Droste Chocolate. The dark stuff. Bittersweet.

Veal Marsala. Served over Basmati Rice. With a real Caesar Salad on the side and don’t hold the anchovy paste.

Eastern Shore Maryland Crabs in the shell, thrown by the bucket onto the table covered with brown paper and with plenty of melted butter for dipping. Eat ‘em until you wanna burst.

I wish I could afford the good caviar more often, it truly is exquisite.

Rare Prime Rib from the Black Angus in Adamstown PA. And yes, it’s Prime Black Angus Prime Rib. It’s what they’re known for. Obviously.

My own smokehouse chili, a 6 alarm wonder. Southwesterners complain because it has beans in it while they’re killing the whole pot . . . two handed.

White peaches from the orchard in Pittstown New Jersey right about NOW. You take a bite and the sweetest peach juice in the world runs down your arm.

Shrimp Scampi so garlicky you reek of it for days, over basmati. With my special “it takes two days to make it” cucumber salad.

Kimchi from the korean girls who sell it at the flea market at Cowtown in South Jersey. They dip it out of a huge barrel, claim it’s been fermented buried for months, and it’ll scorch the paint off your car, never mind the roof of your mouth.

A Philly cheesesteak WITH. If you’re from South Philly you know what that means.

Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey or Cherry Garcia. Either/or.

Biscuits and Gravy from that little hole in the wall cafe in Norway South Carolina, or the way Chief’s wife, Jackie, from Sallisaw Oklahoma makes them.

Peel & eat Large Shrimp. With fresh grated extra horseradish and lots of lemon in the homemade cocktail sauce.

Risotto made by my Nana. Followed by a dessert of Zabaglione.

Marinated artichoke hearts, and not the ones you buy in the grocery store.

Lebanese Mixed Grill from The Almond Tree in Alpha, with extra garlic sauce and a side of stuffed grape leaves. Ah hell, lets go for broke and order the hummus too.

PA Dutch Pickled Eggs, but with vidalias substituting for the regular onions.

New Jersey (greek) Diner Cheesecake. With either pineapple or blueberry topping. This was also my pregnancy crave.

Hot Tamales from the guy who used to vend them on the lot on Sunday at the 26th St. Market in Manhattan ten years ago. Followed by those cardamom candies the West Indian girl used to sell the same way.

And on those rare occasions when I’ve had a few beers (Yuengling Lagers) a couple few “belly bombers” aka White Castle Hamburgers (or actually cheeseburgers.)

first a confession–i am a food lover (not a foodaholic, but food lover, not a gourmond, just a i love good food of any type from anywhere kinda food lover–well i draw the line at anything that may result in sudden death (like puffer fish or mushrooms i’ve gathered myself) and i’m not overly enthusiastic about foods that harbor intestinal parisites and i shun all things monkey. other than that, don’t tell me and i’ll probably eat it and chances are i’ll enjoy it. in fact i mark most of my most pleasurable life experiences by memorable meals. i am continualy amazed how i can forget such things as the names of my cousin’s kids (who i see with some frequency) but can conjure up with absolute mouth-watering clarity the fork tender, lightly breaded, sauteed abalone enjoyed at the breakers in morro bay more years ago than i choose to admit (a dish i attemped to replicate countless times at restuarants up and down the west coast, without success), ruby red ahi in san diego, the trout burro at cafe pasquale in santa fe (so delectable i had it for breakfast and returned to have it for lunch), back to back dinners of the elk tenderloin in vail, buckets and buckets of the sweetest oysters on god’s green earth, or brackish tidal waters, at a bar in manhatten that we ate as fast as the bartender could shuck them.

my favorite food however is ANYTHING my friend kathy makes. she is not only a fantastic cook, during our 21 year friendship (our anniversary was last week) she’s has always been able to intuit exactly when this girl was in emotional need of a full on feed. my biggest compliment as a chef (and i’m not exactly a slouch in that department)–came last month when, for the first time, kathy asked ME for a recipe (pork barbacoa if you must know. thow on some tortillas, add a side of rice and black beans and you have got youself one heck of a meal).

i am now drooling all over my keyboard. so if you’ll excuse me i think i’ll go throw together some seared halibut with citrus glace, tarragon rice, grilled morels and endive salad (with goat cheese and dried cranberries).

ps for dessert, dq hot fudge sunday with extra hot fudge-YUM!

I adore Doritos(and other cheese favored snacks)but due to having to watch my salt,I stay away as much as I can. But,in the afterlife,I would add them to my daily menu:

Breakfast-French toast,bacon and orange juice(I have been drinking more oj lately but the other stuff takes too much time to whip up)

Lunch: I would have two options,a)tuna sandwich with pickles on it(so good!)and Doritos on the side or b)corned beef hash cooked with ketchup and onions(it’s so damn good but the sodium levels are scary!)

Dinner: Meatloaf w/ tomato sauce(it’s not meatloaf without tomato sauce-gravy makes it salisbury steak),baked potato and corn on the cob

Dessert:Anything chocolate:)

Oh, and I’ve always loved ginger ale floats. Just like a root beer float, except with ginger ale instead. Mmm…

Great. Now I’m hungry.