Ten Random Food Facts about Me
1. As a baby, my mom used to feed me and coax me to eat by cooing, “mum mum mum,” probably while doing the airplane spoon thing. My first word ended up being “mum” usually said over and over again and translating to “FEED ME, MOM. FEED ME, MOM!!”
2. Growing up, everytime my dad made me ramen (which wasn’t often at all, by the way) he also paired it with a glass of milk. Til this day, I love my ramen with a glass of milk. I find the cold milk with the piping hot noodle soup a very comforting pairing. I even remember the green glasses we had back then which gave my milk a green glowy tint that delighted me. If I ever find green tinted drinking glasses, you can bet your bottom dollar I’m buying.
3. I do not like raw onions. Most squid textures bother me but I do love calamari. I didn’t like escargot but I’m willing to try again.
4. I once ate 25 slices of pizza competing with an exboyfriend who ate 21 slices of pizza. I also ate 8 plates of Chinese buffet food competing with Chris. Chris ended up throwing up. I did lose at an icecream eating contest. I’ve since retired from food eating contests because after graduating college, my metabolism has slowed.
5. My ideal comfort food is warm gooey chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite kinds of cookies. I don’t do that many kinds of cookies. Sugar cookies are yucky but fun to decorate. I used to settle for McDonalds chicken nuggets for comfort food but Alan has shamed me so often the last couple of years that I think McDonalds comes with a side of guilt now.
Escargot
6. I have major wanderlust and insatiable appetite for life and life experiences. I think this is why I love books, movies, and food so much. It’s a very affordable and convenient way of seeing and experiencing the world. Some of the crazier things I’ve consumed: silkworms, escargot, pig’s blood, haggis (Mary Ellen and I both did this in Scotland), chicken and duck feet.
Durian Icecream
7. My favorite flavors: chocolate chocolate chocolate, avocado, pistachio, coconut, lychee. I never ever get vanilla icecream, I think that’s incredibly boring. However, I love vanilla flavoring in other things. Like chocolate chip cookies. Did I mention I love chocolate chip cookies?
8. The very first time I made cookies when I was still in middle school, I left the cookies in the oven to ‘cool.’ That is just the beginning of a slew of baking mistakes I’ve since made through the years. I hate baking. I’m not a very good baker. Sometimes I forget an ingredient when cooking and I can just either subsitute with something else or just dash it in right then and there. Baking, you can’t do that. Once things are mixed and in the oven, they’re mixed and in the oven! Ovens also add another element of difficulty for me. I often undercook or overcook. I just made Cindy’s chocolate chip cookies for a potluck last week. See below for the recipe. They’re not as orgasmic as when Cindy made them. I guess all this just means I need to bake more.
9. I like things SPICY. Not only do I like things with a lot of heat, I like it to fit into context. I like jalapenos in my burgers and some Asian saucy dishes. I like hot salsa in my burritos. Tabasco in some American and Mexican cuisine. Sriracha and jalapenos in my pho and Sambal sauce in my Thai food. Red Pepper flakes in my Italian. Point is, I would never put Sriracha in my Alfredo and Tobasco in my pho. What made me think of this was I noticed Alan’s Tobasco use is more universal than me.
10. I notice food with my loved ones and try to commit their quirks into memory so I can consider them when I cook for them or when I invite them out. I know Jessica does not like ANYTHING “exotic” and only like Thousand Island as a salad dressing. I know Brandi can’t handle any mild spice what so ever. My brother is not a big fan of tofu. Mary Ellen loves hot pot fanatically. I know Alan always gets a jalapeno when he gets Rudy’s; I know what he likes in his Chipotle. Nino is basically a Vietnamese/Thai boy when it comes to his palate. Kim and Cindy love adventure. No wonder they make GREAT food buddies. (case in point a, case in point b). So as you can see, food is one of my love languages in that it is how I communicate love.
Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Passed on to me through Cindy who got it from AllRecipes.com. She made these cookies twice for me. Once near when we first met and I invited her to go gun shooting with me and Kim. And then once more last year when she stayed with me for a couple of months. They are mouthwatering when she makes them. They weren’t as orgasmic when I made them recently but I haven’t given up on this recipe yet.
Ingredients
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 cups butter, softened 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix 4 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips 2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.