Appetizing Muse

All of us have our food peculiarities, our likes and dislikes. I thought it was time to share some of mine:

• I don't like tomatoes on sandwiches unless I'm having a BLT (bacon-lettuce-tomato); then I like the tomato sliced paper thin. I love a big glass of milk with a BLT, too.

• I never eat veal, liver, cooked leaf spinach, oysters, anchovies, sardines, pickled pigs feet or pickled eggs.

• I never fully cook pasta – I like a little crunch in my noodles.

• Although I know it's unhealthy, I like salt on my pizza. I also tend to pick off my favorite bits of the pizza before anyone gets a slice – usually the sausage.

• I always pick away the outer edges of the bun on hamburgers – usually to fit the exact shape of the burger.

• I don't like overcooked toast – mine has to be soft.

• I love canned white and yellow hominy grits sautéed in butter, salt and black pepper.

• Once in awhile, I'll eat a plan flour tortilla heated on the stove with a thin spread of butter.

• As a child, my favorite vegetable was prepared beets.

My husband Wilbert also has some food oddities:

• His pancakes have to be symmetrical – he eats them this way, too.

• He is attracted to plate presentation, even for every day meals.

• He mixes Kool-Aid with diet Seven-Up.

• He despises horseradish and Parmesan cheese – although I've slipped milder versions of both into meals and he never caught on.

• He hates shellfish – such as shrimp, crab and lobster. Is the man insane?

My parents have a few fetishes of their own:

• Mum can eat spaghetti for every meal, and she usually does when my Dad is out of town.

• Mum likes ketchup on everything, including mashed potatoes and the gravy used for biscuits and gravy.

• Mum uses pure Canadian vinegar on cabbage and sometimes on French fries.

• Dad loves nothing better than fresh-sliced tomatoes with salt or stewed tomatoes.

• Dad adores oysters, especially on the half-shell.

• Dad likes anchovies on top of his pizza.

That about covers it. And you?