132 - Some foods simple, some foods complex

Anyone who knows me long enough will know that I love to eat. I don't just guzzle everything real quickly, either, or eat just anything at any hour of the day. I have a lot of rules when it comes to food. For example, I never let any sauce, milk, ice-cream or any other substance get left behind on the periphery of my mouth. It saves me from having to wipe it later, and my fellow diners from an unattractive sight.

One of the major eating principles I hold dear to my heart is the differentiation between foods that have to be simple, and foods that have to be more complicated. Take macaroni and cheese for example. The indulgent, mouth-watering cheesiness of the dish is a delight, while the pasta itself fills your stomach. The same works for cheese and biscuits, and cheesecake. There's no need for a side of ham next to your biscuits, or some raspberry coulis drizzled over it. The cheese speaks for itself.

Examples of other foods that stand well on their own:
 - sashimi and sushi (no wasabi or soy sauce),
 - the classic Coca-Cola,
 - vanilla ice-cream (no other flavor),
 - toast and butter,
 - french fries and ketchup,
 - chicken nuggets,
 - tomato soup,

On the other hand, there are other foods that are better the more complex they are. They deserve to have more flavors, more textures, more colors, more ingredients, all mixed together to make it work. Take a sandwich for example. I never order BLT, or tuna and mayonnaise. It's just a bit plain if you ask me. It has to be a club sandwich - with tomatoes, lettuce, egg, bacon, turkey, cheese, mustard, ham, ketchup, mayonnaise, cucumber and a third piece of bread in between the top and bottom slices. That's what a real sandwich is to me.

Examples of other foods that should shoot for the stars:
 - nachos covered in beef, salsa, guacamole, sour cream and melted cheese,
 - fruit salad with at least six different kinds of fruit,
 - steak, with peas, carrots, mashed potatoes and gravy,
 - hotdogs with ketchup, mustard, relish, maybe some mayonnaise, corn, cheese, cole slaw, sauerkraut, onion, lettuce, tomato and chili sauce,
 - a full English breakfast, with eggs, toast, butter, jam, bacon, baked beans, hash browns, fried bread, black pudding, mushrooms, potatoes, sausage, and tea,
 - and the Big Mac, with two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions and three sesame seed buns.

What do you think? Do you agree that tomato soup need not be dressed up? Do you disagree and think that a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich is actually very nice?

51 - Alphabet Meme

So I volunteered to do this alphabet meme (link here). AV gave me the letter 'H' for Hong Kong, and I'm supposed to write about ten things that begin with the letter 'H' that carry significance to me.

This was incredibly easy for me, so thank you AV, for picking such a wonderful letter that I wouldn't think would suit me so well at first glance.

Humor - I used to use humor as my defense mechanism, but now, it really is just for entertainment purposes. I love being funny, telling jokes, laughing, and I love it when others can display some wit too. I'm not really a fan of particular comedians, though. They're intentionally being funny to earn money, and I feel it's too unnatural. Everybody knows the true comedians are our hilarious friends.

Hell - I have a fascination with Hell. Even though, I do not believe in the place, I love the concept of it, and the prose, poetry and art that has been produced because of such an ideological place astounds me. I've nearly finished writing a 4000-word essay on the depictions of Hell in literature. If anyone has time to do some reading, (especially those of you who are younger than me and should count themselves lucky to not be in the homework-packed graduating year,) I suggest you find an English translation of Dante Alighieri's Inferno and appreciate the intricacy with which he conceptualized Hell.

Hatred - Even though I have more than one hundred posts dedicated to this one emotion, I do not seriously hate anything or anyone. The word 'hate' is just used for dramatic effect, I'm sure we all know that by now.

Hamburgers - I love food, and in some cases, I just have to have the most basic or classic forms of food. My favorite hamburger would have to be a classic cheeseburger, where the buns are perfect, the meat is the right temperature and softness, and the cheese is melted just right.

Hot dogs - In other instances, I love it when there's a whole lot of flavors mushed into one. I regard a hot dog is best when it is adorned with every additional topping available. I once had one with ketchup, mustard, honey mustard, relish, mayonnaise, corn, melted Swiss cheese, onions, tartar sauce and sour cream. I'm telling you: oh. my. God. So delicious.

Hair - I used to have a very bad obsession with having clean hair. Do you know what agar is? It's basically this jelly-like substance that allows bacteria to grow. Our biology class had to put our nails, or hair, or saliva, something, into some agar, to see if there was any bacteria. My hair, of course, demonstrated no bacterial growth.

Hollywood - I want to be a writer for television and film one day, or perhaps a tabloid writer. Something in the entertainment industry there would delight me ever-so-much.

Hold 'em - I play online Texas Hold'em Poker quite frequently. I'm quite good at it.

Horror - I'm a horror fan, and I end up sweating by the end of horror films, not because I was scared out of my wits, but because I was laughing the whole time at the cheesy dialogue, the fake-looking ghosts, and the other people at the cinema who scream.

Humans - Humans never cease to amaze me, confuse me, delight me, surprise me or influence the way I think. Aren't we just so fascinating? I can't wait to study anthropology this fall.

If you want to play, just give a holler and I'll assign you with a letter. :)