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@chisai:

maple syrup (must be real, no pancake syrup

Yeah, me too.

I'm dedicated to organic and local, but one item that I make exceptions on is that i will only use sweet onions - never yellow onions.

I'm in Seattle, so Walla Walla's are local and I buy them by the caseload in season, but year around I buy whatever sweets are available.

chocolate
cold cuts
peanut butter
port
cheese
ice cream
cookies

To me, it's not about the $$, it's about whether what I'm eating is worth the calories. If it's not a clear and resonding yes, I don't want it...

And yes, if I go to your house and you feed me cheese product on Wonder bread I will eat it :-)

Not really break the bank differences...but I do have my favorites that I will not substitute.

- coffee, pure Kona (99% of the time it's free, but we still buy some for ourselves)
- ramen/udon/soba
- Spam...well, Tulip is better, but it'll cost *me* $10/can to get it since I haven't found a supplier in the US
- Hellman's mayo
- salmon steaks, wild...I don't care for filets unless I'm going to mince them up and bottle it.
- rice, Kokuho Rose
- organic whole milk
- Campbell's chicken noodle and cream of mushroom soups for days I'm too lazy or sick
- sorbet, Ciao Bella

I think the rest is negotiable...

Coffee
vanilla
Chocolate
Grape Nuts (if you're a fan, you know generic isn't the same)

I used to comprimise and scrimp and save on food. There was a time when the wife and I were so broke we were living off my homemade chicken soup and any sort of chicken cassarole I could come up with, because chicken thighs were so cheap.

Now, even with 2 kids, I don't have to do that. And so I refuse too. I buy good foods, and do my best not to comprimise.

Beer. Other than the occasional glass of wine (even then, I go for the semi-cheap stuff), it's the only alcohol in the house that we actually drink. The other stuff is basically for cooking only (and when drinking it, even the good stuff, all I taste is alcohol).

Fish. I tend to buy cheaper cuts of meat, and the organic chickens I can buy aren't THAT much more than the Perdue/Tyson chickens... but I've noticed a huge difference in fish with texture, flavor, etc... and as much as I love Wegmans, they have way too much 'colored' fish.

Otherwise... we've found 'good enough' olive oil, vinegars, canned tomatoes, canned tuna, etc in our local shops that don't break the budget.

Cheese, liquor, and chicken are the only things that I'm really unwilling to compromise on, all yeilding from bad experiences with cheap replacements.

I find I compromise quite a bit, and have been pleasently surprised by some of those, I try to keep the food budget in check by using less pricey ingredients, ie meats. and using everything I do buy. I've tried the Fresh Market proscuitto and while its not as good, it is acceptable, some thing for a few other ingredients. I buy very small amounts to try and if acceptable I will buy more.

Scotch...

Billions is right. The burger on the Australia's Finest Burger website is a pale imitation of the real thing.