10 July 2008

Friday Wrap-Up

What a crazy week! Maybe it was the fact that I had a 4-day weekend over the holiday, or that it was month/quarter end at work, or that I had several after work meetings and appointments scheduled over the last four days, or ... or ... who knows? I'm just really thrilled to see Friday and know that the next three days are mine - all mine - well, maybe not mine, but damn it! It's the weekend!

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A few weeks ago I was listening to the radio and they were talking about a recent survey done by AOL on America's Most Hated Foods. Out of the top 10, there is only one I won't eat. Here is the list:

10. Gelatin - OK, I'm with them on this one. The only place Gelatin belongs is in an inflatable pool along with me, Leighann and Knight!

9. Tuna - Now, I'm not a huge fan of tuna noodle casserole, but that has more to do with my aversion to my foods touching each other than anything else, but tuna samiches? Grilled tuna steak? Maguro? YUM!

8. Brussels Sprouts - I know ... I know ... they've got a bit of a bad reputation, but they really are yummy when cooked properly. If you want to try something a little different, this Sweet & Sour Brussels Sprouts recipe is wonderful - really!

7. Beets - Another really great food, and good for you! I love them pickled and shredded on salads, and they are the prettiest color of purple!

6. Okra - I've been fortunate enough to spend some time in the south where this vegetable (really a botanical fruit) is served more frequently, but I use it when making gumbo - mmmmm - gumbo - I might have to make that this weekend.

5. Eggs - This one just baffles me! Scrambled, hard boiled or my favorite, sunny side up over a big plate of grits!

4. Mushrooms - what is it with people and their vegetables?? Portobello mushrooms are almost as good as prime rib! Well, maybe not, but they are great! Don't believe me? Try this Stuffed Portobello Mushroom recipe from the now dead neglected Kids Eat the Darndest Things blog that Tali and Elisa used to co-write.

3. Mayonnaise - It's not even a food, it's a condiment for goodness sakes. If your eating it as a side dish something is seriously wrong with you.

2. Lima Beans - Not a vegetable, but a wonderful legume. I really like that word legume. Far better than bean which always makes people giggle and tell fart jokes. Maybe if they called them Lima Legumes people would like them better ...

And the single food American's most hate? C'mon ... you know what it is, don't you? LIVER!! Again, I think people get hung up on what liver is. I mean really, can anyone say "organ meat" with a straight face? But here's the deal, not all liver is created equal. I happen to think that if people were given foie gras, pan seared and served with ... say ... a Port Wine Sauce, and no one told them what it was, they'd be licking their lips for days.

Poor liver ... it's so misunderstood ...

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And finally, just because I can ...

You Are a Snapdragon

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

What kind of Flower are you?




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36 comments:

Ken said...

Liver...smothered in onions!
Yumyumyumyum, Yumyumyumyum.

Funny, I hate onions but the flavor of them on liver, mmmm.

Real Live Lesbian said...

I only eat gelatin that flies into my face when you, Leighann and Knight are wrestling! ;)

You can have my serving of liver. Ew.

I'm a snapdragon, too!

Schmoop said...

LIVER and LIMA BEANS Rock. With that being said, I am a pretty little Daffodil:

You Are a Daffodil
You have a sunny disposition and are normally one of the first to show up for the party. You don't need too much attention from the host once you get there as you are more than capable of making yourself seen and heard.

Cheers Sexy!!

Dana said...

Micky, onions were in the top 20 of most hated. I have a new level of respect for you, you fellow liver lover!

RLL, once in a while I get a mouthful too - of gelatin - while in the pool ... you silly snapdragon!

Matt-Man, maybe I should give up on the pool of gelatin and throw a little liver and lima beans on the kitchen floor instead!

Knight said...

When you said no gelatin I panicked for a second. Thankfully you clarified. You almost ruined my fantasy.

The only thing on the list that I don't like is liver. Any time I have tried it I found it to be rubbery. That makes me gag.

Apparently I am a Canna. Whatever that is.
"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

I sound like such a bitch but it's true.

Jay said...

I don't eat liver. My mother used to make it when I was a kid and it left an awful smell in the house for days afterwards and now that's all I can think about when somebody mentions liver. That and how rapidly my tequila saturated liver is expanding. ;-)

And mayo is the most disgusting substance known to man. Although I do have it in my tuna fish sandwiches, potato salad and coleslaw.

Dana said...

Knight, I would never ruin my own fantasy, let alone yours! If liver has been rubbery for you, you've only been served over-cooked liver.

Jay, it can't be any worse than the smell of fried SPAM that lingers for months in my house, you mayo hater you!

Leighann said...

There are quite a few things on that list that I won't eat. I've had some odd things in my mouth (shut up Doc) but Liver will NEVER get in there!

Oh, and I'm a Canna. Never heard of it and totally don't agree with what was said....


"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

Leighann said...

Ok so I agree with the first part, but NOT the second.

Dana said...

Leighann, so just what odd things have you had in your mouth? I'm asking for Doc's benefit ... really!

boo said...

Hmmm. I like most of the foods on that list. I like my gelatin to be full of alcoholic goodness, or halk-nekkid wimmen. Not a huge fan of Tuna, though I can eat it. I've recently rediscovered beets. Can't eat 'em pickled the way you like 'em, but roasted with some butter? Mmmmmmm... they make my nose itch though. The only thing on the list that I just really cannot fathom eating is Liver. I throw up little in my mouth just thinking about it. Might have something to do with the way my mother cooked liver growing up. Dad loved liver and onions. That was his special holiday, only-get-to-eat-it-on-special-occasions, dish. Mom hates liver, with a passion. Mom hates cooking liver. Mom made the worst liver immaginable, in an effort to get my Dad to stop asking for it. I'm not sure which one of them is more stubborn, but as soon as Dad moved out Mom never cooked liver again. Though strangely she was perfectly willing to cook Haggis for her Scottish boyfriend.

Surprise, surprise! I'm a snapdragon too!

Christo Gonzales said...

You Are a Canna


"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

and pedantic and pretentious and arrogant....LOL

Liz Hill said...

One of my most memorable restaurant meals was at the BlueWater Grill in Chicago. We started with seared fois gras--amazing. My entree was seared sushi grade tuna with a fois gras broth PURRRR

I love the foods on the list--in various combinations.

Liz Hill said...

And I am a snapdragon like you!

Dana said...

Boo(duh), I think that most people who have actually eaten liver and don't like it have had it over-cooked. Seems there are a gazillion snapdragons out there ... hmmm ....

DB, well, had you gotten any other flower I would have been quite surprised!

Turnbaby, there is nothing I like better than a well prepared meal of "non-traditional" foods! And another snapdragon? Here I thought I was special!

boo said...

It only seems like that because we're all drawn to you, Oh Queen of the Snapdragons. *snortgigglesnort*

Librarian Lee said...

Fun :) I thought GREENS would be on that list!

ambergail77 said...

I like most of the foods on the list. I am weird because I really don't like tuna, and I don't eat mayo, but i will eat tuna salad.

And I am an Echinacea
"You are a health conscious person, both your health and the health of others. You know all about the health benefits and dangers of the world around you."

Ummmm, not really.

BTExpress said...

The AOL peeps are weird, or am I weird, because I love all those foods.

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

I'll eat any vegetable except....eggplant. I've even tried it fried. [What can go wrong with fried? Anything can taste good fried, right? Wrong.]

It tasted like a sponge full of grease. [Gag, puke]

Brussel Sprouts are Yummie! They are like eating venison or dove or drum or shark. It's a gamie-er flavor of veggie.

Love me a tuna steak -- grilled. Love me some salmon steak too -- grilled.

I'll eat okra (bein' from the south). But, I will say it is my least favorite veggie that I will eat. It's kinda' snotty inside. So, I like it best in soups and gumbos. Fried? Yeah, I'll take it but I'd rather had black-eyed-peas or purple hulls. (Those go with the same kinda' meals okra does).

LIVER? PHEWP! YUCK! My mom once tried to trick me. Thinking the taste and dislike was all in my head -- me bein' a kid and all.

So, she cooked steaks (for them). And served them all the same. Mine was covered in a dallop of sour cream. I gagged. I tried to keep it to myself but I seriously thought she had cooked and served some foul or spoiled meat.

MOM: "What's wrong Honey? Don't you like your STEAK?"

ME: "Um, Mom? I seriously think something is wrong with this meat. It tastes spoiled or something." Hoping not to receive a lash whipping for not appreciating steak.

Then, she tells me it's liver.
B!t$c! I still throw that one back at her! LOL!

I guess I will add. Mom could not cook. She thought she could...but no.

I once starved for three days over a stew she made. Finally? She turned it out to the dog.

The dog then too, starved for three days or so. Poor Dog. Poor Mom. (I always wondered why she just wouldn't send it to those poor starvin folks in Africa??)

Dana said...

Boo(duh), Queen of the snapdragons huh? Why does that sound a little bit naughty to me?

Lee, hey stranger! I like greens too! Collard, mustard, spinach. I think I just like food!

Ambergail77, yes, claiming you don't like tuna or mayo, then telling me you like tuna salar qualifies as weird!

boo said...

I think it has something to do with the visual... *wink*

Dana said...

BTE, I stole that flower quiz from your blog but didn't link you because you're private, but I'll give you props here!

Farmer*sWife, the trick with eggplant is that you need to salt it ahead of time to get the moisture out (then pat it dry). Really! You should try it again!

Anonymous said...

I'm with you on the jello. It oogs me out. Liver ... yuck. Isn't that the organ that filters out all the toxins in the body? If it wasn't good for the cow, I'm fine with not eating it. Onions though. Yum. I can eat them raw or fried. I can eat them on the side. I can eat them in the house. I will not share them with a mouse!

Lu' said...

Well I know mayo isn't a food but I have a problem with it. They put way way to much of it on food. I don't care for messy food. I hate when mayo spuges out of a sandwich, hate it I say. I am a snapdragon too :)

captain corky said...

I love raw tuna. It's on my top 10 best foods of all time list. I like eggs and Lima Beans too. I'm actually surprised at how many of the foods on the list I actually like.

I'm glad it's the weekend too. Work wasn't really all that much fun this week thanks to so many people taking vacation after the holiday weekend.

Anonymous said...

I've hated liver all my life. It was something Mom cooked about once a month and I was made to finish it all, no matter how much I protested. She didn't cook it with onions and maybe she did it wrong, but I'm not willing to try it now, cuz dammit, I don't gotta! All that other stuff I LOVE! My wife can't stand lima beans. I'm from the south too, so greens and all sorts of veggies are high on my list. My kids like most everything and I don't think we fix much that they won't eat. I hope to introduce them to some of the great stuff I grew up with someday.

FMD

Unknown said...

I must be eccentric: I love all of those foods, even liver. At least once a month I make a special trip to a local restaurant that serves the best liver and onions in town.

It seems that (I never would have guessed it) I am a violet:

"You have a shy personality. You tend to hesitate before trying new things or meeting new people. But once people get to know you, you open up and show the world what you are really all about."

Dana said...

Hester, it's even worse when people put things in the Jell-O, like fruit cocktail or *gasp* carrots!

Lu, my HNT's must make you shudder at times!

Corky, I wasn't surprised with liver and brussel sprouts, but many of those other foods really did surprise me. We must be a nation of picky eaters!

Dana said...

FMD, I grew up on liver too, but had much the opposite (obviously) reaction!

Nick, yeah! Another liver lover!! A violet? I'd have never guessed that!

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Liver and Onions with crisy bacon and mashed potatoes... I get the urge...I must have it...

YUMMO

A Petunia... You are a tried and trusted friend who will be there for your friends when they need you. But you have a tendency to be nervous about doing things that go against the norm.

I do not agree with that last part I love breaking the norm

Anonymous said...

well
i guess its easy to see what foods I won't eat.
I mean people built like me pretty much eat anything!

Have you ever had pickled okra?

orgasmic!

hope your weekend is good!

buffalodick said...

I like liver! Tuna, mushrooms, eggs and mayo are OK in my book too!

Spinning Girl said...

Try brusels sprouts leaves sauteed with shallots, bacon, and pistachio meats. YUM!!! (hopeed here from Osbasso's --- hello!)

BBC said...

Yeah, Vodka is a food group even though I don't drink it. But I love my light beer.

What pisses me off is the fact that I live in Washington state and that there is no sales tax on food items here.

I don't get it, I mean, I'm pouring this shit on my cheerios, don't tell me it isn't a fucking food item.

Baby said...

ewww liver and beets...and especially mayo - but I love them Brussel Sprouts and hey Fried Egg and Grits :) Heaven...

Seems I am Echinaccea...