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@chisai - I love that stuff. My favorite is 1/2 passion fruit and 1/2 orange. Mostly though, at home I drink a lot of lemon water, or home made lemonade, made with simple syrup, or hot ginger lemon tea. I go through a lot of lemons.

It's not a dish, exactly. It's a thing. The very first time I ate real strawberries. I'd only ever had the supermarket kind, but while on vacation many years ago, I picked up a pint at a farmer's market. I couldn't believe the difference. These days, I refuse to eat any other kind. I'm cool with that meaning I can only have them a few weeks a year. Those weeks make up for any number of those tasteless, pointless strawberry shaped things we commonly call strawberries.

You know, it's as though I wrote the ENTIRE list of rants myself. I must be a nightmare in the kitchen.

Don't all of these just seem like common sense though? How is it that so many people get it wrong?

As with Chisai I think my biggest bone to pick is the potty break. My boyfriend, whom I truly adore in almost all other things, inevitably must run to the bathroom the very moment that the food hits the table. And the more time is of the essence the food is, like pasta or eggs, the longer he spends in there.

Hey cybercita - They go together. The candy alone with out the rice paper doesn't have that crack to it when you bite down, and the paper itself is kinda blah without the candy. I got a 1lb bag of it from Hawaii last year, but can't for the life of me remember from where. I must go research.

Foods that I love that are a pain in the butt to get. Boxes and boxes of Botan Rice Candy. Anything ume flavored, especially dried plums.

I am currently in the throes of a brand new infatuation with my Mr. Bento and would adore getting groovy bento box accessories (tiny squeeze bottles, those awesome baby plastic cups, etc.)

Nutella straight from the jar. I only do this on rare occasions, though. I wish nutella was still made as a slab type thing...they used to make it like a slice of cheese, so it was a solid placed between pieces of bread. Then, German children would take the nutella out and throw the bread away; that's why nutella was switched to a spreadable form. If it was still solid, I could easily pack it and enjoy something creamy while listening to professors' lectures.

Oven roasted red potatoes with olive oil and herbs of choice (rosemary, thyme, herbs de provence, fennel rub, etc.) is the easiest side dish on the planet. But Molly Stevens in All About Braising has a similar preparation to chisai's in which new potatoes are braised in a small amount of chicken stock and olive oil until nearly done. Remove the lid so the liquid can evaporate and brown the taters in the remaining olive oil with some minced garlic. Add fresh herbs of choice. Done. For me Molly's recipe has replaced Ina Garten's from her first cookbook in which you boil new potatoes until done. Drain and let cool slightly then cut in half and dress with olive oil, chicken stock, and herbs. So there's my top 3, two boiled and one roasted. Please don't make me choose! But wait! I've got a favorite gratin recipe too from Tyler Florence that uses bacon and savoy cabbage! Potatoes just don't need an elaborate preparation to complete any meal they are accompanying.

I don't even get out of bed until I hear the coffee grinder go off, thanks to dear hubby.
During the day, more coffee & ice water, must be ice cold, can't stand tepid water. Occasionally, iced tea or soda with lunch, but try to stay with water.
During the summer, its all iced coffee. I love the toddy maker method, like huney_bumper mentioned. Makes the best full strength iced coffee. I have been known to make a mean 'iced coffee' out of a triple shot of espresso, dissolve the sugar while it's still hot, some half&half to cool it down, and lots of ice. Or I'll run to starbucks for a venti ice coffee, best bang for the buck at Starbuck's.
At night, I'm an unabashed party animal. just joking. But I do love wine for almost every occassion. Beer if its football season. Margaritas if it's summer and the girls are coming over.

Coffee, then it depends on what I have around. If I'm being really good it's bottled water or Brita water. If I'm being really bad it's Coke. Never diet. I drink V8, orange juice (no pulp), cranberry juice, grape juice, apple cider, iced tea, lemonade, Boston iced tea. I only drink hot tea when I'm sick (with toast soldiers of course). I never have a glass of white milk, but give me chocolate milk or a black and white milkshake and I'm wearing a smile. I love a glass of red or white wine and I just bought some beer to try, because of the microbrewery question. Got some Killien's Red, but haven't opened one yet. On a rare occasion I'll have a gin and tonic. martini, margarita, Bailey's, armagnac.......

What I've been drinking since I was a kid:
- water (room temperature)
- iced green tea