Favorite Snack

I’m a foodie. Okay, I admitted it. Probably not even politically correct these days, but I am.  I love the scent, taste and textures of different foods. I couldn’t even tell you what I would consider comfort food because the list would be too long. I’m partial to Mediterranean food since this is what I grew up on. I can’t even say Italian, even though that is my heritage. Greek and Syrian food often play into the menu too. My father’s family was from southern Italy. My mother’s from Sicily. Kitchen arguments abounded when I was a kid. Even though my father was the cook of the family, my mother would often have a few of her own recipes. When she tried to improve on my dad’s the final salvo in the argument would be his, “What do you know? You’re not even Italian,” referencing the fact that Sicily is not attached to the mainland. At which point the discussion was done. So we grew up on Italian salami, fried or not, on Italian bread, marvelous homemade soups with fresh greens, homemade pasta and fresh made sauces…well, the list goes on. And pizza. My grandmother and aunt had a pizza shop, so if we kids spent time at the shop or grandma’s we had pizza. Some orders weren’t picked up, or they might be too charred on the bottom, or the order was wrong. We took care of it. And they weren’t just lunch or supper foods -- we often had the leftovers at breakfast, or they would be snacks.

Today, my favorite snacks are tea and popcorn. All kinds of teas in various ways. For popcorn, plain is awesome. I think it should be its own food group. The biggest problem I have with popcorn is finding it in the stores. I’m not talking the microwave stuff. That almost doesn’t even taste like real popcorn to me. I’m talking the kernels that have to be popped. If I can find any in the store it is Orville Redenbacher and if I’m lucky, a store brand. Now I like Orville Redenbacher, but really can’t afford it all of the time. I did mention this was a staple, didn’t I? And most store brands are wimpy. In taste and pop.  To really enjoy the taste of popcorn, I like to microwave it in a brown paper bag (although I currently have white lunch bags).  One fourth a cup of popcorn kernels in the open bag, fold down the top, dampen it under water and toss it in the microwave. In my 1100 watt microwave it takes about  two minutes. You have to listen for the pops to slow to know it’s done. I keep meaning to add spices or even butter and salt now and then, but usually I’ve eaten the bag full before I remember.

Popcorn is probably my main snack food. What is yours?