Appetizing Muse

In the new issue of Bon Appétit Magazine, there is an interesting one-page article titled "Oscar's Greatest Eats." Over the years, guests at the Academy Awards ceremony have been served a variety of meals. Nowadays Wolfgang Puck does the honors, but it wasn't always so.

In 1930 "diners were served a salad topped with the then new and glamorous 1000 Island Dressing." In 1991, the lengthy description of the mille-feuille was as follows: "A layered presentation of crisp caramelized Phyllo, vanilla custard cream, and fresh blood oranges on a pool of caramel and orange sauce."

In the same issue, the seventh annual reader's survey is unveiled ("How America Eats"). A few of the questions were surprising as well as humorous. According to the survey, the most popular snack is nuts, followed by popcorn, potato chips, pizza and tortilla or corn chips. Another question was "If you were rich like Bill Gates – where money was no object – what could be found in your refrigerator?" The most common answer was lobster (55%), with aged balsamic vinegar (29%) and black or white truffles (17%) finishing the list. Another query revealed that ice cream was America's guiltiest pleasure, along with chocolate, potato chips and pizza. Each year reader's also develop a taste for new foods, with fruits being the most popular (77%), followed by condiments (Dijon mustard), desserts (Creme Brulee) and low-fat yogurt. The least desirable foods were figs, yellow mustard, Angel Food cake and low-fat mayonnaise.

However, my favorite survey question is about "shopping hell." What are the most common pet peeves when doing the grocery shopping? Surly or rude checkers ranked first (48%), with shopping carts with bad wheels (38%) and sale items out of stock (31%) bringing up the rear.

Personally, my shopping pet peeves remain crowded stores and people using cell phones while shopping. They are seemingly unaware of how annoying it is when they stop to make a point with a gesture or a loud shriek into the mouthpiece, blocking the aisle in the process.