Culinary Convictions

I once had a teacher ask the class to write a paper about our culinary convictions. When you hear the term 'culinary convictions' you probably wonder what it means, as we did. So to help out those of you left wondering, I'll break it down for you. First of all, the word culinary is defined as something of or relating to food or cooking. That's the easy one. We all know something about food or cooking. Secondly, the word conviction, and I don't mean the one related to crime, means to have a strong belief. This, too, is something fairly easy for all of us to relate to. We all believe in something. So to define the term culinary convictions, one might say that it is simply a strong belief in relation to food or cooking.

While many of us may feel that we don't have much to write about with regards to our food preferences, I beg to differ. As I found myself writing my paper, I became aware of the fact that even I have some unusual culinary convictions. For instance, when it comes to eating, there are certain foods that I will absolutely not touch, let alone be expected to consume; these include jello, mushrooms, eggs, and raisins. It's a texture thing! The mere thought of any of these squishy-textured foods coming into contact with my mouth provokes in me an overwhelming feeling of nausea.

"Watch it wiggle, see it jiggle." These words from the all too familiar Jello jingle make me squirm. For years they were used by my older brother in an attempt to torture me, and I have to say it worked. I just so happen to suffer from an acute fear of jello. This fear manifested itself after a traumatic incident during my childhood. As a result, I will not eat, touch, or look at this grotesque and 'wiggly' food or anything remotely resembling the moving monstrosity. This includes jellies, jams and any candy having a jelly-like presence such as licorice, gummy bears, or gum drops. As to the mushrooms, they are utterly gross! At no time will this slug-like fungus find a place on my pizza or anything else I eat. If for some reason any of these foul-tasting, spongy concoctions are present in a casserole, for example, I will meticulously pick out each piece, one by one, before attempting to consume anything.

Including eggs in my diet is not only a waste of time but insane. My culinary menu does not consist of these raw and runny entities. Even when an egg is cooked, its appearance and foul odor will send me into a gagging frenzy. Hard-boiled eggs are the least desirable foods ever thought of. Unfortunately, Easter brings with it a particularly excruciating chore-boiling eggs. It's simply disgusting! Finally, there is the dreaded raisin. The sweet, chewy essence of which the fruit possesses is undeniably horrible. As with all of the others, I will not eat anything consisting of raisins. No cookies, cakes, or salads. My mother can whip up a mean stuffing, but on occasion she has made some that includes the raisin. No thanks, I'll pass. I don't even bother with trying to pick them out; I simply refuse to eat it at all.

I know what you're probably thinking. Is there anything that I will eat? Strawberries and chocolate have been in my diet for as long as I can remember, sending me on a journey of sweet ecstasy. My other food love is meat. I'm sure for those out there who are vegetarians; my love affair with meat may not sit well with you. However, I am a carnivore and I make no apologies for it. While I don't consider myself to be too picky about foods, I do seem to have some strong likes and dislikes. And I'm sure if I were to give it a little more thought, I could probably add a few more; however, I am merely trying to make a point, not a novel. We all have our own opinions regarding foods, and many of us are set in our ways. These are what culinary convictions are, and we all have them. What are yours?