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Will this work with chicken?

Cilantro...Ewwwaaarggghhhh! Yesterday I lunched at a vegetarian friend and got a lentil stew slathered with cilantro that smelled and tasted like bug. Fortunately it was cooked, otherwise I would have puked on the spot. The only thing that tastes worse is kidneys. Oddly, I love the smell of steak and kidney pie, but getting even a teeny sliver of kidney into my mouth makes me throw up spontaneously.

Though not in the same league, I also hate strawberry yogurt. When I was a kid I had a gum infection which made it impossible to eat anything except yogurt for a week, and the only flavour our small supermarket stocked back then was strawberry,,,

Reed rat is excellent if prepared properly - better than most game meat. Durian is among the finest of fruits: The secret is to eat it right after cutting it open, as the smell takes time to develop. I've eaten lamb brain once: My parents were having it on toast, and allowed me a bite. It was delicious, even if the thought was off-putting. Must say, at markets in Thailand I saw bags of coagulated blood, satchets of insects and skinned frogs (with all the organs intact) for sale, while in Vietnam I saw pickled snakes, as well as whole butchered dogs. On the latter trip a Thai guy told me he'd never touch beef - that the thought was a horrifying to him as eating Fido would be to most of us.

Once when traveling I had a stomach bug, and as a precautionary measure I went into a local burger restaurant. They had only one toilet, and when I saw it I knew I was going to make a mess: Basically the only choice I had was between puking on the floor while sitting on the toilet, or getting the area in front of the wash basin slippery... I sat down, and used the single toilet roll to clean up as much as I could.

Worse happened to a colleague who, while at an overseas resort, got Montezuma's curse on a topless beach with no toilets. She stormed into a posh restaurant, but it was too late. Presumably the patrons will always remember the sight of a virtually naked woman bursting in and out at the same time...

I find eggs much more likely to crack as a result of rapid change in temperature when taken straight from the fridge and added to boiling water. Adding salt draws out some of the liquid in the egg, so that it is less likely to crack.

Oddly, two factors that in my experience make a significant difference are not mentioned: height above sea level and weather (the higher and rainier, the lower the boiling point of water, and the longer it takes for eggs to set.)

Best tasting fish paté I've yet eaten - and much cheaper than most, too! I found the texture a bit runny, so unless your tuna is really tightly packed, I'd reduce the olive oil, or even leave it out. I didn't have capers apart from the three the anchovies were wrapped round, but nasturtium leaves from the garden made a good and free substitute. In my opinion the paté was salty enough without adding extra salt.

Sorry, that should read "contribution is EXPECTED"...

The burning sensation of chillies is neutralised by other members of the same plant family, which is why chilli relatives like greenpepper, tomato and potato all turn the fire down when eaten with chilli. The juice of fresh tomatoes works a treat for removing the burning sensation from your hands. (If you're unfortunate enough to get it in your eyes, though, rather use milk to wash it out!)

Looks interesting, but what is maple breakfast sausage? And while I'm asking, what is the difference between Belgian and other waffles? (Where I live you only get one kind - the ones that get crisp and have a square grid pattern.)

On my 21st birthday my classmates at university persuaded the lecturers that this was a special occasion, and that, instead of us having a laboratory practical session, they insisted on "sticking" me for an outing. They didn't take me to a restaurant, as I'd hoped, but to a movie... and when we got to pay, my "sponsors" were all looking the other way. It was totally embarrassing, as I'd arrived at the class without a cent in my pocket, and I had to borrow money for my ticket. Worst of all, I don't even like watching movies...

One of my biggest problems with recipes is timing. With one recipe calling for 30 minutes you practically have the beef still mooing when it should be well-done, with another you have smoke billowing from the oven with ten minutes to go!

For a light meal instead of a side dish, I'd add very crisp crumbled streaky bacon, some shavings of cheddar, Tussers or Colchester cheese, and avocado. Cherry tomato wouldn't do any harm, either...

Interesting idea to grill the lettuce - doesn't it turn romaine more bitter than it is already? I do often stir-fry leftover salads - as long as they don't contain avocado - and mix them with rice or pasta (and cheese, when I feel like a bit of extravagance) for a make-shift lunch. Cooked lettuce is delicious, but expect a sizable reduction in quantity!