Monday, May 3, 2010

Mac 'n GeeeeeZ

Check out my food blog....I think it could be a fun conversation! Got any food you HATE?

14 comments:

Deborah on the Bayside said...

Detest okra, collards, most bakery muffins, and American processed cheese. Don't eat liver or sardines.

But beets? I love beets - raw, steamed, juiced and in kvass. Eggplant is OK done right. Ditto fresh limas. I've lived happily on hard boiled eggs. And grits. Blue cheese is to die for (in my case almost literally, so I can't eat, but Would if I Could).

Where did you get this list? From my picky cousin who puckers his face as a child at the mention of beets?

Be interested to see if anyone says "cilantro." It's one of those love/hate foods.

[Posted here because I couldn't get it to work at Mac 'n Geeeez.]

Pasadena Closet Conservative said...

That's a fun site! I left a comment.

Z said...

Sorry you couldn't get it to work at geeeZ...the article's there from which I got the list.

I LOVE okra the way my mother makes it, pickled beets and eggplant. How can anybody not love hard boiled eggs, right? That's on the HATE list!!
The Blue Cheese in France is OOO LALA...but all the cheeses are.

As for CILANTRO, Deborah..do you remember the restaurant Carlos and Charlies on Wilshire in SM? I'd hated cilantro until I started eating their tuna dip with chips....found out the 'secret' flavor is cilantro and became an enormous fan ever since. I used to think it tasted like SOAP.

Pasadena, thanks for going by there and commenting..it is fun, isn't it? Who doesn't like to talk FOOD, right? xx

Deborah on the Bayside said...

Sorry - don't remember the restaurant. But I didn't realize the emotion people had for cilantro (which Mr. B and I "love") until a lunch companion screeched "DEVIL WEED!!" when hers came with the cilantro she asked them to omit. Glad you came 'round. I'll check back on the food site. I've posted there before, so I'm sure I can figure it out -- just not tonight.

(((Thought Criminal))) said...

I'll go with my hates because it's a shorter list...

I can honestly say I hate curry. I love spicy foods, but something about curry makes food smell like dirty diapers and taste like what I imagine a dirty diaper would taste like. So no Thai or Indian food for me.

I'm not real big on garlic either. It tastes good in small amounts, but really garlicky foods make me gag.

I'm really picky about tomatoes too. Depending on the restaurant, I'll order a burger without a tomato slice due to how nasty tomatoes are when they're not fresh. By fresh I mean you actually know the person that pulled it off the vine and can vouch for their character.

Cheese by itself is disgusting, and will ruin most things for me. Love it in Italian or Mexican dishes, but then I see people putting cheese on chicken or potatoes and am revulsed.

Oh... chicken itself. Fried only please. Baked chicken tastes like paper to me. Rotesserie chicken tastes like spiced paper to me.

Linda said...

I posted on the other site, but I like reading the other comments, so I'm commenting here so I can get them all!

Ducky's here said...

liver, okra, sardines, eggplant, hard boiled eggs, beets, brussel sprouts, blue cheese, lima beans and grits.

------------------

Hate liver and lima beans.

I've developed a taste for sprouts and always liked the thers. I'm not a picky eater.

Why would anyone hate blue cheese?

Brooke said...

Foods I hate?

Hm. Tomatoes, bananas and unboned fish. And generic Cheerios. They don't smell right.

Anonymous said...

Alas! There's almost no food I don't like -- if it's well prepared.

I agree about tomatoes. They're only good "in season" -- best when home grown -- second best when bought from a roadside farm stand that sells local produce.

Naturally, I don't like stuff that's cooked in old oil or fired in old grease.

Oh, okay there IS something I hate -- runny, undercooked eggs. Sorry but they remind me of snot. Yuck!

I've never been crazy about thee usual commercial breakfast cereals like Wheaties, Cheerios and all that stuff, though I used to love Grapenuts. I love old-fashioned Oatmeal, home made Granola and home made Bircher Muesli which I make with raw oats, a handful of chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, a few hazelnuts, juice of one lemon, several coarsely chopped raw apples and a small amount of honey. Adding a 1/4 Cup of raisins or currants doesn't hurt either.

Find Pomegranate juice barely tolerable, and prefer Cranberry Juice cocktail straight. Mixing it with other fruit juices is "okay" but the flavor sort of annoys me after the novelty wears off.

Dislike "Diet" beverages and other "Diet" products intensely. Instead I use Seltzer or just plain water with a small amount of fruit juice. Iced tea sweetened with a small amount of Welch's White Grape Juice. Proportions are about 80% Seltzer, Plain Water or Tea to 20% Fruit Juice.

I used to agree with Beamish about Indian food, till I was invited to a home-cooked banquet in the home of diplomats from India in Washington, DC. THAT was a revelation.

Sorry, Beamish, but I am practically addicted to Thai Food.

I do avoid deep-fried stuff these days, because even though I love the taste, it "repeats" on me.

There is NOTHING I wouldn't at least TRY, as long as I know it's not going to poison me. I ate French-fried grasshoppers once, and thought they tasted very good -- reminded me of "Pepitas."

There is a restaurant in Baltimore that serves NOTHING but dishes made from BUGS. I'm not sure it's still there, but I've always been curious, and would be willing to try eating there.

And one more thing: I think the GRAPES we get today in the supermarkets are TERRIBLE. Red, Black or White they all have no particular character or flavor. They must be "genetically-engineered" to travel well and keep for a long time. Frankly, they're LOUSY.

I imagine I would hate Ghee (Yak butter!) served in Yurts on the Steppes of Central Asia.

ALL (personally known) cheeses for me are DIVINE.

It was hard work to think of food I really dislike enough to be unable to eat it when hungry.

~ FreeThinke

Z said...

I was once served tomatoes cut into quarters before dinner on a patio of friends in Munich. I thought "TOMATO APPETIZERS?" What a surprise to see how very very dark red and plump they were and how deliciously sweet.......every tomato here has paled since.

There are two ways of looking at the American WE HAVE IT ALL AND ALL YEAR LONG type of eating fruit and vegetables...because we freeze more and get it from foreign countries (Strawberries, plums, oranges, etc. etc.) and the European way of NOT HAVING IT ALL EXCEPT WHEN IT'S IN SEASON..which I personally prefer.
White asparagus season in Germany warrants a whole new slip of paper inserted into every menu with the ASPARAGUS CARTE....white asparagus with ham and cream sauce, white asparagus soup, white asparagus omelet, salad, you name it..Fabulous.
Chanterelle cartes (menu cards) are also inserted....
Goose is very popular in the Fall...you get incredible cartes with goose specialities...
And, of course, the normal market is an outdoor market brimming with really fresh fruit all summer long.

You have to wait, but the wait is WELL worth it for these wonderful and really fresh things.

FT...I have often said nothing tastes bad if it's fried:-) but, of course, I don't cook fried almost at all.
Ghee is very popular in Indian cooking, by the way.

One of the best things I ever did was make a special tart for Mr. Z for his late August birthday, about 5 weeks before he suddenly died...it was something I made every year with very special German plums you rarely get here..."zvetchken"...he LOVED them raw (tart and wonderful) and, especially, in a tart, which I once blogged on...with a picture!
I made one tart on his birthday though he was sure this wasn't QUITE the right plum..it was still almost tart enough to be fabulous (you put a little sugar over the cut plums in the pastry shell and serve with fresh whipped cream so the tartness works really well)...then, a week or so later, he came home with a bunch of plums saying "I think THIS is it, but you don't have to make a tart...I can eat them like this!"

"Have to"? for HIM? Of course, I made one and he ate it for about 3 days....after lunch, with a cup of tea around 4 and for dessert..always with an "Mmmmmm, I can't believe you can make this and how good it is"....It's a memory I'll NEVER EVER forget.

Ladies...make what your husband loves...it's so worth it.

Anonymous said...

Z, I am sure you and I concur on just about everything related to food.

I have long thought it was a mistake to promote the notion you can have all things all the time. What happens is you get a genetically-engineered or modified COUNTERFEIT.

What ae beautiful memory from your treasury of happy scenes from your wonderful marriage!

Again good fruit is hard to come by in super markets. It may LOOK beautiful, but looks are SO deceiving.

You should write a book called Menus from a Happy Marriage -- or something like that. Combining autobiography and great commentary on fantastic food would make delightful reading.

Just a thought....

~ FT

Z said...

FT...that idea brought a quick tear to my eye........it's an excellent one and one I won't disregard...thanks...with all our trips and living in Munich and Paris, and our interests and so MANY things, including food, music, faith, that's a very nice idea.....thanks.x

Faith said...

What a GREAT idea, FT, a way for Z to bring together so many loves of her life including her writing ability and her experiences of many cultures. A beautiful way to honor Mr Z and their life together. Wonderful idea. I'm so glad you like the idea Z. I hope you will follow through.

Anonymous said...

I'm happy the idea resonates well with you, Z, and our old friend Faith as well.

Z, you've practically DONE it already. If you've been able to save your commentary from the past -- including emails -- all you'd need to do is organize your writings into chapter headings like FAMILY -- LA -- PARIS -- MUNICH -- ROME, etc. and then pare things down, and enrich with further thoughts -- and exceptional recipes.

I'm serious. I hope you will do it. The world needs something bright, cheerful, affectionate, nostalgic and entertaining. Whenever you've spoken of your times in Paris and in Germany with Mr. Z, I've read what you had to say with real pleasure. You capture an "essence."

~ FT