If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, whatever in the world might it be?
It’s a question that has been asked many times before. By all sorts of people, from two buddies sitting at a ball game, or ten kids, at a slumber party.
It is a difficult question for me. Most people pick something decadent. They spout out their answer quickly, without a second thought. But it seems most people have an opinion.
A recent poll came up with the following results among us Americans.
Pizza
Chinese Food
Cheeseburger
Taco
Fried chicken
French fries
Steak
Burrito
Spaghetti
Nachos
Lasagna
Ice cream
Grilled Cheese
Bacon
Bread
But in a slightly different study, the most “popular” foods in America were ranked. I guess they ordered these by how “much” of the items were sold and consumed. They are as follows.
Hamburgers
Hotdogs
Donuts
French Fries
Oreos
Pizza
Soda
Chicken Tenders
Ice Cream
Potato Chips
I had to think long and hard about my favorite food because these days, I eat mostly the same things over and over again.
But back from my earliest memories, I would say I was a great lover of macaroni and cheese. It doesn’t seem like we got it that much, and when we did, it came right out of the blue and orange box from Kraft. I adored the stuff. And to this day, I still enjoy eating Kraft brand Mac and Cheese, though it is a rare occasion when I have some. Like Halley’s Comet or a total eclipse of the sun.
At some point in my childhood, I discovered potato soup. It seems like the first time I had it, it was just Mom and me in the kitchen, and she let me have a little bowl to taste. I was out of my chair with delight. From that point on, I always asked for potato soup when it was my turn to pick. Like my birthday. Or. My birthday. As the years passed, Mom’s memory shifted, and she thought it was ham, green beans, and potatoes that I liked. I never told her differently, as those were delicious too.
For as much as I loved food, I should have been a heavy kid. But I was at the other end of the spectrum. Scrawny. It wasn’t until my senior year in high school, when I started lifting massive weights for sports and eating loads of food to bulk up, that I actually got a little Hulk-ish. But even then, I wasn’t overly large, except for my “Thunder Thighs.”
Food, for many of us, is closely associated with our childhoods and upbringings. I was lucky enough to grow up in a family where we had plenty of food. And our mom was a good cook. Unlike many kids today, “I don’t like that” was not in our vocabulary. We ate what we were given.
Today, I see so many kids who will only eat one thing, like breakfast bars or pizza. I think it is a terrible shame. A complete injustice to the child, who doesn’t know a thing about nutrition. It is no wonder that things like autism and ADHD are spiking through the roof. The cause isn’t vaccines. I’ll tell you that much.
Regardless. Back to favorite foods. These days, my favorite food would probably have to be eggs. But there is always an asterisk by my choice. I love eggs, but I have to have them with all their friends, like bacon, bagels, and grits. If you just boil an egg and put it on my plate, I will have to look for some pickles, mayonnaise, and a slice of white toast.
Vegetables are probably my second favorite. If I had to name one, it would be cauliflower. Then there are apples.
Mostly, I am thankful for food. Period. I would hate to know a life without an ample supply of food. Many people in the United States and around the world are hungry. Every day hungry. Like most of North Korea, many places in Africa, and many more.
Hopefully, we will be able to solve this problem, but with the climate crisis we have forced upon our planet, our food sources will soon be diminished in capacity too. So for today, enjoy your pizza, ice cream, and Oreos. And pray there is more to come.
===========
“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
===========
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
― Hippocrates
============
“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
===========
Your only food. What would it be?
