A few weeks ago I was ‘tagged’ by Amelita at Squishyness to list seven food facts about me. Here, at last, is a list of tidbits. In turn, I tag Lemonpi, eatingwithjack, and xocolate (a delicious Portuguese blog, though a little quiet this year). I hope you find some entertainment value in this offering:
- I approach some raw fruits and veg with mild trepidation because I’m allergic to many of them in their raw state. I have to weigh up 15 minutes of intense itching in the mouth against the delight of a ripe nectarine or cherry, or a bite of a tomato straight from the garden. Thankfully, there’s no danger of fatality.
- I detest fish and seafood — sometimes a severe impediment for a food-writer and for a traveller who loves Portugal and Japan! It’s not an allergy, but I’ve had a primal revulsion to the smell/taste of most seafood since the earliest tastings.
- I hoard chocolate. It comes from having lived in poor-chocolate countries like Sweden and the UK. I would visit friends in Germany and fill a suitcase with blocks of chocolate to keep me going back in Sweden.
- In my twenties I ate an average of 100g of chocolate a day (especially when I lived in Germany).
- Turpentine is not beer — a lesson I learnt when I was two years old. A hard lesson for a young Australian! Thankfully I have no memory of the stomach pump.
- When in France I endeavour to eat at least two items of patisserie per day. This came about as compensatory behaviour from living in London, where good cakes/pastries were very very hard to find at reasonable prices.
- I wish more people, men in particular, viewed cooking as a potentially rewarding (relaxing, even!) everyday activity, rather than another chore best avoided. No matter how enthusiastic guys might be about food, the all-too-frequent incredulous comment ‘you mean you cook for yourself most nights?!’ is depressing.
– DM
Hi there,
Great to hear a bit about yourself! Sorry to hear about your allergies and dislike of certain foods! But reassured to hear about those you do (pâtisseries… miam!).
Now tell us about that photo at the top of the page 🙂
dc
Hi DC:) The photo was taken in the Sicilian town of Mòdica. This stand of produce was outside a little grocer’s shop. The town is well worth a visit, though it is verrrry quiet at lunchtime.:D
Hi there,
I may sound a bit too particular but your food fact 3 & 4 are all the same. That’s cheating. I expect another food fact to be added.
And food fact 7 is more an opinion than fact really, you have to admit.
Tell us for example what your favorite Australian dish is instead.
Cheers,
ah
I knew a pedant would arrive to make life difficult 😛 Hi ah and welcome! I disagree completely about 3&4 being the same. Though related, hoarding and eating are quite separate issues 🙂
As for fact 7, you’ve got me… but there are precedents elsewhere for reinterpreting the question. Anyway… my favourite Australian dish? My usual facetious answer overseas is ‘pizza’, but for you I’ll say vanilla slice!
I’d have to concur with the hoarding (oops almost wrote hoaring)/eating thing. I think I tend to hoard more chocolate than I eat (there are bags of Lindt buttons and big blocks of Kennedy & Wilson chocolate in my cupboard that haven’t seen daylight in awhile). Thanks for the tag by the way. Must say though, up til now I’ve been secretly relieved that I’ve never been tagged (or I might’ve been but never knew about it), because I don’t think there’s anything factually interesting about myself!
Hi Y. So you’re a couverture hoarder? No rush with the tag response… it seems most previously tagged people have taken a month or more! LOL.
Hi all, some people out here can add to the seven possible food facts Duncan could have included, such as… he makes a mean Danish Pastry and his Puff Pasty is heaven for taste buds.
I suspect the foray of the two year old into ‘substance abuse’ may have created the discerning palate!
Ooh now I’m blushingly puffy, thanks YKWM! I’m not going to explore the link between turpentine and ‘discerning palates’… could get me in hot water. LOL
Hi Duncan
Just scanning some local food blogs and saw that you have tagged me…
So this very tardy reply, is acknowledging the tag, I’ll get onto it soon! I’d never been tagged before either.
Cheers
Jack
Welcome, Jack! Glad you found it.
Hey
I’ve finally responded to the tag…!
Cheers
Jack
Just wondering about the “tupentine is not beer” quote – very funny, but does that mean as a two year old you were ready for your first drink?
Hi Debbie! In answer to your question, yes. By the age of two I had already graduated from lolly water to beer. It’s a miracle I wasn’t smoking my Dad’s pipe by then too!
Dear Duncan
Thanks you very much for the unepected tag
I’m trying to deal with it right now… if you’ll check my blog in about one hour or two you might find some facts about me as an answer to your tag. The first answer is, for sure, restarting to publish some posts…
Bemvindo, Chef F! Good to hear from you.
Good to see you responded to my tag. It is nice to get to know you a little better personally. I love the way you write and knowing the man behind the words is something that intrigues me. I love chocolate, cakes and pastry as well. I have a massive stash of the old chocola and I can’t help but buy sweet baked things often. I love Melbourne for that reason alone. MMMMMMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Cheers