An Apple a Day
Day 1. Any dietary restrictions?
Day 2. Your favorite sweet dish.
Day 3. Your favorite savory dish.
Day 4. Your preferred degree of spiciness.
Day 5. Your signature dish.
Day 6. Are/were you a picky eater?
Day 7. Your favorite fruit.
I'm going to hold off on #6 until the next time I talk with my mom/dad on the phone. I think I was as picky an eater as any kid, but I'd like to hear from them on that. So, for now, I'll skip ahead to #7, my favorite fruit. And in fact, rather than answering this straight-up, I think I'll take a walk down memory lane, and talk about my firsts with fruits.
First time trying fresh coconut was sometime in elementary school when someone brought it in for show and tell or something. (I mean, there was a place for fresh coconuts in 1980s Minnesota grocery stores, but not in Terry family kitchens.) Must've tried my first mango around middle school. As a kid, I remember loving all berries, especially raspberries.
First time trying star fruit was as a college student in France. Passionfruit wasn't until New Zealand, and how could I have missed out for so long? In Japan it was loquat, yummm. Then in Vietnam a whole world of fruits opened up for me, including dragon fruit, mangosteen, rambutan, jackfruit, and the horrifying durian.
Then in Colombia more! Soursop, guayaba, lulo, chirimoya, feijoa, and a couple I can't seem to find online. (These little blueberry-sized tangy orange things. And this bizarre long dried seed-like thing that you broke open and ate creamy white custard inside.)
The climate here in Hawaii works for lots of different tropical fruits, and there's such a long history of immigrants planting trees from their home countries, so it's not hard to find many of these exotic fruits. Makes me want to go to a farmer's market soon...
Oh, and finally, my favorite fruit? I gotta say, even after all that, a really good raspberry still really does it for me. But most fruits do.
Day 8. Your preferred cooking technique.
Day 9. The kitchen of your dreams.
Day 10. Your favorite local fast food place.
Day 11. Your favorite snack.
Day 12. Your favorite fast food dish.
Day 13. The first dish you've ever prepared.
Day 14. Your favorite vegetable.
Day 15. Your most spectacular cooking failure.
Day 16. Your favorite food preparation utensil.
Day 17. Meals planned in advance or spur-of-the-moment ideas?
Day 18. The favorite dish of your childhood.
Day 19. Least favorite dish.
Day 20. A food preparation secret you'd like to learn.
Day 21. Your favorite dairy product.
Day 22. Variety or routine?
Day 23. Your favorite herb[s] and spice[s].
Day 24. Your favorite local restaurant.
Day 25. Haute cuisine or home cooking?
Day 26. If money was of no concern, would your eating habits change?
Day 27. Your usual way of dealing with leftovers.
Day 28. Your favorite beverage on a hot summer day.
Day 29. Lots of small snacks or three square meals a day?
Day 30. Are you comfortable with your relationship with food?