Much to my chagrin, I have to say... I think I am one. I have this love/hate relationship with food. Some food, deserves to be loved. There are vacations or trips I've taken, where one of the highlights or most memorable things were food. The steak fajita salad from Sao Paolo in Austin, TX. (No, you don't understand. It sounds so plain, but it wasn't. I've had a LOT of different types of cuisines in different places. This ranks at the top ten.) The Italian sandwich from Soups, Salads and More on the way to the UN building in NYC. The ciabatta was so good, although I was starving I just sat and inhaled the delicious doughyness for a minute. It also had some of the best pesto I've ever had.Today, while waiting for an evening class to start, a friend and some how got on the topic of "the weirdest things we've ever eaten." Given our backgrounds, it was an impressive list. Our other friend couldn't contribute much, because he's vegan and well - that limits a lot of your food choices. [His contribution was hemp.] I know a lot of people aren't very food adventurous, so I won't throw out the wild ones.
However, what about squid? Calamari? Fried calamari? [Come on- you know it's delicious. Let me qualify - if it's made well. Unfortunately, "exotic" foods are often made badly, which will turn the unadventerous soul off of it forever.]
Food seems to be on my mind. The discussion at school, I just made dinner, and this newsletter I got with "baked egg rolls" as a recipe. It made something inside me die. I didn't "recognize" any of the ingredients... and... baked? Egg rolls? (Egg rolls... not spring rolls...) Oh, it just made me so sad. Egg rolls are not good. [They can be ok - often aren't. If you're going to pick one, go with the spring rolls. And I don't mean the Vietnamese Spring rolls with rice paper and bean sprouts with basil and shrimp. Spring rolls have the thin, crispy skin of delciousness.]
That's my food snobbery. I also like natural ingredients. Margarine is not your friend. Well, it's not mine, at least.
So tell me - are you a food snob? Do you have a favorite food? Something you think that was very unique that you would, or would not want to try again?
[And yes, I plan on blogging a bunch of books soon - and hopefully you'll all read the Susan Lyons one I hope to post soon!]
*** ETA*** By food snob, I don't necessarily mean gourmet only, but... well, authentic and well done. Like chocolate. Hersheys is waxy. Like chocolate flavored crayons. I would never say Pizza Hut is my favorite restaurant. I really like PH. But I wouldn't call it wouldn't really come to mind when I think restaurants. Or turning one's nose up at boxed mashed potatos. I'm hard pressed to come up with examples, but *real* ingredients are important to me. If you're going to advertise a fresh fruit smoothie, I expect it to be real fruit. I don't mind if it's frozen, but I don't want syrup, or powder. Or the like syrupy "fruit" most diners have to put on pancakes?
I'd never say Pizza Hut is Italian. Or that Taco Bell is Mexican. Not Chipotle either. I'm a huge fan of Chipotle - but I have no illusions about it. Mark Pi's or Panda Express as "Chinese" [or most "Chinese" takeout places...]- no. Definitely not.
Great blog. I like gourmet
Great blog. I like gourmet food. WIll answer more later but I find I eat less when a meal is satifying. I crave certain things every once in a while and I really miss some of the NC restuarants that had special menus now that I am in CO.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Nope, not a food snob
Nope, not a food snob because though I love a gourmet meal, I also love waffles, with grits and fried eggs in grease.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
I am like FF, I enjoy
I am like FF, I enjoy gourmet foods, but also love the basics. I love Pizza and although I tried a bunch of kinds, my favorite is still sausage and pepperoni. I do like some different foods - my hubby & I love calamari and order it often, I also like mussels, but only from certain restaurants, I discovered. Not sure what else I eat would be considered exotic, seems like the exotic has become more and more common. I love Thai, but when we first encountered it 7 or 8 years ago, it seemed exotic, now I can find it everywhere.
Cady
TBR--The Born Readers
Oh I agree!
Paisley,
I know what you mean about regional foods. My sister lived in Austin for a while, but now lives in Boston. She just can't get good barbq up there. Well, she hasn't found anything comparable yet. Or, it's hard (though not impossible) to get real Mexican food way up in the north ... things like that.
FF - YOU MISUNDERSTAND
Haha, Fake Frenchie, you misunderstood me!
By food snob, I'm going more for a quality thing. I'd rather have a really good, more expensive ice cream, than buy one of those tubs that have all the polymers. I can just *taste* the difference. I've... never had eggs fried in grease. Once I can get over the heart attack shock of it... that sounds delicious. I discovered cream of wheat a few weeks ago, and love it.
I love fried chicken, and fried okra, collared greans and waffles and pancakes.
But I'd rather make my own marinara than buy sauce in a jar. Which I do. I make my own alfredo too - but this is more of a misnomer because I've only made alfredo once.
I get ramen from Asian markets... and I'd be very hard pressed to have to eat... is it maruchan they sell in "normal" grocery stores? Things like that.
MMMMMmm
Cady,
I love Thai. I'm not quite sure why, but I've been curry obsessed for nearly 2 years now, and Thai doesn't have enough curry for me. Indian does, but I haven't found a good Indian restaurant around where I live. *cries* The one place I know is amazing and delcious... is 3 hours away.
Don't get me wrong - I love basics too. I love fried rice- I can literally eat myself sick on it. Or lo mein. Popcorn. Burgers and fries.
Grits and other foods...
MMMMMM.... yum! I love grits! There are a lot of things about me that don't show my southern birth but my love of grits is just a part of me!
Funny you post this about food because one of my friends sent me to this wonderful deli that has great Mexican food! I mean, THE BEST!! It's not somewhere I would have otherwise gone to because it's in a grocery store that caters to the Spanish speaking population and I don't speak Spanish... so um, yeah, I have to just point to order but oh yummy!!
And yeah, I'm a snob about my chocolate although Hershey's will do in a pinch.
I'm willing to try a lot... but not everything. The most daring I think was when I went to a Middle Eastern restaurant and ate a whole meal of foods that I had no clue what they were. But oh, was it good!
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge
I just love food
Any kind of food. But I love going to my sister's cause she buys all kinds of exotic foods. And at Christmas her husband always makes the sushi rolls for her party(and you can't serve ends to guests
)
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
*laughs*
Christa!
How self sacrificing you are to take those troublesome ends off their hands! Hehe.
I didn't like sushi for the longest time - it's hard to find good sushi. Now that's it's getting more and more popular, it's nice to see different kinds. There's one "sushi business" however in the area that makes me really sad. The owners have no culinary background, and their "chef" worked as a sushi roller at a buffet? [I mean he could be good but... unfortunately isn't.] What bothers me, is this business is delivering to hospital cafeterias, businesses, even the local gourmet grocery store. The last one disappointed me the most - in the grocery store manager. They're carrying a product that just isn't up to par. The sushi isn't rolled tightly, it just falls apart, and is a bunch of "asian" things thrown together in a roll. Sad. :X < / rant>
Sorry - your mentioning sushi just brought that all out.
sushi
my bil is Korean
Christa ~ Quiet Canadians ~ 2008 Challenge Blog
My Shelfari Page
I like food that tastes
I like food that tastes good. Gourmet. I really crave Southern food.. home cooking..andy thing that is real food not processed food but modern life is too hectic. I crave a certain kind of tuna fish salad my mom made ... or my dad's deviled egs, or my granddad's corn cakes.... rich or cheap, it's certain tastes I crave. oh Korean food, yum yum. Raleigh NC had the most awesome Korean restaurant. The chef was a gourmet from Korean. I still miss this squid dish he made and this one soup.
AKA Merri
Family Challenge Team: The Spine Breakers with my dh Glenn AKA Phaedrus
Very cool!
Krista,
I bet that helps ;).
I have to admit though :X Korean food is one type I never really got into. I really don't like sweet and savory foods... and for the longest time couldn't spicy food. Going out to eat with my Korean friends was more of a trial. Haha. But their "sushi" is good too - I can't remember what it's called...
Yes!
Paisley,
I've ... I'd have to say against processed foods. I try not to eat them. I also go for authenticity, but I think what really bothers me, is when someone is trying to pass someone off for what it's NOT. Just slopping some plum sauce or hoisin sauce on something doesn't make it chinese. Any more than adding grated parmesan makes something Italian, or chipotles making a food "Mexican." But then people decide that that's just how the food tastes! UGH UGH UGH.
That's...
why I enjoy the food from that one deli. It's authentic Mexican food, not that stuff people try to say is Mexican. And mmmmm... it's just yummy!
The D2K Paranormal Junkies 2008 Challenge
food
is their any topic more universal than this? I love good food...ethnic as well as good home cooked but like many of us, the time factor is a killer. who has the time or energy to come home and cook the way it is meant to be done for an excellent result?
My problem is that I need to eat organic, but the rest of the fam is not into it...want their food with the additives, and flavorings that they are hooked on...so I am learning to adjust to simpler meals. ( I have fibromyalgia and food additives play havoc with my body...pain pain pain) it takes discipline to be good!
I love Indian food, good mexican (not the american variety), and powwow food (venison, buffalo, and fried bread, navajo style). My dh and I went to a restaurant in this little rural town in eastern ny where the prices were off the wall, but the food was out of this world. Taste and presentation were sublime, but for us it was a once in a lifetime treat.
ever searching...getting there one step at a time lulu
aliquis
where r u located? bet u could find some good recs from people where u r...
ever searching...getting there one step at a time lulu
Aliquis...I know what you mean!
That's not to say I don't indulge in the ready prepared version of things from time to time. I don't have the time or the money to always eat the way I truly like, but then I suppose when I do, I really appreciate it.
Why buy premarinated chicken breasts when you can do your own? Fresh pasta vs dry. Jarred marinara vs. fresh. Mmmmm.
Pizza Hut is not italian. It's great for those fun take out pizza nights, but for Italian I want to go somewhere that makes their pasta daily and I can have veal and ricotta cannelloni...omg now I'm getting hungry.
Good chocolate too. Mmmm.
A few weeks ago I bought fresh veal and made veal parmigiana with fresh pasta and spinach salad. It was SO good.
As far as weird stuff....I'm more adventurous than some and a lot less than others. And boxed potatoes should be outlawed, lol.
Donna
FALLING FOR MR DARK AND DANGEROUS, Romance, August 08, Aus/NZ Sept. 08
THE RANCHER'S RUNAWAY PRINCESS, Romance, January 09
HIRED: THE ITALIAN'S BRIDE, Romance, June 09
http://www.donnaalward.com
http://www.donnaalward.blogspot.com
processed vs real food
I think both can be good, though you can't think of them as the same thing. For instance, I loooove Kraft Mac & Cheese, the basic stuff. But I also love my grandmother's recipe for Mac & Cheese. But they are not the same thing. Just like boxed potatoe puree and mashed potatoes. I actually like the boxed stuff with an endive/blue cheese salad because the puree is soooooo smooth and bland and the salad is sooooooo crunchy and salty (from the blue cheese).
As for quality/quantity, it depends on how hungry I am and how much money I have. If I'm hungry and broke, I'd rather have a big block of cheap liver paté than a miniscule portion of foie gras. But I like foie gras if I'm not looking to make a meal of it. (Of course, this is hypothetical since I don't eat meat anymore.)
And the time factor is important. If I'm hungry and I want to eat in the next 30 minutes, I will pull out canned sauce for my pasta. If I have the time to make it myself, I will, but it's mostly for guests that I make an effort.
"Perhaps what the average member of a group is capable of doesn't limit what a given individual can accomplish." -- Boston Globe, letter to the editor
March's Member of the Month!
Deb!
I so agree. When I was leaving Boston, I stopped in this Mexican place for a passion fruit juice - I stepped in and was BOMBARDED with deilcious smells. I sooo wanted to order something but had no idea what to get, and no time. You could just tell it was authentic. The menu, the food they served... and all the workers :)
Teachlu
I know - I was just talking to a friend today about how important food is and how it's so closely tied to culture. I rarely have time to cook, but I'm lucky and spoiled in that I live pretty close to my parents so I snag stuff on the weekends. [I'm still a student so I feel it's acceptable behavior.]
I'm a little surprised your family doesn't like organic foods. People seem to find a real difference in organic vs. ones with pesticides, etc- especially with fresh fruits and vegetables. And - is it just the package labeling, because otherwise how would they know? I don't think I could tell the difference between organic vs. nonorganic pasta. [Though there is a difference with organic milk vs. not - a better one.]
I looooooooooooooooove Indian food. I've been craving it for like 2 years now. Interior Mexican is good too - though I admit to sometimes liking a little TexMex. And I really like Brazillian food as well. (Not just the barbeque.)
That place sounds fabulous! As to where I live - I'm in North East Ohio.
I agree
Donna,
I know what you mean. Every so often, I'll want ramen - Wei Wang, the Peppered Beef flavor, from the Asian Market. That's prepackaged food... I definitely don't have the money to eat how I'd like - but it's oftentimes cheaper to make things yourself than to eat out for sure, or sometimes cheaper than tv dinners, etc.
That dinner sounds delicious. And you're right. Boxed potatoes make me sad. On the inside.
You're a food snob too!!!!
Haha, FakeFrenchie - you're a closet one! Just admit it! You say that boxed vs. made from scratch can't even be compared! That's some of food snobbery at it's best! LOL.
Believe me - I have friends who have no preference, or can't tell the difference between the two, or think of them as the exact same thing. They are obviously dead on the inside and have no tastebuds :P.
As to smooth potatoes... you need a food mill, or potato ricer, or something. Food flakes... are unnatural. Though I understand the texture thing you mean.
I .... am not a fan of pate. I seem to have rather cheap food tastes in general, or am satisfied with "cheap" foods. [But every time I think this a few days later I'll come up with expensive things I love and crave.]
As to time - I know what you mean. This is why, I'll make a big batch of food, and freeze part of it, so when I want to make pasta, I'll pull some of the marinara I made out of the freezer, rather than using stuff from a jar. Or... I'm a student, and I don't mind eating like one, so I can have casserole all week. The same. That or popcorn for dinner. It's not that I have to eat something fancy schmancy all the time. It's just, if I am going to eat something, I want it to be real.