I used to be kind of a foodie, though that term hadn’t been invented yet. I was pretty good at cooking Thai and serious Cantonese (not the throw-anything-into the-wok style. I was more sophisticated than that). But in recent years, I have to say, I’ve dropped the ball.

So, last Thanksgiving when friends invited us over for dinner I was thrilled. Not only are they good cooks, but another friend (also a citizen of Foodsville, by the way) who is one of the best cooks on the planet was also going...