we're nosy, but we're always interested in how other people live. That's why we love The Perfect Pantry's pantry series and New York magazine's ongoing Web feature the New York Diet, in which assorted celebrities and food luminaries list what they ate over the course of a week. 

Too often these are boring recitations of days and nights filled with smoothies and granola bars. Other times they're laughably absurd—it's simply impossible that that many rail-thin models can ingest that much pork and chocolate with nary an ill effect. 

But once in a while, the series features somebody who really loves food and can describe it beautifully, and this is one of those weeks: New York Times food writer Amanda Hesser takes us through a delicious week of nectarines, cookies, and crabmeat. Check out her tips for making ratatouille. We're going to try it this week.