To appease my darling wife.........

Just FYI, she is the one on the left.

For a while now, I have been getting pestered about the inaccuracy of one of my posts. In the deserted island discussion, I apparently listed my wife's 5 choices incorrectly. I defend myself by saying that she flip-flops back and forth on the list, but nevertheless, if only for my own personal peace & quiet (and general sanity), here is the official and updated (as of 9/19/10) list of Danielles' top 5:

1)Garlic - this is true, I could serve pan seared shoelaces, but if I had garlic bread on the side, it would probably be okay with her

2)Chocolate - I said this was a little bit of a reach, as chocolate has multiple ingredients, and I don't think she wants to eat raw cacao, but at this point I saw the look in her eyes. To even think of denying my wife chocolate, even in a hypothetical sense, is just plain suicidal on my part, so I let it go.

3)Sourdough bread - no arguments here, it was pretty much down to baguettes or sourdough for my list, so this'll work

4)Figs - she never even ate them until a few years ago. Now, she is more knowledgeable about fig growing seasons ("we'll start seeing them in the markets in 4-6 days from now, depending on the rain in Southern Georgia"), the different varietals, and what they are best used for than most chefs (moi included), farmers, or gourmands.

5)Parmesan Cheese - I put this as brie in the last post....big mistake. Since that fateful day, she has been making me buy ever larger and more expensive wedges of imported Parmesan to drive the point deep into my memory. Lesson learned

Hopefully this will satisfy her, and I can stop getting pestered.......about this anyway :)

THE DESERT ISLAND DISCUSSION

So this is basically just my favorite discussion on the face of the planet, not only because it's subject is generally my favorite, but also because it tells you a lot about the people you are having it with.

Here is the general idea: What 5 foods would you choose if you were stranded on a desert island to eat for the rest of your life?

After having this discussion many times, I feel the need to lay out some ground rules for everyone to save y'all some time, and if you are around passionate people, possibly arguments.

1) God, or whoever your higher power is (Buddha, Mother Nature, Elvis) provides an endless supply of whatever 5 things you choose

2) For ease, let us assume that there is a supply on the island of some basics: salt, pepper, fresh herbs, butter, and oil. I have found that if you don't include these, and happen to have a chef in your discussion panel, then it will invariably descend into a fracas over proper seasoning, flavor, etc, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah

3) No cheating - ie: you can't say cheese, because it is too broad, you can't say pork for the same reason

4) Yes, you are on an island, however, that doesn't mean that you will instantly become Tom Hanks, and be feasting on all manner of crab, lobster, and reef fish, so if you will want seafood, you gotta pick it. Otherwise, I will have to change the discussion to just a desert, which won't look as nice as the island I hope to be stranded on (pictured above), and will be far less pleasant of an experience to discuss.

5) Leave out beverages - that is a whole different discussion entirely, and actually one that I haven't had yet, but if I ask people to choose between beer and food...

Alright, I'm done being a stickler and after much reflection, and soul searching, my five foods are as follows

1) Tomatoes - hard to pick among the wide world of vegetables, and I will sorely miss my brussel sprouts, and mustard greens, but the world would be a sad place to live in if I never again got to bite into a juicy, delicious tomato just picked of the vine.

2) Oysters - the seafood pick was much easier, they are without a doubt the most delicious little piece of briny goodness that the oceans have to offer

3) Fresh French Baguettes - Choosing a bread was a no brainer, but picking the type was harder. No more cheddar-jalapeno biscuits? No more pumpernickel? Very sad, but ultimately I guess I am my francophile mothers son, and since I have my endless supply of butter (see above) this would happily serve as lunch for me for the rest of my life

4) Pork Belly - I chose this one because I could cure it and make my own bacon, without which I would probably just throw myself into the ocean, or braise it and delight in it's fatty, savory goodness. I like options. I will miss my ribeyes, whole roasted chickens, veal cheeks, et al, but I not as much as I would miss my bacon

5) Mangoes - I had to choose a fruit because sometimes I just have unsatiable cravings for it, but this was probably an even harder choice than veggies. Figs? Bananas? Plums? Asian Pear? Georgia Peaches? All worthy choices, but in the end, I just picture myself eating a mango on the beach, watching the waves, and it seemed a pleasant way to spend every morning for the rest of my life

My Wife's five are
> Sourdough bread
> Figs
> Chocolate
> Tomatoes
> Brie - I think it's brie anyway, she always has a cheese on the list when we have this discussion (yes I have had the discussion more than once), but the type varies. I think brie was the most recent.

I'd love to hear what y'all would choose. Noush, I'll expect you to add your list to the blog soon. Happy thinking.