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We have a Siamese mix that is a chicken fiend. I can't tell you how many times he's dug through the garbage in the kitchen for chicken, and only for chicken. If we have guests, there's a choice, don't serve chicken or lock him up for the evening. Not only will he steal it when you're not looking, but he'll jump into your lap or onto the table while you're eating, put his face right in yours, and commence Siamese-style howling until somebody hands over some meat. Very disturbing, especially for people who aren't too fond of animals.

Would love to do the brussel sprouts and cauliflower gratin with pine nuts.

OK, I know I'm behind on the brining craze, but I'd like to try the Cook's Illustrated roasted brined turkey.

@BananaMonkey:
A Trinidadian here, I know exactly what you're talking about. Now that I live in the States, I eat those blander versions, but they just sort of remind me of home.

Bourdain, obviously. But would we actually go to prom or just hang out in the parking lot, being delinquents? I hope the latter.

I have so many favorites... but I have to admit that any shellfish in a cream sauce pulls me in.

All the time... this week it was the bastard child of picadillo and Bahamian style steamed tuna. It was sauteed onions, carrots, tomatoes and can of tuna, with a good squeeze of lemon, some capers and olives, all tossed around with ketchup, and some cilantro sprinkled over the top. Sounds odd, but it really was delicious over white rice.

Even thought that's not actually her body... ewww and grossness.

Well, I'm not American, and my mum still had trouble getting me to eat quite a few things when I was a child. However, she kept insisting, and I kept getting left out of family dinner, and by the time I was a teenager I loved everything. When I visit home now, she always reminds me that many of the things I'm dying for her to make for me, I used to refuse when I was 7.
Anyway, wherever you're from, branching out food-wise can be harder when you try to do it later in life. Whenever I meet people with a number of very specfic and strict food preferences, and I ask about their background, inevitably they've had a limited amount of experience with different foods in the past. Sometimes a new taste is difficult. It took my Israeli boyfriend quite a few tries to get accustomed to my favorite Caribbean foods, and there are still a few things that he just can't get down with. And, although I have managed to get gefilte fish down the hatch, I'll never attack it with the same gusto he does. It's what we've been exposed to.

I also want a warm brownie, but I want mine with chocolate icecream, a sprinkle of walnuts and raspberry and chocolate sauces with a dollop of whipped cream. It's my last time!

so much better than all the olympic athletes in the constant mcdonalds commercials. i'd be surprised if even mr. calorie vacuum phelps ate at mcdonalds.

hey Blue Iris,

A friend of mine passed away recently and his family posted on a website a list that he wrote on a napkin in a cafe entitled "Instructions for Life". Some of the instructions were quotes, and some were his own so it's possible that it's not the same list you receieved... but I find it odd that the last instruction on his list is exactly the last instruction on your list.
Would you mind forwarding me the e-mail you got? My address is chiqlette@hotmail.com, and if in fact this is the list I bet his family would be absolutely tickled to know that its affecting people that he never met! Thanks a bunch, it would mean a lot.

I'm with brooke29 on the olive oil, but instead of lemon I use a salad vinegar. In the past, I've used red wine, white wine, balsamic and even pomegranate with great results. Sometimes for protein I'll add a can of beans (usually chickpeas), and shredded spinach really adds nice texture and flavor. Besides that I use some variation of olives, tomatoes, corn, diced cucumber, green onion, bell peppers and whatever else I can find in the kitchen. I've also thrown in some crumbled feta and that also works really well.