A nation transfixed

I find myself caught up in the Masterchef craze that has Australia in raptures. Yes, we are the country that has rescheduled its one and only prime-ministerial debate for the coming federal election because it clashed with the series final of a reality cooking show. Seriously.

I have gone from a person who relied on my macbook for a fortnightly glance at a TV show to someone who has to weasel out of drinks with an interstate friend because I might miss an episode. And not even on an eviction night.

So it appears we are becoming a nation of cooks. And while it's great fun to cook for oneself, one's flatmate, or one's onederful family, there's something about a dinner party...