petite tête de chou

I love rock hard, spoon-bending Haagen-Daz ice creams! The mango, raspberry and chocolate sorbets are wonderful. Very nice concentration of flavors. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are great. I don't care much for ice creams that are jam packed with stuff. Just the basics, please.

Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks loved coffee. Pete: And how do you take your coffee, Agent Cooper? Cooper: Black as midnight on a moonless night. Pete: Pret-ty black. Cooper: Harry, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just...let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. [Great Northern waitress pours Agent Cooper's coffee] Cooper: Wait a minute! Wait a minute! [sips, sighs blissfully] This is-- excuse me--a DAMN fine cup of coffee. I've had I don't know how many cups of coffee in my life, but this is one of the best.

I enjoy Thai Kitchens soups. Especially the lemongrass/chili.

I like just about everything that's been mentioned so far but I'll add spring rolls. I'd guess that I eat fried foods about 4 times a year. I'd much rather have cheese to satisfy my fat-tooth.

I like Best Foods mayo on/in the usual, I suppose. Burgers, sandwiches, tuna, etc. I do NOT like mayo with artichokes, asparagus or as a dip for seafood. Butter all the way as a dip for my shellfish and crustacean friends. My Godfather used to liken mayo to bird doodie. He really hated the stuff! I can see why he gagged over it..but a tomato and mayo sandwich on Pearl Bakery sourdough is damn fine.

I'm certainly not going to speak for all Oregonians, BUT it seems to me that any kind of hot dog, be it pork, beef, kosher, tofu or magic fairy-meat is fine by us. The toppings- mustard/mayo/ketchup/miracle whip/onions/jalapenos/sweet or dill relish/tomatoes/chili/cheese..all are perfectly acceptable. We have personal preferences but I haven't noticed a regional, Northwest-style type of dog. Whatever gets the juices flowin', it would seem.

I'll crack open a tin of smoked or teriyaki oysters, pull out some crispbread- butter it, grab a pickle and a handful of cherry tomatoes...call it good.

Marinate chunks of salmon in... Orange-thyme, mint, lemon/orange juice, white wine, cumin, shallots, olive oil, s/p Thread onto rosemary branches and grill or broil. Add red pepper flakes to marinade if you want some kick. If you don't have orange-thyme use regular thyme and add a bit of grated orange zest.

For the life of me I can't think of a single herb or spice that I don't like. In fact I sometimes crave dishes saturated in specific herbs. A bean burrito stuffed with cilantro, a pile of fresh dill with my lox and bagels or handfuls of fresh basil on a cheese pizza is so, so good.

Venison roast with either a sour cherry/port sauce or blackberry/port sauce. Baked catfish with apples and leeks. Pork and fruit seem especially suited for each other.

Very cool that you are blogging, Chufi. I'm always fascinated by the overseas bloggers. Different foods, customs, et cetera. Exciting stuff!

Cold rice and bbq pork with sharp mustard sauce and hot oolong tea.

Infra-red Salamander.

Not a sandwich for me. Just sounds too darn sweet!

Well they are usually eating Japanese style spaghetti, which usually doesn't have a heavy tomato sauce. I actually prefer to eat certain Japan spaghetti dishes with chopsticks as well..... ← Thank you Kristin. Funny enough, I've eaten Italian style spaghetti with chopsticks but not Japanese style spaghetti. Like someone else mentioned, what a melting pot America is.

Kristin, Really? <she asks wide eyed> Folks in Japan eat spaghetti with chopsticks? Like, the tomato-sauced, sometimes meaty stuff. Parmesan, too?

<applauding...with chopsticks in hand. >

Just a thought... Coffee and cigarettes seem to be quite the pair. Perhaps a tobacco infused foamy latte?

My father was raised in east L.A. by a Korean gent and knew how to use chopsticks at an early age. And being a tenacious Dad he kept at me until I finally got the hang of them at about 10 years old. There is only one Chinese restaurant in my town (no Thai, Japanese or Vietnamese) and I have never sat down for a meal there, only ordered take-out. They always include a couple sets of chopsticks which replenishes my supply at home. I love using chopsticks to eat just about anything I can. Also, they're wonderful to cook with, especially frying, sauteeing and propping lids over a pan. If I stick the tip of one into hot oil and see a stream of little bubbles rising I know that the oil is hot enough. How hot the oil is depends on how fast those little bubbles rise. Not an exact science but it works for me.

Oh heck YES!! Mmmm. Warmish or cold butter is fine by me. If the butter is unsalted I sprinkle sea salt on it. -sigh- Pair this with gravlax and you have a personal slave for at least a few hours.

Um. Diet coke IN the cereal?

Absolutely! Ratty t-shirt, shorts (I hate sweat pants. Makes my behind verrry unappetizing!) and thongs. Must increase the danger of oil spattered toes. As much as I love my dear ones, please don't engage me in a conversation involving physics, religion or -gak- politics whilst I'm cooking. Bad things happen. I used to love the shopping aspect of planning meals. I love to feel, smell, squeeze, et cetera. This was before I moved to a small town with very sad, sorry stores. Overpriced, incredibly limited selection of everything, few things actually fresh. Don't ask about their seafood. -gah- I used to shop at Food Front, Trader Joes, Elephants, Phil's Uptown Meat Market and City Market in N.W Portland. Gads. Beautiful times. Ah well. So, first is planning/shopping, second is cooking and third is eating. Dead fricking last is clean up. Used to kinda enjoy it until I began to make lunches every day, cook supper from scratch every day...again, ah well. At least I get to cook! edited to add an "I"- trying to depart from my anal ways and finding it to be difficult.

I really love salmon. Salmon shioyaki. Gravlax, heavy on the fresh dill. Crab-stuffed salmon. Rainbow trout stuffed with salmon. Cedar planked salmon. God, I love this pink fish.

Lapsang Souchong with spicy, salty walnuts or almonds.

Frosted Flakes. Yummy schrapnel for my mouth. I haven't had them in years, though.