The Cookthink Questionnaire: One Food Guy

One of my regular reads is a site called Cookthink. Cookthink is a an online cooking resource made up of the blog, the Root Source email newsletter, and an assortment of recipe tools that allow you to "search for recipes by a combination of ingredients, dish types, cuisines and moods so that [they] can answer the question: What are you craving?"

One part of their blog that I really like is the Cookthink Questionnaire posted every Monday and Thursday. Cookthink interviews someone from the world of food, be it another blogger, a chef, or a writer. Since I'm not really hooked into the Cookthink crowd, I thought I would interview myself just for fun. I hope the folks at Cookthink don't mind and if they do, I'm sure they'll tell me. So here I am interviewing myself, giving full credit for the questions and concept of the questionnaire to the good folks over at Cookthink!


One Food Guy works during the day for a non-profit organization that produces international high school exchange programs. At night he eats, drinks, and writes about it on http://onefoodguy.blogspot.com

Sweet or salty?

Salty

Which ingredient(s) do you use most?

Crushed red pepper, garlic

What’s the cooking sound you most love?

The crackle of hardwood charcoal catching fire in the chimney starter

What’s your favorite cooking smell?

Garlic just after it hits the pan

What are the qualities you most admire in a dish?

Simplicity in preparation, boldness in flavor, cleanliness in presentation

What is your most treasured possession in the kitchen?

My Braun stainless steel mandolin

What is a dirty word in your kitchen?

Pre-made

What are afraid to do in the kitchen?

Saute fish - it stinks up my house!

What won’t you eat?

I'll try almost anything once

Have you ever lost your appetite for a food you once loved?

I used to love Snickers bars; I can't eat them anymore.

Have you ever had a change of heart involving a food you once disliked?

I used to dislike salt and vinegar potato chips, and Brussels sprouts. They are two of my favorites now

If you could choose one historical or living cook to make you a meal right now, who and what would it be?

I'm a big fan of Mario Batali's cooking, and I like the color orange. I'd like for Mario to make me something and explain the history of the dish like he used to do on Molto Mario.

Who are your favorite cookbook authors/food writers?

Anthony Bourdain, Bill Buford

What is your favorite food-related word?

organic, local

What is your favorite food-related scene from literature or the movies?

Remy smoking a mushroom over the chimney in Ratatoille then getting struck by lightning; then Remy eating the "lightningy" mushroom.

What’s your favorite food-shopping errand or journey?

I love going to farmer's markets and looking at all the fresh, colorful goodies on display. I also love walking through Pike's Place Market in Seattle.

To which country would you move for the food?

France or Italy

What’s your poison?

Vodka

What’s your standard outfit in the kitchen?

Shorts and a T-shirt.

You wish to die with what in your stomach?

Sushi

If heaven exists, what do you hope they have on the menu?

Tacos al pastor and sushi

If you came back as a fruit or a vegetable, which one would it be?

Prickly pear

What are you craving right now?

Sushi, lots and lots of sushi.