The education authorities and specialists were astonished as 27 young voices from Asia-Pacific shared their perspectives on the coexistence of civilizations in a regional English-speaking contest in Bangkok on Saturday.

Michael Pollan laughs and says, yes, he's on drugs while conducting this interview. Okay, he doesn't use those exact words, but he acknowledges that he has a "tall, takeout container" of half-caff coffee at his side as we discuss, via phone, his latest project, simply titled "Caffeine," available only as an audio book from Audible.