Temptations of gooey pecan pie and dense sweet potatoes topped with crackly marshmallows make it seems impossible to be disciplined.

Some of them sell galbanum and nard, and curious perfumes from the islands of the Indian Sea, and the thick oil of red roses and myrrh and little nail-shaped cloves.

Dinner, by now a triumph of gluttony over appetite, offered further treats, including goose liver wonton, seafood souffle with lobster bisque and macadamia fool.