A Palate of Contradictions

It occurred to me today, while eating my Michelina’s Sweet and Sour Chicken for lunch, that I am a walking contradiction when it comes to food. I’m not an extremely picky food person but I do have some particularities that may downright confuse people.

You see, I absolutely hate the taste of cooked pineapple – it makes me gag. And so when nibbling away at my Sweet and Sour Chicken, I was horrified (horrified!) when I bit down on a chunk of cooked pineapple. Could you even imagine, the audacity of putting pineapple in my sweet and sour chicken? How dare they? Maybe I should take a few more seconds in the frozen foods section to consider the label of pre-packed delicacies I purchase. Uugh, the disappointment.

You may be thinking, “So what, she doesn’t like cooked pineapple…what’s the revelation here?” Well, the truth of the matter is, FRESH pineapple is one of my most favourite foods in the world!

Which brought me to question what other epicurious eating habits I have. So here for your reading pleasure is a little list of my quirky food contractions.

Pineapple: As mentioned earlier, I love raw pineapple and have been known to eat the entire thing in one sitting. Yikes canker sores! But cooked? No way Jose! Can’t stand the stuff. My favourite pizza, however? Hawaiian. Yup, I pick each piece of pineapple off. Crazy, I know.

Tomatoes: On the opposite side of the temperature gradient, tomatoes. I absolutely hate the taste of raw tomatoes but will gladly eat them cooked in any form. Ketchup was my best friend when I was a kid, I could load that stuff on anything. Got a hotdog? Just ketchup please. Favourite chips? Old Dutch Ketchup. Favourite soup? Campbell’s Tomato Soup. As a side note, I bought a can of reduced sodium soup last week and ended up sprinkling salt back into my bowl anyway. I know it is better for my health to stay away from the stuff, but the taste just isn’t the same.

Rice: So I’m not necessarily opposed to rice, but given the choice of bread, pasta, potatoes or rice, I’m least likely to pick rice. The contradiction? My boyfriend is Asian. Let’s just say that planning home cooked meals we both agree on can be challenging at times.

Spicy: Anyone in my family can tell you that I’m a whimp when it comes to spicy food. My eyes water, my tongue hurts and my nose begins to run….and that’s just when someone passes the pepper across the table. But, I love me some Thai food. My favourite Thai eatery is this nondescript little place just a few blocks away called, Ruan Thai. Of course I always order the mildest version possible and the lady who takes my order rolls her eyes every time, but the food is just so delish and flavourful. Glass of milk on the side helps.

So that’s my little list of quirky food contradictions.

How about you? Got any weird eating habits?