It started as a fun question to ask my interview subjects last year when I was finishing off our sessions. Now that I put together some of the answers for this week’s Food For Thought segment, I want to hear more.
Yes, I know lots of you are starting ‘diets’. But is there just one food that you would never give up? The answers in the column ranged from cheese, to beef, to potatoes, to pork, to something as specific as bacon. My vote goes to chocolate, in all of its exquisite variations.
What’s your must-have food? Click on the ‘Comments’ link at the bottom of this post and type in your answer and why. I’ll choose one entry at random to receive a great cookbook by James Chatto and Lucy Waverman called, A Matter of Taste. It’s a $50 value, and even if you don’t win, I recommend it as a valuable addition to any cookbook shelf. I made the veal tenderloin wrapped in sage and prosciutto for New Year’s, and I’m still swooning. Contest deadline is Wednesday, January 12th at 6pm Pacific Time.
I could never give up lemon. I grew up in Greece where lemon juice gives all dishes that winning finishing touch from wild greens to fresh fish.
We Dont teach our kids this saying for nothing.
I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM . WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICECREAM !!!!!!!!!! ha ha…….oh my gosh i could not even dream about taking that away from me as i am so addicted to icecream……….. even on a minus 12 day we had yesterday i curled into my pjs/housecoat and fireplace and relaxed in a bowl of icecream……ha ha……thanks for the fun contest !! Rena
I totally agree. Who could live without chocolate????
I would find it impossible to give up bread. With all it’s flavors, textures and versatility… it is truly my comfort food.
I can’t believe that nobody has mentioned pasta! Pasta is truly the one staple I could never give up. Pasta in the summer, with fresh garden vegetables, pasta in the winter with rich cheese or meat sauces, pasta in all of it permutations. Pasta as a first plate! Pasta as a main dish! Pasta as dessert! Pasta anytime and anywhere. I simply could never, ever, give up pasta.
I could never give up chocolate
I could never give up on chocolate. It’s great and keeps me going.
I could never give up bread! or secondly, potatoes! So it must be the starch that I really love. But bread I could not give up.
This has to be one of the hardest questions in any foodies life: I iwould have to say bread.
I was going to say french fries/potato chips but now I’ll say POTATOES!!!!! Then I can have them mashed, baked and fried!
I could not give up peanut butter. I have it everyday. It’s convenient and a terrific source of protein and fat in my vegan diet. It goes well with all sorts of things – toast, pears and dates, and even carrots. Soon I’d like to try a peanut butter pumpkin soup recipe I think saw somewhere.
Garlic. Is it a food, or a flavouring? I know many will say the latter, but I must strenuously disagree. It seems to me I very rarley make or enjoy any prepared dish as much without garlic. And when I find a partially crushed clove in a rustic dish of stew or pasta, it is inevitably the most enjoyable morsel in the dish. Carmelized and sweetened by roasting or slow frying, slightly crispy and spicy in a quick fried vegetable, nestled into a pocket sliced into the side of a roast or chicken, sweated to perfection in some olive oil in a simple pasta sauce….garlic is all purpose, has a neverending range of tastes and textures, AND is good for you to boot! Quite simply, food would not be the same without it and I fear I would be forced to fast if it were denied me.
the one food I couldn’t do without was up until about a year ago icecream in any fornow I find its bread. Even though I love choc. and cheese and some wines bread is the one I look for at all times of the day
I gave this a lot of thought, and even though life would be pretty empty without bread, potatoes, chocolate … I would gladly give them all up to preserve the joys of GRAVY! Gravy is the perfect food – It tastes fantastic on everything – bread, potatoes, vegetables, even salad (okay, I haven’t tried it on chocolate, but I am open to the experience). My mother is the QUEEN OF GRAVY MAKERS! When I travelled around Europe and my hosts would ask what I wanted for supper, I made sure I knew how to say gravy in every language. It’s liquid gold.
As a vegetarian, rice comprises its own food group in my daily diet. A cheap, nutritious staple for the majority of the world, short or long-grain, I could never give any of it up (unless, of course, it’s that insta-converted so-called rice in a box). Jasmine rice, brown rice, arborio rice, basmati rice, glutinous rice, plain jane white, or any of the estimated 140,000 cultivated varieties…I say an enthusiastic “Yum!”
Without a doubt I could not live without fruit. Fruit is the evidence of diversity around the world. Wherever you travel there are variations in the way the people prepare meat, fish, and vegetables but the fruits are different. Completely different, and a true novel taste adventure. Fruit is quenching, filling, and satisfying. Even within our own borders the diversity is stunning; just look at apples for an example. My own version of seasonal affective disorder is a mild winter seasonal fruit deprivation disorder. If only fruit had protein, I could truly live on it.
One word -> PASTA!! Almost any color, size or shape, I can’t imagine not having it at least twice a week. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. With my husbands great homemade sauces (meat, cheeze or vegetable) it makes it a to-die- for dish, every time.
Thanks for having the contest!
Chow,
Carmen
I could and never would give up potatoes and cheese and they marry up so well! I love growing potatoes – so many varieties. I think it is the Irish in me. What combinations of cheese and potatoes I can think of: scalloped potatoes, twice baked potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes with parmesan cheese. Its the texture of both that I would miss. I did give up potatoes and cheese once for 5 days and felt so deprived! My favourite cheese is Gargonzola; favorite potatoe – purple variety – wow!
There’d be a lot of tough things to give up, but nothing even comes close to chocolate. I’m allergic to it and I still eat it!
Rice, without a doubt, is the one food I could and would NEVER give up. You can eat it for any meal – I was recently is Asia were cold rice and fruit is popular for breakfast. It goes good in wraps, soups, as an side dish or all by itself. Oh don’t forget rice cakes too! I eat it every day!
I could never give up cheese–and low-fat cheese doesn’t really count as cheese. Parmigiano, Padano, Gorgonzola, Friulano, Roquefort, Apple-Smoked Cheddar, Montasio, Gruyere–these are great cheeses made with love and care for a true gourmet. Everything in moderation, right!
Chocolate! It is in a food group of its own, and I could never give it up. Besides, it contains antioxidants, and therefore is actually good for you!
I have been a soldier since I was 17. I am still serving at 52! When I started soldering I spent a hugh amount of time (years) on Patrol in the african bush. Rations were delivered every 10 days, and because of the need for mobility and the very hot dry (sometimes very wet) conditions most of our grub was in the form of “hard rations”. Tinned and dry for the most part. We would receive bread for the first two days and with the travel time to reach us it was already at least a week old and stale beyond belief. None the less it was bread and eaten with relish even with the occassional mold spots! Our patrols lasted never less than 10 weeks and often 16. We used to build menus as entertainment and they always included bread!
I honestly believe that there is no doubt that we all take bread totally for granted. Yet it is an ancient staple and there is nothing like the hot fresh smell and taste of bread in all its wonderful forms. I defy anybody in the world including chocoholics to turn down a slice of warm fresh white bread when they have been deprived of this wonderful food for any real length of time. The answer can only be bread, and for me personally hot fresh white baguette!
Bruce Sand
Old soldier and Champion of bread!
I would definitely have to say that oatmeal is the one food that I must have in my repertoire. I eat it every morning with a variety of seasonal additions. It has sustained me through miserable camping trips, flu bouts, visits to unmentionable relatives and any difficult situation you can name. The wonder of oatmeal is that it is completely storable and portable.
I one food I could not give up is the ever versatile egg. There are so many ways to prepare them – devilled, baked, poached, fried in butter with a dash of pepper, scrambled, hard boiled, egg salad sandwiches, quiche, western sandwiches, omelettes… They are essential to so many dishes and desserts. So much perfection in a simple package.
I don’t think I could ever give up pasta – all the different types make sure your taste buds are never bored!
It’s home grown small new potatoes for me!
I can eat them by the bucketful
glyn
I couldn’t give up coffee…it goes with everything…friends, chocolate, whatever. It’s great to drink on it’s own & a little shot of Kahlua never hurt, either!
I could not give up bread…fresh, steaming, soft, crusty…melt in your mouth with a slab of butter…bread. Anything in the bread family is too hard…cinnamon buns etc. How anyone can do the Atkins is beyond me!
I love pasta especially with cream sauce. Macaroni and cheese, fetuccini. It is all comfort food to me.
Hands down sugar.
I’ve given up alot of fatty foods as my metabolism and gone into slow gear, but “sweet tooth” is a major understatement with me. I couldn’t function without sugar energy.
The one thing that will take me around the world and back is the egg. From ‘tea eggs ‘and ‘eggs fu-yan’ in China to ‘masala umlit ki kari ‘in India to ‘frittata’ in Italy and back home to the ‘bacon and eggs’ sunday fry up, eggs are there!! And to top that list, as the mom of two fussy kids it is protein that they’ll eat!!
Don –
As long as I could also have a choice of beverages (coffee, beer or wine), giving up all but one food would be a snap. Just give me potatoes! I love them! There are more than 200 species of potato on this planet. And we have been cultivating them for around 8,000 years. Besides that, they are one of the most utilitarian foods around, eaten by people no matter what their social status. (During the mid 1840’s, the common Irish peasant ate 5-10 pounds of potatoes each day — yum, that’s eatin’! The potato leads all vefetables in worldwide production so there are plenty to go around. And you can find them most anywhere. Which would be essential for undertaking such a bizarre diet. Besides, while running at Uvic in the 90’s, my coach put us on a “potato diet” and it really was not so bad … but then, like I said before, I had a choice of beverages to wash them down!
Love your site and your visits to CBC radio!
Sincerely,
Surly Dave.
Milk. Because without milk, I could not have a proper cup of tea. And to me, there is nothing more comforting than a perfectly brewed pot of orange pekoe tea with a good amount of 2% milk. If I am sick, sad, or just want to be reminded of home, a nice cup of tea is an instant mood lifter.
I once tried to give up dairy – I didn’t miss cheese, or ice cream, or any of the indulgent things I thought I might – just that bit of milk for my tea!
The one food I could never give up completely is beef….specifically a good beef roast. I can do without for a couple of weeks but then must do a roast..it is soo satisfying.
Very Interesting, my never give up food is varied as my favourite is a robust fish chowder soup – so comforting on a cold day.
A chilled glass of white wine and fresh
bread with butter would be “tops”
I don’t think I could ever give up chicken. You could prepare it so many ways I can never tire of it!
What’s WRONG with these people, Don? The ONLY correct answer is “eggs”. I crave them in a way that is not natural. I buy mine from a farm on Telegraph Road, about five minutes from my home in Mill Bay, here on the Island. If the kids aren’t in the car, the eggs ride up front with me so I can look at them as I negotiate traffic on the Trans Canada. By the time I get home, my lust for them nearly overwhelms my abilty to crack open three of them, whip them into a gprgeous orange froth with a splash of cold water and seasoning salt and NUKE them until they rise magestically proud of their pyrex prison and… excuse me…I have to go, now.
The first thing that popped into my head when I read the question was CHEESE. Despite the fact that I LOVE a variety of foods, whenever I feel a little peckish, I find myself heading for the fridge for a little piece of that delectable, irresistible Cheeeese. I love them all!!! Well not all, but most. As a child I was often called, the family mouse!
The one food I could never give up is turkey breast meat. There’s nothing that makes me drool more than the smell of a turkey roasting in the oven, the smell permeates through the house and drives everyone mad.
Cheese. Glorious, satisfying, exquisite. From the soft and delicate to the nasty and gnarly. A higher authority was very generous to me when I developped a bad case of lactose intolerence yet allowed me to appreciate a bit of cheese in many forms. I was able to give up milk and ice cream and stuff, but if I’m good and stay within a certain limited threashold, I’m safe. Whew! (must be the transformation?)
I love olives!
I could never, ever, give up cheesecake!
Tomatoes – The glorious fruit and vegetable in-waiting is wonderful fresh, eaten like an apple, cooked, stewed, fried, baked and broiled. This staple has been used by many cultures with a heart bold enough to try this alarming fruit. Cooked with spices it transforms dishes with fish, meat, vegetarian and even eggs (think huevos rancheros).
Like all good carbo addicts I love sugar, bread, potatoes and the like but take away my fresh beefstake, roma or cherrie tomatoes and I see red!
I could never give up vegetables. For real. They are so overwhelmingly underestimated and often over looked . Vegetables are central to my diet. I drink beautiful fresh carrot-lime-ginger juice, eat steamed and raw veggies, make wonderful soups; pumpkin, zucchini, potato, celeri etc… I could never give them up, ever.
Capers, that’s what I couldn’t do without.
Capers with smoked salmon, or in a “puttanesca” sauce. I would hate to be on a deserted island without my capers. There is simply no substitute!
I could never survive without yoghurt! So good as breakfast, in soup, a side dish, or as dessert! And so good for you! I feel like yoghurt keeps me alive.
It would be hard to imagine a life without tomatoes!Going to the garden to pick that fresh tomatoe to make a sandwich or salad is one of the joys of summer.I can’t imagine not being able to make salsas,soups or sauces without tomatoes.We now enjoy vine ripened tomates with almost every dinner.I even use green tomatoes for my mincemeat tarts.
Love your show and web site.
It is a toss-up between beef and potatoes.
But there is so much one can do with beef, that I will keep beef.
PASTA. Since I am the chief cook in our house, whatever I give up, my family too would have to give up. We simply could not live without the variety of pasta dishes we eat! For quick meals before soccer practice that are nutritious and delicious pasta is the ticket in out house at least once a week.
So if there is one food we could not do without it definitely is pasta.
Thanks for the question, it is a good one.
Elisha Rothfels
rothfels@shaw.ca
I could never give up pizza. I think I could eat pizza every day! Cheese, bread, meat, vegetables – all the food groups! 🙂 It is a fun food and a great treat!
im in the pasta group as well
Crustaceans. Definitely crustaceans. There’s nothing better than sinking your teeth into a big, fat, juicy prawn, fresh from it’s shell. Unless you’re snapping off the leg of a big, fat, juicy lobster to dip it in hot butter. I could eat crustaceans every meal, every day (so glad I’m not allergic to shellfish).
I could never give up artisan bread. I love a hearty loaf of bread.
I could NEVER give up bread. Bread is good for breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks. Pita, Nan, French baguettes, sour dough, olive fugasse,the list is endless and impossible to live without. Bread is truly the staff of life.
You had requested stories about food that we would find most excruciating to
give up for the New Year. I’ve given the question some thought and have
arrived at one item after an extensive process of elimination.
I am one of those fanatics who rush out on weekends to buy some new-fangled
ingredient introduced by the latest culinary show – often a foreign food item
that I have not learned to pronounce properly yet. However, my love of food is
not restricted to exotic mysteries from far away lands. I also adore rich, home-
simmered comfort foods, redolent with familiarity. I enjoy salty seafood
captured fresh from the ocean, I am addicted to the crunch of the perfect
carrot, and I even have a weakness for (gasp) sinful junk food! I believe that
if I were to give up any one food for the New Year, that specific food would
automatically escalate to become my current obsession. Yet, beyond the perverse
nature of wanting something simply because one can’t have it, there are certain
foods that I would want even if I were granted unlimited access to them.
Mushrooms belong in this category.
I can imagine my taste buds withering meal after meal as they pine away for the
earthy delight of porcinis, morels, or shitakes. Mushrooms are big in my book
because they satisfy my desire for that unique savory flavor. During my
childhood, mushrooms were used very sparingly; little precious slivers were
granted to perfume a risotto or a fancy stew. Now that I am master and
commander of my own kitchen, I tend to overindulge. I covet mushrooms the
same way some women covet fancy baubles or designer clothing. To push the
analogy further, I have to admit that I am not one of the more tasteful,
understated fashion aficionados. When it comes to mushrooms, more is
definitely more! The bolder, the more pungent, and the smokier the flavor, the
better the fungi.
Unfortunately, over the past several years, I have had to give up most of the foods your guests mentioned on the show (cheese, all other dairy products, pork, potatoes, bread, wine) along with several other foods due to food allergies and sensitivities. Trust me, I have been feeling very deprived! The one food I do love which I have been able to tolerate off and on over the years is dark chocolate, the type that is very high in polyphenols. I would hate to have to give that up permanently, though I have had to give it up for periods of a year a couple of times due to the development of allergic symptoms. All of this having been said though, I would love to win the cookbook for my husband who has a real gourmet flare for cooking and has followed and enjoyed James Chatte’s advice over many years. Thanks!
C O F F E E !
I don’t think I could do without bread, in any form. I thought it was chocolate but, in reality bread is my comfort. Whether its hot buttered toast with honey or jam. A toasted bagel, fresh homemade buns, sandwiches or french toast..I would be lost without bread!
I could not live without cheese. I believe I could survive on cheese alone.
Thanks for the great show.
Fresh bread! As a loaf, bun, roll or bagel, there is nothing so satisfying as bread.
And fresh bread does not need any form of spread! The texture, smell and flavour of the bread are more than enough to make for a sense (tactile, orilfactory, taste) filling experience.
Whipping cream. Yes!! It is a most essential incredient in dishes from appetizers to entrees to desserts. It makes a cream sauce full bodied whether its an Alfredo or vegie sauce. It enriches desserts as a primary ingredient or as a garnish. Even breakfast scones and waffles need copious amounts of whipping cream. Of course, what great dinner would be complete without a speciality coffee topped with what else but whipped cream!!!
Butter: I also thought hard about this question, and I also love bread, pasta, vegetables, potatoes, rice, popcorn, chocolate. The longer i thought about it, i realized that, with the exception of chocolate, all of these foods areenhanced with butter. Olive oil also does the trick for most of them, but to choose just one, it’s butter for me.
If I could have only one food it would be bread. Bread can be made in so many ways for different tastes– eastern flatbreads, southern corn breads, northern sourdough.
All types of grains can be used for bread. It is nourishing, available in most countries, provides grain growers with income and will sustain one’s life if that’s all there is to eat.
A red, ripe tomato…whether sliced and layered with fresh basil and boconcini; skinned, seeded and long-simmered in a beautiful sauce; sun-dried and sliced into slivers over a warmed cambozola-topped polenta canape;or eaten right in the garden, salt-shaker in hand. This enigmatic fruit that is treated like a vegetable; tastes good but is also good for me; can stand on its own or happily join in with everything from arrabiata to zuppa – gets my vote!
When farming in Alberta for quite some time and going to the nearest city(Edmonton) to shop, we would always cruise the fish vendors for PRAWNS but never could afford a real feed, just a snack….as of four years ago we sold the farm(amazing) and now reside on Quadra Island. Traded our tractor for a boat and you can guess the rest PRAWNS as fresh as they get and now affordable. Could never go back to just beef.
Rice-without a doubt the most versatile and nourishing food known to humanity.
I could never give up polenta. It too is so versatile, it can go with anything from cheese to meat to vegetables. I make pizza with it (used as the crust) and it is an ingredient in some of my desserts. I make it without salt all the time and it is truly simple and delicious!! Thank you for this opportunity and I always look forward to your weekly segment.
Well, of course, bread, rice and potatoes are essentials and life would be barren without beef, chicken or eggs. However, no day is complete for me without MUSHROOMS. I don’t need fancy portabellas or porcini, just the cute little white ones sliced and tossed in my salad dressing or fried and piled on top of a barbecued hamburger. Even better are great big ones stuffed with crab and mayonnaise and grilled with parmesan breadcrumbs on top. Mr Money was a friend of my mother’s and I regret that Money’s Mushrooms are harder to find these days.
Vegemite! After being bought up with a light spread of vegemite on my bread or toast in the outback of Oz, it is the this taste that transports me back. And no matter where I go I seem always to find a supply even here in Montreal.
Memories forever…thanks to Vegemite!
I couldn’t live without chicken. Fried chicken, baked chicken, rotisseri chicken, BBQ chicken. Chicken with pasta, cheese, olive oil and peppers and spices is my favourite easy to make dish. There’s nothing like the smell of chicken cooking, in fact, I have a whole chicken defrosting on my kitchen counter as I write this. I love chicken!
The one food I could not give up is fish. We have so many types from which to choose, & various ways to cook your choice. To make it even better , fish is a healthy choice.
It is most important your fresh fish has not been out of the water too long, or if frozen, cooked as soon as thawed. Don’t forget the lemon.
CHEESE: I could never live without cheese. Especially FETA cheese – a staple in our house. Sorry all you Vegans …
I too could never give up on cheese. The variety! the taste! the texture! mild medium and strong, hard cheeses and soft delectable cheeses, blue cheese etc. Take away the potato, take away the bread but leave the cheese!!!
Lip smackin’, finger lickin’ barbecue ribs are my favorite! I like them any way I can get them — dry-rubbed or with barbecue sauce. Diet or not, I could never give them up.
Food I can not give up…grapes
Hmmmm….A food I could not give up. That’s hard because there are so many.
But, I guess I’ll go with Don’s call of CHOCOLATE!!!
I think I would not make it if I had to give up yogourt. I live on the stuff (literally and figuratively)! Great source of all round nutrition.
Bagels are my downfall for sure – especially the ones from NYC. They are larger, more dense, and have a great texture. They are also packed with calories – oops, I mean kilojoules. I need dense calories just to keep going without adding extra fat (low tolerance). You can put just about anything with them or eat them alone. Happy and healthy, tasty and creative 2005 to all.
BREAD – But more specifically – toast. I could never give up my toast with jam, peanut butter, honey, butter or even with savory flavours like pate or cream cheese! Another favourite kind is Raisin bread toasted!! My definate comfort food.
BREAD – But more specifically – toast. I could never give up my toast with jam, peanut butter, honey, butter or even with savory flavours like pate or cream cheese! Another favourite kind is Raisin bread toasted!! My definate comfort food.
Halibut! I love this fish and always order it when eating out. Prepared any way, any time. I never get tired of it. I’d even eat it for dessert. Thank you.
What an interesting idea – what food could I never give up! I love to cook and I love to eat but the simple truth is that peanuts are my special addiction, with real nuts running a close second. They are portable, satisfy my craving for a “wicked” snack (but are not too unhealthy, unless eaten in great quantities) and can be added to many dishes for an interesting crunch. I am in the throes of reducing my consumption of this favourite food and I’m having a very tough time of it. Three cheers for nuts (both edible and not )- may I never have to live without them for long!
I have changed my mind several times, but still come back to Pasta! Add any ingredient to pasta and you have a meal. Even with just a little butter, garlic and fresh dill you have a great meal! My pantry always has a large selection of pasta in it – Italian, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hungarian, Middle Eastern . . .