I’ve been trying to get in the habit of exercising. This may sound banal to you, but in reality this is like trying to get a feral cat used to full body shampoos.  It’s a process.  After I do my time on the treadmill I want a treat, but the last thing I want to do [...]

There’s an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants that I have been known to watch repeatedly.  It’s called “Just One Bite” and the premise is that sarcastic, narcissistic Squidward hates crabby patties and all those who enjoy them.  This is all because he has never actually eaten a patty due to the fact that they are greasy [...]

The eternal American breakfast question is “savory or sweet?”  Do I have a hearty scramble of eggs with sausage or bacon and home fried potatoes, or do I essentially have dessert for breakfast, a.k.a. the tower of fluffy pancakes covered in fruity topping and whipped cream?  Some brave souls have tried to eat both.  Generally [...]

I am a big fan of quinoa, not because it has the “health food” stamp, and not because it’s a “superfood” that sustained the Inca Empire, but because it really is a delicious and extremely adaptable food.  You can make it Indian curry style, Italian style, Chinese style, and the list goes on.  You can [...]

Dear reader, tonight I am questioning whether I am truly the right person to be writing a food column because darn it, all I want for dinner is cereal.  I love the initial crunchiness, the salty sweetness, and finally gulping down the survivors sopping with milk.  Rather than dairy, I prefer a light vanilla soy [...]

Strawberry shortcake has always fascinated me.  The perfect blend of a juicy, ripe summer fruit, fresh cream, and a dense scone or light cake, it can be made the easy way with mainly store bought ingredients, or the cream and cake components can be lovingly prepared by hand.  In either case, I am happy to [...]

Certain foods inspire an illogical revulsion in me. I find mushrooms, for instance, impossible to separate from the fact that they grow upon decomposing matter. Their very texture conjures up images of rotting meat and dead, wet, brown leaves. For my boyfriend, it’s the sight of bone or cartilage; he can’t stand any sign that [...]

During my childhood, dinnertime could be as late as nine o’clock due to my dad’s frenetic work schedule.  I had to have a snack after school to be able to wait for a long simmered Persian meat and vegetable stew over rice.  My mini-meal of choice was Oscar Meyer bologna and Kraft American cheese (always [...]

My favorite piece so far is “Hello Halo Halo,” because I love sharing foods from my childhood that may be utterly unknown or incomprehensible to some readers.  Mung beans and purple yam and palm seeds in my dessert?!  Yes!!  I love to encourage culinary exploration. Originally published 04/06/11 Like so many people, I have a [...]

Recently I was lucky enough to have some truly amazing, flavorful, rich and delicious Chicken Biryani.  Instead of pouring curry over the rice and mixing it before eating it, the maker of Biryani cooks the rice in the curry.  This means that the rice is not just covered but infused with the flavor of the [...]