I like spicy food. Okay, this is no big surprise. I've always liked spicy food from the time I was a little kid. The first time I tried Dad's Shrimp Fra Diavolo (lit. "of the devil") I was home.
I keep hearing stuff from folks about how "little kids like bland food," yet I never found that to be the case with me. I hated most bland foods as a kid. Heck, I only tolerate "kid foods" as an adult. Hot dogs? Hamburgers? I tolerate them, but I don't particularly care for them.
I am also not a "crunch" person. The folks at eDiets sent me a thing about a month ago with snack suggestions. They all seemed to emphasize crunch. Did it ever occur to them some folks don't want crunchy food? I like my food quiet. I like things with slimy textures that don't fight back. Given a choice between potato chips and plain spaghetti, I'll choose the unflavored spaghetti on mouth feel alone. Given a choice between "nice, crunchy celery sticks" or "slippery grilled eggplant," I am so there with the eggplant; it's a no-brainer for me.
I find it frustrating when folks planning menus assume a particular group of people want a particular kind of texture. I saw a series of recipes for vegetarians with the comment, "Vegetarians prefer crunchy textures to smooth ones" in reference to a vegetarian paté. I have found this to not necessarily be the case. Instead, I've found every vegetarian I know has different tastes in food that can't be generalized.
Another fallacy: "Dieters like crunchy food." I don't want my food to make noise. My effing eustachian tubes are usually swollen, thus making crunchy food sound even louder than it normally does. I often listen to nothing at home because noise hurts my ears when my sinuses act up. Why the hell would I want to inflict noise upon myself when I'm eating?
