Aow, would it really be loverly?

Ok, here's the train of thought...

I am here at the computer trying to avoid noshing something else before dinner. As I daydream about what I would like to eat, I am taking a mental inventory of what is in my 'candy cupboard'. It is fairly well stocked right now, as my daughter and I recently visited our favourite bulk food store. In my mind, I am surveying the land, vacillating from from milk chocolate almonds to dried veggie chips and back to dried fruit, when all of a sudden in my sweet/salt stupor I'm stricken with the strangest thought: When did I start liking these foods? Have my tastes changed over the years? Since I know that I will never be what one might call 'sophisticated', have my tastes arrived before the rest of me?

In the years that it was on TV, I got a huge weekly kick out of watching the fictional Frasier and his brother Niles on, Frasier. These gastronomic geniuses knew their food and wine as well as any of the editors or columnists of Gourmet. And while we're on the topic of food snobs, I must admit, there is something really admirable about those judges on TV shows who can discern certain flavours, and compare one dish to another so expertly. I think it's really cool that some people have vast knowledge of different foods. Especially cool are those who know their spices. I'm galaxies away from being one of those people. Those are sophisticated people, with sophisticated palates.

So here I salivate, thinking about the snacks in my cupboard and wonder, what happened to Cheezies? Have I 'grown out of' Fritos Corn Chips? Does the term 'developing world' now refer to people's tastes in food?

I am going out on a limb here to say...no. People might like dried this and that, and yogurt covered you-name-its, but they still love chips and pretzels and cheezies. And here is what I'm basing it on. Bar Mitzvahs. Bear with me while I explain...

A sit down Bar (or Bat) Mitzvah meal in North America is usually one of beauty. Guests are served their beef, chicken or fish (or combination thereof) on a bed of something or another. There is almost always some jus de je ne sais quoi poured over the main, as well as a 'medley' of vegetables, served either beside or tucked underneath the star food. The presentation is always lovely. The guests ooh and aah, nod to their tablemates and then begin to tuck into their meals. For a few moments, all is well. But things change quickly. Before you know it, all heads begin to turn toward the kids' tables.

While the grown ups are being served their gourmet fare, the tots and teens are, more often than not, chowing down on chicken fingers or wings and french fries. As the meal progresses, the adults, who until now have been alternating between lively conversation and longing glances at the kiddie table, begin to conspire with the others at the table. The brave, designated adult gives the beckoning finger to their children from across the room. No, they don't want a hug, or even to say hi. All these parents really want are some of the chicken fingers and the french fries, and they want their children to fetch some for them. Sometimes surreptitiously, other times blatantly after the children refuse to comply, the grown ups make their way from their tables to their children's. The phrase, 'you're not going to eat all of these, are you?' is whispered, and so go the spoils.

You now ask, does anything change when it's time for dessert? The answer is simple. No, it does not. The fancy mousses are always traded in for the (pareve) ice cream sandwiches. My point here is clear; we may pretend that we like to eat fancy things and that our tastes are sophisticated, but when both options are put before us, the call of the basic and simple remains strong.

So, go ahead; tell me how wrong I am. You can say what you want, but this Eliza Doolittle won't hear you, because she's scrounging for goodies. Mmmmmm, Lots of choc'lates for me to eat.......