My Favorite Foods

I enjoy so many foods that I cannot pinpoint "favorite" very easily. I usually enjoy entire groups of foods. It is easier to describe the foods and flavors I despise such as mint (in all of its forms) and cinnamon. So here are food groups, styles and flavors that I enjoy, despite focusing on a particular food.

FRUIT

I love fruit more than any of the food groups combined. If I could only eat fruit for the rest of my life, I would not be too upset about it. Some of my top favorite fruits are: strawberries, nectarines, peaches, plums, watermelon, oranges, kiwis and raspberries. For some reason, I dislike cantaloupe. I call it the Boring Fruit because it does not excite my tongue. Nectarines are my favorite fruit of all and I ate them all summer long as a child and teenager. I learned how to like raspberries in college. Whenever there was an art event at school, the school would make a raspberry punch. I would drink cups of it because it was so delicious. I only began eating mangoes because my mentor liked them. I hated mangoes so much when I first tried them. But now that I have become used to the flavor, I can enjoy them. I don't care too much for apples, I consider them boring, like cantaloupe. My favorite type of grapes are green grapes. I am not a huge fan of blueberries, but they are beginning to grow on me. Strawberries are so delightful that I could eat an entire box of them and still want more.

MEAT

I love fish primarily, but only certain types of fish. I know tilapia is not considered good for you, but I love eating it baked or fried. Baked salmon and other fish is very satisfying to my body. I even love battered fish. It is the only meat I can eat without feeling extremely guilty about it. I also enjoy chicken. I like my mother's baked chicken especially, but my favorite is fried. I do my best not to eat the fried meats but aim for the baked. Another meat that I have a great time eating is pulled pork. I have been lectured so many times about pork from all sorts of people. As a result, I only eat the pulled pork a few times a year, but each time I eat it, I feel guilty about it. I only like to eat turkey and ham during holidays. I also love bacon! But throughout the year, I eat fish for my meat. It is the only meat that does not make me very sick. I cannot eat more than one egg or I will feel terrible. Chicken, turkey, pork, beef, ham, all make me queasy in small amounts.

WAFFLES

I cannot downplay how much I love waffles. I love them more than pancakes. I can only eat so many until I feel ill, therefore I limit myself to only one waffle. They fill me up and taste fantastic with syrup. I eat them plain, not with nuts or berries, just plain. I cannot eat them with butter because I will become sick due to my dairy allergy. The only time I was disgusted by a waffle was at a restaurant I visited in Chicago. The waffle was so rich, it didn't taste like a waffle. It was almost cake like, sugary and very large. I was overwhelmed by the amount on my plate. It was so uncomfortable eating that waffle. I will never dine there again, even though the service was wonderful.

CHOCOLATE

Chocolate is the only food addiction I have. I eat it when I am sad, happy, bored. I need to stop it. I am not a huge fan of chocolate ice cream, but I love chocolate syrup. I like both milk and dark chocolate as well. Chocolate chip cookies, cake and brownies are treats that bring joy to my life. As far as any chocolate that reminds me of the texture of milk such as hot chocolate or a chocolate shake, I avoid both. I especially dislike treats that pair chocolate and a flavor I hate, such as chocolate and mint. There have been unfortunate incidents of me biting into a chocolate treat only to discover a slight minty flavor. I will spit it out immediately.

PICKLES

I have an odd relationship with pickles. I can only eat them by themselves. I do not like pickles on hamburgers or as a topping on any other foods. I only eat them at home and they can only be original pickles. My favorite way to eat them is by placing the slices in a bowl and eating them with a fork. I used to use the same eating method with bananas.

CUCUMBERS

Cucumbers are a food that I seem to only enjoy when they are being dipped in ranch dressing. I can eat them without the dressing, however, they have an odd taste to me and can seem boring at times. However, if I am not eating the cucumber, I like to rub a slice of it over my face for skin care purposes.

VEGETABLES

I have many vegetables that I have a wonderful time dining on. Green beans sprinkled with a little bit of garlic, black pepper and subtle strips of onions are tasty to me. I love baked potatoes and mashed potatoes, both without any butter. Collard greens are a food I eat a few times in the winter. I have only in the past two years begun to like onions, but I can only eat them added to a food. I am not a huge fan of vegetables, but I eat them in order to have a healthy body.

It is always interesting to discover the food likes and dislikes of other people. Sometimes, a person's suggestion will become my next favorite food. There is an entire world of tastes waiting to be discovered.