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"A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch." _James Beard

Food is so much more than nourishment. It is entertainment to the nth power. Stir in the magic ingredient of travel and you will have so much more than a strained waistband; you will have an endless supply of food for thought.

"The Food Snob's Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Gastronomical Knowledge," by David Kamp and Marion Rosenfeld - This is a collection of entertaining shorties filled with food facts. On that first date or business dinner, just casually pull a tidbit from this mixed bag and voila, you have a sound bite to impress. Order a Hildon, aware of its provenance and that it is Thomas Keller's official water at his renowned restaurant, French Laundry. Ask for a drink from the reefer, and no, it is not a cannabis container, but what a food-snob calls a refrigerator.

"The United States of Arugula," also by David Kamp - This is a fast paced, highly engaging tale of how the state of food evolved in the United States. The greatest catalysts include the "The Big Three:" James Beard, Julia Child and Craig Claiborne. These days, food reviews are critiques, and dining is an end in itself, becoming a name-dropping habit. The early part of the 20th century was "mom" cooking; the 1950s saw her release from the kitchen with frozen dinners and fast foods emerging; the 1960s saw a food revolution along with the counter-culture via Chez Panisse, Alice Waters' establishment that introduced fresh ingredients and California cuisine. Dean & DeLuca, Zabar's, the list goes on and on to chefs who are now bona fide celebrities. This is time travel through the ages of food - entertaining, informative and mouth-watering fare.

"Pardon My French: Unleash You Inner Gaul," by Charles Timoney, demystifies all things French. About 20 years ago, he and his French wife were both laid off at the same time, so she saw this as a sign to quit England and begin again in France. England and France, through the centuries, have been in a cultural and political tug-of-war. Upon arrival, Charles had a huge learning curve and decided to impart his knowledge in order to help others prevent pitfalls and gain understanding of the French and their ways. For example, do not address your waiter as "Monsieur" (you are not on the same level - the waiter works for you), nor "garcon," which you may have learned from watching old 1950s movies. The best attention-getter is simply "S'il vous plait?" It's a cram course in culture - and a great idea before landing on French soil, to visit or live - so that your French life may be less bound up in red tape and aghast looks.

"Blasphemy," a novel by the best selling author Douglas Preston, is another winner. I say this all the time about the team of Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston, but they produce, alone and together, fabulous books. This one will grab you with its theme and the impact may not be felt until you complete it and reflect back on the premise. No spoilers. It takes place in the New Mexico desert and deals with a super machine and complex physics, mysticism, murder and suspense - all speeding along on a course to recreate the "big bang." The ramifications, both to our spiritual and physical world, could be catastrophic.

"Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions" - Here's another "wow" from Ben Mezrich. Follow Princeton graduate John Malcolm (not his real name) on a dizzying ride in Japan, working in the Ethernet-paced world of the financial markets, partying hard in the underbelly of Japan where mobsters and businessmen mingle, and millions of dollars flow and ebb. One rogue trader is unmasked in the book for bringing down the prestigious Barings Bank of England. As big as his scam was, it was eclipsed by Jerome Kerviel, who, reportedly lost billions for the French Bank Societe General. John Malcolm has many close calls, as do his trading buddies, but in the end, this greenhorn blooms into a financial rose and is now living the good life in Bermuda.

"The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," by Jean-Dominique Bauby, the late editor of French Elle, is a little book about a huge tragedy. The gist: A regular day - meetings - traffic - late to pick up son for play - on way to the play suffers massive cerebral event - comatose - awake - with absolutely no movement but left eye_"locked-in syndrome" - devises way to communicate - "writes" magnificent stream-of-conscious stories filled with reminiscences - a miraculous accomplishment. A true story, it is also a major motion picture.

Optical illusions are such fun to decipher. Al Seckel, the world's leading authority of visual and other sensory illusions, has come out with two books, "SuperVisions: Ambiguous Optical Illusions," and "SuperVisions: Action Optical Illusions." The cover of the first is fabulous; is it a cat, a rat? The other is a pulsing illusion. The books are filled with challenges that you can immerse yourself in when you need a respite from the real world. Each page has a new "trick" along with brief instructions.

Some jump out at you and others, well, you may have to work at it! Once you realize the obscure ones, they seem so obvious it's freaky.