Well, it seems it’s about time again for another edition of the Foodie 13.
As much as I’ve tried to avoid writing this list for several months now, preferring to turn a blissfully blind eye on my own food phobias and dislikes, eventually I had to admit that there are some foods that I just won’t eat. In Jeffrey Steingarten’s book, he tells us that in order to be a proper foodie, one cannot have aversions to eating, and while I try, there really are a few things I just can’t manage to wrap my head (or lips) around.
So, this week I give you the top hate-ons from that list. You’ll probably find them more surprising than you’d think.
1 – Oranges – Ever since I was a very small child I have hated the taste of orange, whether in full fruit, flavoured items or juice form. Out of everything on this list I can say with certainty that it is the one thing I disdain the most. I’m not really certain how or why it all started, but I recall I had a problem with the pulpiness of it as a wee one, and found it distastefully bitter. To this day, when people try to peel and segment oranges around me (as one reviled ex-coworker used to do all the time) it literally makes me nauseous and I find I have to leave the vicinity.
2 – Soy Milk – One of the primary reasons I’m convinced I could never be a vegan is that I can’t seem to stomach soy milk. And believe me, over the years, I’ve tried. For some reason, no matter what variety, flavour or brand, it always seems to have an unpalatable chalkiness and viscosity that I just can’t get over. If they ever manage to make soy milk that doesn’t actually taste like soy, I’ll be the first one to sample it. But for now, no dice.
3 - Kiwifruit – I find this unpleasant on so many levels. The fur for one, is off-putting. The texture is slimy. The flavour is too astringent. One of my biggest pet peeves about my beloved ice cream establishment, Dutch Dreams, is how they arbitrarily plop a kiwi-laden scoop of fruit salad on top of every ice cream order. I’ll sometimes bother with the other fruit, but the kiwi is always the first thing that gets jettisoned or fed to the Everyman.
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Tags: butterscotch, Cowbell, dislike, distaste, Dutch Dreams, grapefruit, green peppers, Jeffrey Steingarten, kiwifruit, Lists, Mark Cutrara, meat in a can, mussels, oranges, raisins, rice pudding, sauerkraut, soy milk, The Foodie 13, walnuts, white chocolate
Posted in Foodie 13, Lists | 3 Comments »
The June Cooks portion of The Daring Kitchen challenge was something I could really sink my teeth into; Chinese dumplings.
The instructions were simple and allowed leeway for creativity; all you had to do was make your own wrappers (no store-bought allowed!) The filling was completely up to me and only limited by the constraints of my imagination.
Being as I’d already done Chinese-inspired dumplings recently, I made an executive decision and opted to take the challenge in a slightly more ethnic direction.
I’ve had doubles on the brain for about a week now, and as the Everyman and I drove to Dutch Dreams the other day and discussed my lack of them, he asked me the pivotal, if obvious question; if I missed doubles so much, why hadn’t I just made my own? Good point indeed.
That simple, off the cuff suggestion derailed my original plan of a chorizo and asparagus stuffing, and put me on the doubles train. For those who aren’t familiar, doubles are a Trinidadian street food made of fried puffy dough that’s covered with curried chana masala (chickpea mix), hot sauce and mango chutney, then topped with another fritter, hence the “doubles” moniker. My mother’s side of the family happens to be from Trinidad, so doubles were a snack I enjoyed often as a young, wily child. (more…)
Tags: chana masala, chickpeas, Cooking, curry, Daring Kitchen, doubles, dumplings, Dutch Dreams, June 2009 Challenge, New Projects
Posted in Cooking, Daring Kitchen, New Projects | 1 Comment »
I’m a girl with simple tastes. (No, really!)
I like cookies and ice cream and brownies and cake. And waffles. Oh, how I love me some waffles.
Being as I’d been denied my stroopwafels at the farmer’s markets twice last week, the Everyman and I decided that a trip to Dutch Dreams was in order.
For those not in the know, Dutch Dreams is the absolute paragon of Toronto ice cream parlours, quietly tucked away just past the corner of Oakwood and St. Clair. I’ve been visiting their shop for over 10 years and have no intention of stopping. No matter how far away I’ve lived, I always make a point to stop by, even though I don’t drive and would sometimes have to take a streetcar, subway and bus to get there. The selection of ice cream alone is worth the trip, and consistently puts Baskin Robbins to shame. The quality is also top notch, which is something I’ve come to expect from an independent ice cream shop. It’s been there forever too, so you know it must be good!
The first thing you need to know before you order is that DD tops all orders with a fruit salad melange and a splotch of whipped cream. If that’s not your bag, make sure you make that known up front, otherwise you might just end up disappointed. As a younger foodie, I was prone to ricocheting the fruity mess off my cone and onto the parking lot floor, but as I’ve gotten older, I have matured. Now I just feed the stuff I don’t want to the Everyman (like kiwis) and muddle through all the rest.
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Tags: Dutch Dreams, ice cream, Purveyors
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