Food

I think this is my first food related post out of 401. As you could probably ascertain based on that, I'm not much of a foodie, though I do eat a lot. Some might say I eat a staggering amount, actually (right Beno?). There might be a correlation with all my aerobic activities.

My mother, as anyone who knows her could attest, is an amazing -- and I mean amazing -- cook, but we were a family of three very active boys (not to mention a father with a pretty large appetite) and we ate what was put in front of us and didn't give it much thought. That being said, much like anyone else, I appreciate a fine meal.

Anyway, what got me thinking about this subject is I just had some killer sushi (not hard to find in California) and was thinking that sushi just might be my favorite food. Which got me thinking to five foods I couldn't live without. It's a bit of an unusual list, and it goes something like this:

1. As mentioned, sushi. I just love good sushi and could eat it every day (and when I'm in LA, which is often, I DO in fact eat it every day, because pound for pound, LA has the best sushi in the country!). I'm particularly partial to tuna, yellowtail and shrimp (ebi) bit I love it all.

2. Pretzels. I am a pretzel-maniac. Hot, cold, salty, non-salty, hard, soft, I love them all. Always have. I think it has something to do with the Solomon genetic predisposition to salt. Thanks to my brother Scott, I have found the holy grail of prezels, Happy Herbert's (www.happyherberts.com. Go and buy a case. Now). I literally buy them by the caseload and the hardest thing is during my non-iodine radiation diet was not being able to eat them for a month.

3. Artichokes. My super food; I eat them every day when they are in season. I've loved 'chokes since I was a little boy, and the tradition carries over with The Little Girl. I am proud to say she can devour one in under five minutes.

4. Steak. I am and always will be a steak kind of guy. Porterhouse and filets are my cut, and steakhouses are my preferred restaurant (favorites include Peter Lugers in NYC; Gibson's in Chicago, Prime in Las Vegas and Bob's in San Francisco)

5. Odwalla Protein Shakes. Ok, not really a food and in a certain sense not exactly a favorite, but I couldn't live without this (expensive) drink. They contain about 400 calories with 20 grams of protein, so they are the equivalent of a meal and they almost singularly get me through my business travels. They are the first thing I look for in airports.

If I had to list a sixth, it would probably be an In and Out burger, but they merit are so special they merit their very own post.