Food Connoisseur Extraordinaire

Eating is a favorite activity of my life. I love to eat tasty foods that I can savor. I enjoy a wide variety of foods, for every mood and occasion. I turn to certain things - my comfort foods - when I'm down and need a pick-me-up, others for more festive occasions. Food, for me, is also a way of connecting with people, especially with family. I often have dinner with my parents and enjoy meals with the larger family on holidays, especially on Christmas and Easter.

 
I like restaurants, from fast food places to high-end establishments. I don't eat out all that often, but when I do, naturally, I go to places that have the food I enjoy. I will sometimes eat out when I have a day off from my lawn care business and decide to visit the coffee shops during the day and Barnes & Noble, or an open-mic night at night. I also go out to dinner with my parents from time to time, usually to pizza places or to the Palace Restaurant, a local gold mine near my parents' place.

 Red meat is definitely a favorite of mine, especially on my birthday and on a few other occasions, as well. I love both prime rib and steak; my favorite is prime rib medium rare, which I get on both of my parents' birthdays, as well as on my own. For my mom's birthday, we have a dinner at the Palace; for my dad's birthday, we dine at the Newport Inn; and, finally, for my birthday, we celebrate at Texas Roadhouse on Freemansburg Avenue, where I get my prime rib covered with sauteed mushrooms and accompanied by Caesar's salad, baked sweet potatoes and cinnamon bread rolls. On such occasions, I even get up on the saddle and let them give me the "big Texas ye-haa!"

 

Poultry is the meat that I enjoy more frequently, on holidays, as well as for dinners on nights during the week. I love lamb, chicken, turkey and ham. Turkey is a drier meat, so I like the dark meat covered with turkey gravy, and then, only on Thanksgiving and a few other rare occasions. Ham and lamb are always perfect for Easter, when people are breaking the fast and really want to treat themselves to a tasty, tender meat. Chicken is a regular favorite of mine, as my mom makes it frequently during the week for our sit-down dinners that bind us together as a family.

With seafood, I don't indulge quite as often, but when I do, I like various entrees and fishes. I enjoy shrimp, squid, grouper, talapia and sushi. Talapia is a tasty fish that Mom makes often, so I have to say that it is one of my favorite fish dinners. When I want to treat myself, however, to turn to shrimp, squid or grouper. I love Shrimp Scampi and that is a meal that I will get at a fancy restaurant. Sushi is not my favorite, but I do sample it once in a while at China Buffet at the Westgate Mall in West Bethlehem.

I have to admit that I do like my fruits and vegetables. Unlike many people, I do enjoy peas, carrots and green beens! My favorite vegetables are corn, carrots that are cooked and flavored, scalloped potatoes, sweet potatoes and baked beans. I especially enjoy baked beans and, no, it doesn't make me especially gassy!

I like food from various cultures, including Italian, Chinese and Spanish. In addition, I am often up for sampling new types of foods, from all over the world. I love Italian restaurants when I want to enjoy a really nice dinner at an especially classy place. My favorite Italian place would be Sal's in South Bethlehem, on New Street. Their lasagna dish is delicious, and the atmosphere and location are equally cool. Further north, the new Westgate Pizza is also a suitable Italian place for a Friday or Saturday Night, especially for a group of people; families often go there.

 I also crave my fair share of snacks and desserts. I have to admit that I have a sweet tooth for pies, cakes, puddings and ice cream. I also like rich, decadent desserts, such as tiramisu. For pies, my favorite varieties include apple, cherry, pecan, pumpkin, lemon meringue, blueberry and strawberry. Pie is a wonderful treat for holidays and family gatherings. I have also sampled some pretty awesome cakes, including my Noni's old apple cake and Jewish sour cream cake. After a dinner out at a nice restaurant, I often appreciate puddings, which include bread pudding, rice pudding and tapioca pudding.

Once in a while, I'll also indulge in junk food. For these occasions, I like Taco Bell, Subway and Burger King. Sometimes at home I'll also indulge in candy and pretzels. At Taco Bell, I'll order three soft tacos, with mild salsa, cinnamon twists, and Mountain Dew. When I visit Subway, I'll get a foot long BMT, two cookies and a Diet Coke. Finally, during my excursions to Burger King, I'll treat myself to a grilled chicken sandwich, large fries and a large Coke. That is my guilty pleasure with comfort food!

Like many people, I have enjoyed candy and pretzels from the time I was little. I used to love Halloween and Easter, for this reason! I mostly like candies that are sweet, including Raisinets, Twizzlers chocolate twists, gummy bears, peanut M&Ms and Reese's Pieces. When I was a kid, my Noni got me into small, salted pretzels. Now I take them with iced tea, which is one of my favorite beverages.

I like beverages, as well, ranging from soda to water. The iced teas that I like are the Turkey Hill and Giant brands. I also enjoy soda on numerous occasions, such as when I visit the NCC library or the Cosmic Cup in Easton. My favored sodas include: Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Dr. Pepper with extra cherry, Cherry Coke and Mountain Dew. As I get older, I do try to limit my soda intake, in order to stay at least fairly healthy and to avoid gaining too much weight. 

  

I also enjoy coffee, as referred to in my previous blogs. That is the number one beverage of my life in more ways than one. It is the both the strongest diuretic and the strongest stimulant that I treat myself to in my daily life. Therefore, I often have to chase it with ice water, in order to combat thirst and dry mouth. I'm glad that Congress didn't ban coffee like they wanted to do in 1914!

In short, I use types of foods as different tools to fill my stomach and please my palate. Food also connects me to other people who I care about, which is important to me. I am a foodie who lives to eat, and not eats to live. I am a person who wants to explore all that this world has to offer and to enjoy life. I am very much into having fun, instead of denying myself the pleasures of this world.