I don’t know if this is normal for everyone or is a quirk that is particular to just Pete and me, but often sometimes my man and I have food obsessions. If we’re lucky, it’s an easy itch to scratch and involves only a 10 minute journey to a nearby store. Other times, however, it’s an itch that won’t go away and is made more difficult by the fact that the food in question is difficult to find.
For example, when I was pregnant with Graceful, Pete and I went to New Zealand. While there, we had our first encounter with feijoa (a.k.a. pineapple guava), which is a fruit that is the shape of a kiwifruit, but a little smaller. It has a creamy, flowery flavor and is divine. It’s also damn near impossible to find in our neck of the woods.
Pete and I thought about feijoas for years. I tried getting it at the grocery store, but no one even knew what I was talking about. I tried special ordering it but it was so expensive that I had to decide if the fruit was worth sacrificing my children’s future college careers. A few years ago, I was able to find feijoa in a local grocery store at Christmas time, but it was still around $2 for a small fruit. I bought a few and we savored them. Since then, I’ve been able to find them some years, but not others, and they’re still expensive. I’m seriously thinking about getting a couple of bushes from a nearby nursery, putting them in pots, moving them inside every winter, and generally mollycoddling them until I can get my own damn supply of feijoas.
Before we went on vacation last summer, Pete and I did some research and decided that there were three foods we HAD to have on our travels: a perfect Philly Cheesesteak, lobster rolls in Maine, and poutine in Quebec City.
While we were in Philly, we ate the most perfect Philly Cheesesteaks. Pete paid attention to what the master chefs were doing and has since recreated those perfect packages of bread, thinly sliced and cooked meat, and cheese. My man, he has skillz.
While we were in Maine, Pete and I ate as much lobstah as we could manage in two days. We didn’t have any with breakfast, but that’s only because they weren’t offering it crumbled over bowls of oatmeal or anything like that. Since we’ve gotten home, Pete has done more research and now knows every restaurant in town that offers lobstah in some way. Alas, it is still very expensive, but we did manage to have lobster bisque with our Christmas dinner.
[I know this will be very strange to our Maine friends, as for them, lobster is as ubiquitous as McDonald's. In fact, I have it on good authority that even the public schools serve Lobster Newberg on Fridays.]
As for the poutine, before we got to Quebec City, I was dubious. I mean, come on, french fries, gravy, and cheese curds? Are you kidding me? That can’t possibly taste good. So I didn’t push for us to go to the best poutine place in Q.C. and it wasn’t until our penultimate day there that we had it.
Oh my holy hell y’all. You would not believe how good poutine is. I am not kidding. It was a party in my mouth, with the cheese curds acting as squeaky little noisemakers. I went out that night and found more cheese curds near our hotel and inhaled them.
Since we’ve been home, we’ve attempted to find cheese curds locally, but have thus far not been successful. We’re still working on it, though, and one day victory will be ours.
That doesn’t mean we haven’t made our own poutine. On the contrary, we’ve managed it twice in the past month. Just make french fries and gravy and add fresh mozzarella that has been drained of the water and then chopped up. It’s not quite the same, but it’s close enough that it works for us.
And for those of you who, like me, are watching closely what you eat in an attempt to get healthy and maybe shed a few pounds, here’s how I manage to eat poutine and not gain weight (in fact, I’ve already lost several pounds this month): small portions. I have a small pile of fries (much less than a cup), a modest amount of cheese (a quarter cup or less), and a drizzling of gravy. And, while Pete is making the poutine, I start things off with a salad or some raw veggies. That’s it. I can still enjoy a food I like, but just keep things in small portions.
But what about the rest of you? Who has food obsessions and what are they?
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Slightly tangential, but son C complained at New Year that he had had too much smoked salmon over Christmas. We asked him if his diamond encrusted shoes were bothering him too, but he didn’t get the saracasm.
sarcasm. ick.
I love poutine. Delish!! Curds are very hard to come by, but can usually be found in specialty grocery stores. And the gravy can’t be too salty, or it’s gross.
I love food. I have many obsessions.
Darn you for mentioning poutine again! We used to eat it far too often at the diner by the university where I studied in Quebec. I barely studied. I went to clubs and danced until the wee hours of the morning…then ate poutine.
My obsession is ice cream. I eat it almost every day. I try to stick to scooping it into a tea cup so I don’t eat too, too much.
I applaud your weight loss! And ask, softly, if you’ve ever considered making your own cheese curds? ‘Tis not hard…..
http://www.ehow.com/how_5106352_make-cheese-curds-poutine.html
Brownies. York Peppermint Patties. Homemade Salsa (Pioneer Woman’s recipe ONLY)
Do we have food obsessions??? That’s like asking if we wake up in the morning. My husband and I once planned an entire weekend road trip to Ohio just for White Castle. I know W.C. Sliders aren’t fancy fruit or Lobstah (which I LOVE) but there is something about those little steamed burgers that make people crazy.
There are plenty of other road trips, but I don’t want to write a novel here
Is the Pope a catholic?
One of my food obsessions is actually poutine. I’ve instituted monthly poutine in our house since that’s my way of not gaining too much weight from eating it all the time. So far I’ve been making it with mozzarella but thank you to daysgoby because I’m definitely making my own curd from now on!
Others include sea salt and balsamic vinegar kettle chips, honey roasted cashew nuts, and carrots that have been pot-roasted with beef for a really long time so they’re all sweet. And macarons (those gooey lovely French ones). Oh lard, macarons.
I’m with you on the poutine. Come to think of it, I was with you when you tried the poutine, lol. Other obsessions? Hot and sour soup. And really, really good cheese. Like Balderson’s 4 year old cheddar (made in Perth, a short drive from Carp). And Oka cheese from Quebec.
I don’t think we have any food obsessions, but I sure like hearing about yours!
I could be wrong, but I think I saw cheese curds as a choice in the cafeteria in the basement of the American History Museum in DC (the Stars and Stripes Cafe) when I was there with my daughter yesterday. It’s not worth a special trip because I really could be mistaken, but the next time you happen to be nearby, you might want to check.
We ordered poutine at the suggestion of our server at Le Cellier (Canadian Restaurant) while we were in EPCOT last October.
The kids inhaled it.
Oh my God, I want to hang out with you people.
Alison, when I was pregnant the 2nd (yes, that’s how we refer to it!) I ate hot and sour soup EVERY day. My kid loves salsa and chili.
White Castle. It’s like a once-every-five-years thing for me (I live about a million miles from one and the frozen ones are NOT THE SAME) but yes, greasy and WONDERFUL.
Peppermint bark. Pumpkin seeds. Black pepper on fresh corn. (Try it!!) Sea sale (on well, everything, but especially on) potato chips and granny smith apple slices.
Reuben sandwiches. French dips. (I use the PW’s second recipe. Drooling a little now.)
Mmm. Is it lunchtime yet??
Sea sale. I really am hungry. Sea SALT, of course!
Okay, Immagonna have to agree. Food obsessions? Girl have you lost your mind? OF COURSE we have food obsessions! All depends on the hour, the day, the month, (um, sometimes the time of the month), etc. One thing I’ve been super duper missing in Mackinac Island Fudge Ice Cream. And Giordano’s Deep Dish Pizza. And corn on the cob (is summer here yet?).
Also – cheese curds. Talk to your friends in Wisconsin. They are the cheese curd masters. Every once in a blue moon the grocery store I frequent most will have a selection. Unless they’re real WI cheese curds, I ain’t buyin’.
Cheese curds are like potatoes to us Wisconsin people. J’adore them. And only fresh and still warm from the vats.
Gravy on fries is something I forget–like Henry Fonda–then you see them again and say, “Oh! Aren’t you just wonderful!”
British food. I know, some people think that’s an oxymoron. But seriously? I dream about Tesco’s chicken baps (kind of a savory chicken salad in a big fluffy potato bun) and their pasta salad (with tomato sauce and no I have no idea how they make it so delicious.) Also cherry bakewells are phenomenal. Sometimes I buy them from the London Market but they’re like $5 for 6 tiny, tiny tarts and I inhale them so it’s not cost effective. And Mr. Kipling’s Exceedingly Fine French Fancies. Little petite fours of deliciousness.
When I was pregnant, we lived in Arkansas with no way to get any foreign foods of any kind. I mean, ramen was rare. I hated Arkansas. But being pregnant, of course I craved all the foods I couldn’t have. Dammit. It was a trying time for me.
Poutine sounds gross. I’ll have to try it
I had cheese curds at the Tillamook factory and they were okay, but I do admit that I’m not wild about cheese. I’m kind of a freak that way.
Hey, here’s a healthy one I’m currently obsessed with: kale soup. Specifically, Joy the Baker’s sweet potato and kale soup. It is indescribably delicious – and relatively healthy! I made a batch last night because my kale and chard were about to go bad. After one bowl I was stuffed silly and I almost cried because I wanted to eat more and just couldn’t. Yeah, it’s THAT good. I’d link it for you but my computer is pretending it’s a dial-up, so just google Joy the Baker kale and sweet potato soup. Yum.
Well, thanks for that. It is six more months before we get back to Canada and decent poutine and now I want some NOW!
Ladies, I can tell you that post-menopause (which I am) your taste buds diminish . . . sad, but true. Maybe nature’s weight loss reduction plan, naturally? I dunno, but it’s definitely noticable.
I used to crave chocolate & salt. At “that time of the month” aka ovulation. It was a hershey’s chocolate bar + Lays potato chips until I found Vosges chocolate bars, and then? Magic. Oh, also Fran’s grey salt caramels. OD’d on those puppies.
I find in my dotage (I’m 48) that I prefer only the food items that I really really enjoy, and yes I have to go chasing them down. I refuse to do mediocre any longer, instead, preferring to go without, if I cannot find my favorites. And usually, they are not found in my local crap supermarket here in Northern CA. At Whole Foods, Berkeley Bowl West (a fine hippie institution) and those eating establishments along the Gourmet Ghetto in Berkeley on Shattuck Ave.
I will only drink Blue Bottle Coffee, eat Fran’s chocolate (and Vosges) Le Saunier de Camargue Fleur de Sel, Point Reyes Blue, Dynamo Donuts, Clover dairy products, Berkeley Farms whipping cream (in my morning espresso!) that about covers all the major food groups, no?
It’s actually easier not eating mediocre. Free’s you up to think about all the other important things in life.
And here’s to eating smaller portions–here here! and huzzah!
My food obsession is mussels. You can’t really find them fresh at a grocery store around here, and the frozen ones are awful. So it limits us to going out (which we try not to do too frequently) to be able to partake, making them all the more special when we do have them.
I totally understand the lobster obsession. But my boyfriend is from Maine, so that would explain it. LOOOVE lobster rolls. Sometimes, the wine festivals around here will have a Maine lobster roll stand set up. Delish!
Guanabana!
Another tropical fruit…impossible to find here…but you can buy the nectar in a can…oh, girl…good stuff..
and one that i have never had but want to try..
Quenepas…another tropcial fruit.
i am obsessed with this one too..mainly b/c I cannot find any anywhere.
OMgoodness you do not want to get me going on this: chocolate, shrimp, crab, tomatoes, and lately white cheddar popcorn
I could go on but needless to say–I’m having to watch my weight
I certainly never thought I’d feel this way back in my Arizona-living days, but lobster is just “meh” to me now. Now, poutine! THAT sounds intriguing.
I will respectfully disagree with bdaiss and MelissaWest.
I’ve had Wisconsin cheese curds and Quebec cheese curds, and vive la difference! I like the Quebec ones better. The Wisconsin ones were orange, and that’s just wrong!
Real cheddar curds are undyed white. J’aime le fromage en graines Québecois!!
I’m like you in that I have to eat the specialties of where I visit. When I was in Chicago last year I was so stuffed, but unwilling to leave without a Chicago dog, that I ordered one, took a bite, and threw the rest away!
My obsession? Cheese baby Cheese!
http://canadacheeseman.wordpress.com/
What is this Poutine of which you speak? Guess I’ll have to give it a try!