Food daze

As I'm about to leave for Atlanta, I'm thinking of the weird world that surrounds me when I go on work trips, where I eat with people who have completely different tastes than me.  And I'm not just thinking I'm a vegetarian, and no one else is.  It's more the fact that I prefer Mexican and Italian food, as opposed to seafood and steak.  Compromise is an artform, and I'm learning it quite well, thank you.

All that said, this particular train of thought led me to some intense pondering of foods that I don't like, and I hope you appreciate this list, because it's given me a full-on tummy ache.  Here are some foods that I absolutely, positively, even under threat of torture, would not be able to choke down at any cost. 

1.  Fish, seafood, etc.  There is no possible way that I can eat anything that smells that bad.  Is there anyone who catches a whiff of fish and says, "Ooooooh, that makes me hungry."  I don't think so.  One time April ordered some sort of fishy pasta at a restaurant, and neither of us could eat our dinner because of the intense odor, and she likes seafood!  Now that is powerful...

2.  Salami.  Even if I weren't a vegetarian, there is no way I could consume salami.  Reason?  At the age of 2 or 3, I ate a salami sandwich while watching a nature special on tarantulas.  To this day, I associate salami with tarantulas, and I'm not ever going to eat anything that makes me think of a giant hairy spider.  Need I say more?

3.  Watermelon.  How on earth can I survive in the South when even the scent of watermelon makes me sick to my stomach? And don't even get me started on the sickeningly sweet taste, or the squidgy texture.  I just can't do it.

4.  Strawberries / raspberries / assorted berries.  Don't get me wrong - I love the taste of berries. It's the seedy, hairy outside that I can't deal with.  Anything that tickles my mouth on the way in is a no-no.

5.  Fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt.  EWWWWW.  Why would you want to taint the delightful creamy texture of yogurt with a surprise chunk here and there?  It's the same with cruchy onions in stuffing - it seems like an accident, and I don't ever want to taste an accident, you know what I mean?  Because you never know what it could be!

There are so many other things, because, as I've found, I'm an incredibly picky eater!  But let me tell you what I love to eat - baby carrots, hot cheetos, ice cream and black bean veggie patties. Or chips and salsa, and beans and rice with honey on top (it's the whole salty and sweet thing - delightful).  Or why not an entire package of mentos washed down with a dark cherry mocha?  Now I'm getting hungry just thinking of it.  With that said, it's time to get a snack.