James N. Davidson detailed a morbid craving for eating fish prevalent in ancient Greek comedy in his Fish, Sex and Revolution essay for Classical Quarterly. He said "the compulsive nature of desire for fine foods, which almost always means fish," was "number one on the list of most shameful pleasures" along with women and gambling. His Courtesans and Fishcakes described fish-eating in Athens as "an indication of modernity...and urbanity." Fish was "the quintessential modern commodity fully fetishized." "Fond of fish as the Romans were, however," according to History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, "they may well have been simply imitating the Greeks."