An area of Tokyo reduced to rubble during World War II. (Frank Fila/AP) By Donald G. McNeil Jr.

Donald G. McNeil Jr., a former global health reporter for the New York Times, is the author of “The Wisdom of Plagues: Lessons From 25 Years of Covering Pandemics.”

I had dinner the other night in a very nice restaurant in Kuching, on the western tip of Borneo, where I’ve come hoping to see my first orangutan outside a zoo. I asked for the name of the delicious dish of creamy rice, tomatoes, fishy spices and prawns I had been served. Our guide looked at the menu and, stumbling a bit with the pronunciation, said, “It’s called risotto.” PAID PROMOTED STORIES

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