I’m almost disappointed.

– c.

I’m addicted to the chewy texture of good small pearl tapioca. It’s awesome.

(Out of all seriousness, I’m not opposed to tapioca. It is weird, though.)

I don’t crave it, but it sounds like a good idea.

There are many sweet/savory combos that totally knock my socks off. A corn fritter with a bit of maple syrup. Sea-salted caramels. A Vosges deep milk chocolate bar with plantain chips in it. I really do crave salt plus sugar.

Even more than coffee, I totally do the splits for chai latte or a really good homemade hot chocolate (One 3 or 4 oz bar of dark chocolate whisked into 1.5 cups of equal parts whole milk and half and half, preferably with a tablespoon or two of liqueur; or, even better, make the bar a Green & Black’s Vanilla White Chocolate, which is the One True White Chocolate that will make you realize all others are merely confectionery coating or sad seconds.

Once every two or three years I crave a root beer, birch beer, or cream soda; otherwise I too really don’t like soda much.

I HAVE to make a pumpkin dessert at least once a year. I adore crystallized ginger and almost any dish that makes use of it. And sweet potato fries—thin and crispy—are the best things ever.

I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few hundred things. Flavor is a blatantly sexual thing—the more intense, the more sensual.

Stew. Right now I crave a nice thick bowl of home made stew. Lots of potatoes, thick hunks of carrots, bits of celery and onion. Thick broth, maybe a bit of cream cheese for an extra kick. Oh god, and it’s only 9:30 in the morning.

Peanuts. Sea salt and pepper drenched. What I can’t find are peanuts in dark chocolate and milk chocolate does nothing for me. Too much like a mouth full of wax. Blech.

Molé. A rich sauce with chocolate, ancho peppers and much, much more. Eaten with chicken. Oh, so good.

Baby carrots, but they need to be the sweet kind. I could eat those like candy.

I don’t crave ice cream in the winter. I’m too cold for that. But coffee. Give me hot liquids until about May and I’ll survive.

Sriracha: I’ve oft referred to this as “the ketchup of the gods.” It’s one of the few things in the world (bacon being another,) where I can think of fewer things it’d go poorly with than good with. It’s second only to salt in the frequency with which I cook.

Creme Brulee: It’s my favorite dessert, it works well cool, warm and anywhere in between. Although, I don’t appreciate other peoples’ creme brulee as much as I appreciate making it. Any time I get to use a torch in the kitchen is a time when I am happy.

Ramen: This is such a silly weird one. But, if you look at the numbers, I’m not alone. It’s one of the most eaten foods on the planet. I like both low and high end ramen. The low end, I like because of their versatility (they go wonderfully with Sriracha. I also like them with tilapia, an egg drop or shrimp.) The high end, I like because of their heartiness. Until you’ve had ramen made in japanese mineral water (it’s called kansui I think. I know the hirigana but I’m rusty on my translation,) you have not lived.

You’re correct about apples. The rind has a lot of the vital nutrients. I will use it in recipes separately. For example, when I make my signature apple pie (not my grandmother’s, which I posted online a few weeks ago,) I’ll process the rind and use it to flavor the crust. Red delicious apples are hard to cook with. But the second most common apple, granny smith, have quite a bit of culinary use.