“United We Eat: 50 Great American Dishes To Bring Us All Together” by Capri S. Cafaro (Story Farm; $30.00/hardcover) features firsthand accounts from politicians about memorable meals they’ve shared with political rivals that set the table for compromise. In one such story, former Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-NY) recalls in 1981, while serving his first term as a U.S. Senator, meeting his Senate colleague Pat Moynihan, a fellow New Yorker. As a Democrat, Moynihan’s views naturally differed from D’Amato’s, and they initially treated each other with a wary, distant respect. That changed over a meal — or more accurately, over several meals. The two first came together for an introductory lunch at Moynihan’s favorite New York haunt, The Pierre Hotel. As lunch stretched into late afternoon, the senators found themselves reaching past their differences to form a bond that would blossom into a great personal friendship. The friendship was sealed when Moynihan joined D’Amato at his Senate office, where his mother’s famous lasagna was served. With each lunch came the renewed belief that breaking bread is the best way to find common ground. As D’Amato puts it, “We sure could use more of that in politics today. I’m sure Pat would agree, especially over a plate of lasagna and a nice Chianti!”