Oh food, you and I have had our problems...

I have serious issues with food. 

I think my main problem is that I’m way, way too picky.  And, at times, a vegetarian.  Do know how many options there are for picky vegetarians?  Not many.

Two things I wish I liked are tofu and mushrooms.  The staples in any good vegetarian’s diet are mushrooms and tofu.  They’re used primarily as meet substitutes (they are really good protein sources) and can be molded into just about any food type.  Seriously.  Chicken, beef, turkey, pork, and seafood can all be replicated using tofu or mushrooms. But I can't handle the texture.  The... squishiness makes my stomach turn.  I just can't eat it.  

  I’m also not a big fan of a lot of vegetables.  The aforementioned mushroom, onion, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, squash, zucchini, beets, parsnips, radishes…  Now some of these I can tolerate inside of something else, but they have to be pretty well hidden for me to eat them.  Oh! Olives.  Don’t like olives. 

You know what I do like?  Potatoes.  Baked, mashed or fried, I like ‘em.   I also like cheese.  Melt it, throw in some jalapenos, and serve it with a bowl of chips and I’ll love you for life.   Pizza is good as long as it’s not covered with the vegetable mentioned above.  Or sausage or peperoni.   Refried beans are good, so are black beans.  Actually, just about any Mexican food item is ok in my book.  And of course I like chips, chocolate milk, those little chocolate donut things, cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches, Pepsi, Taco Bell, chili cheese fries, Chinese food, and breakfast tacos (Maria’s Taco Express on S. Lamar in Austin TX has the absolute best breakfast tacos, hands down; I used to live across the street.  If that’s not a match made in Heaven, I don’t know what is.)

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives featuring Maria's Taco Express, Austin TX

And I do like some veggies – carrots, cucumber, celery, spinach (raw, not cooked,) tomato, bell pepper, corn, lettuce (Romaine, preferably.  Iceberg lettuce has absolutely no nutritional value,) peas, green beans, asparagus, okra, sweet potato, uh, maybe a few others.  And I like a lot of fruits. Bananas, apples, grapes, oranges, various melons, and the rest of your every day produce section.

You know, looking over this list I realize that maybe I’m not a picky eater, maybe I’m just not an adventurous eater.  I don’t know.  All I really know is that the worse it is for me, the more I like it.  No joke.  And I’m sure that most people are like that.   Add in the fact that I have very little self-control and you end up with me weighing as much as a small elephant. 

Ohhh, food.  It’s a love hate relationship.  I love it, but it hates me.  Actually, maybe it loves me too, that’s why it sticks around so long.  Huh?  Food for thought? Pun intended.