What foods do you really love?

[Civis Mundi]

Eggs truly are magical. Not only are they delicious in and of themselves, with so many ways to prepare them, they're also essential for their properties. You can bake without eggs or even an egg wash, you can fry something up without dipping it in egg first (and then your dry mix, of course), you can make a meringue without them...but it's hard to do, and in my opinion, it's usually lacking that je ne sais quoi. The quoi, I suppose, would be an egg, and that's un oeuf for me.

I generally dislike mushrooms, but I had the most delicious chanterelle soup before the recent apocalpyse. It made me realize how much it's a texture thing for me. I can enjoy mushrooms as an umami component of a dish, even if it's the main component, but that rubbery texture is a deal-breaker.

For some reason I have a weird gut-level disgust for substances like mayo or ranch or cream cheese, but yogurt (including tzatziki) doesn't ping the grossometer.

I could go on and on about my favorite tasty things, but I'm just gonna give a shout out to my man tomatoes. They're delicious raw (as long as they're not beefsteaks, which are only vaguely acceptable on a sandwich/burger/et c.), even better pickled, and are such a crucial component to so many dishes. When a savory dish is lacking something, it's usually acid, and tomato can be a great remedy to that.

I would also like to make a public service announcement on this subject: NEVER REFRIGERATE YOUR TOMATOES. The moment the core reaches a temperature of 50 degrees F, a reaction happens that makes the tomato bland and grainy. If you want to enjoy your tomatoes, always put them in the pantry, never in the fridge. Obviously, you're still welcome to freeze tomato sauce. This is more of a raw tomato deal.