What does it feel like to cook for Germany's most prominent restaurant critic and fail spectacularly? Does Paul Bocuse tell good jokes? How does deep-fried potato salad taste? And why can't Germans grill? This book tells the stories of desperate chefs, unpredictable ingredients, waiters with water wings, a chocolate-eating dog, the fish man, the lobster whisperer, Elvis Presley, the sensual pleasures of sprout cultivation, and the triumphant rise of the all-German bratwurst palm, all in a humorous, entertaining, and thought-provoking way. And because reading it also whets the appetite, each story comes with a fitting recipe.