Foodstuffs

I just read a really long set of comments on a foodie blog as everyone had long lists of their most repellent foods and then went on to rhapsodize about favourites. So here is my meme that I’m making up on the spot.

10 favourites, 10 gaggers, and why.

1) Beets. I adore them. Beautiful inside and out. But I’ll never understand why one would add sugar to them for Harvard beets.
2) Cilantro. My body craves it. I could eat cilantro chutney everyday by the bowl full. I was recently informed it removes heavy metals from the body. Not sure I believe it but that would be pure frosting.
3) Chicken Tikka Masala. Also called Murgh Mahkni. The ultimate in tomato and creamy. With Indian spices. You can even leave out the chicken and just give me a bowl of the sauce with either basmati rice or fresh, hot naan.
4) Chocolate. Good, real, chocolate. White chocolate as well. In fact I seem to have a great affinity for any substance coming from that family of trees. I am also allergic to all that family. As well as the coffees.
5) Prime Rib/Delmonico. My favourite red meat. ‘Nuff said.
6) Butter/ghee. God food. Endlessly useful.
7) Good stock. Endlessly useful.
8) Horseradishes. This is how hot should come, with taste.
9) Cheese. Any kind up to the bleus that are so blue they go ammonia. More on that later.
10) Pickles and olives. I lump them together but I shouldn’t because many olives are not pickled and are fabulous. Like Lucque olives, so buttery, so good. There are exceptions, like pickled jalapenos, certain brines or ume plums and vinegar's.

Now gag me:

1) Okra. I try and try. Jambalayas. Bindi’s. Southern style. It just doesn’t work.
2) Coconut. The plain meat fresh or dried. I love the milk. I can tolerate it toasted in small quantities. But I can’t actually swallow regular coconut.
3) Heavy Basil. I can deal with a little. But no freaking pesto with it as the main ingredient. Frankly I’ll pick it out of sauces if it’s still a leaf, or say in Thai food.
4) Anything anise or licourice. The closest I get is a little fennel in something.
5) Eggplant. Although a couple times recently I have tried a few different dishes one Turkish, one Armenian, where I could tolerate it. But mostly I leave it be.
6) Bleu cheeses where they have turned ammonia. Goat cheese easily does this as well. Would you willingly lick a cat box? Me neither.
7) Blue foods. Anything “blue flavour”. The height of chemfood horrificness.
8) Chem food. Things (usually chips) coated with chem dust. TVP. “Nugget” things. Ice creams full of crap. Things all thick with guar to smoothen them. Things shoved full of industrial shortenings. Things sweetened with HFCS. Artificial sweeteners. Big name sodas. One of the few exceptions is plain Pringles. For some reason they’re great.
9) Black-eyed peas and brown lentils. I put them together because they are similar and it’s the same issue. Tastes like dirt. And this from someone who actually likes the taste of different dirt's. But I love red, green and yellow lentils.
10) Raw fish and chamomile. I put these together because I don’t actually hate either one, but my body will not accept them. My throat just closes and says no. Pea skins used to be in this category as well. Go figure.