What is your favourite food?

Markos Narses
Jul 21, 2017 · 4 min read
Just for presentation…

Everybody has heard the question, I also guess that everybody has an answer. As I was making my favourite food today, I was very much aware of that fact; I thought to myself: I’m making my favourite food, only to realize that I have classified more than one thing as that. And that got me thinking. Is it possible to have more than one favourite food? I mean, I have three, on the top of my head. Is it possible that two of them are not my favourite food, and I’m just exaggerating out of enthusiasm when I like something very much? Please, bare in mind before you start objecting that it is possible to have three or more favourite foods, that I think having something as favourite, places it on top of the rest of its kind. It is like choosing your favourite child over two — it is impossible if you love them both.

So, there must be a different reason. I believe that the question is very vague, therefore open to interpretations. Like asking about your favourite song. It depends on other circumstances and there can not be a universal constant (Am I happy? Am I sad? Do I want to feel nostalgic, or to dream?). I realized then that I do indeed have three different favourite foods, each in a different way.

Let’s start with the obvious: Pizza. Ask anyone that knows me a bit, they will tell you my favourite food is pizza. Hell, ask me and I will say the same. Was I making pizza today, then? No, I answer. Pizza is indeed my favourite food, as a food category. I prefer pizza over Indian cuisine, over burgers, over hot dogs, over chicken, over Mexican cuisine and what not. It is the takeaway food of choice, is the thing I prefer to eat most frequently. Do I like every variation? No, but I’m OK with them. Even the pineapple is better when it rests on some oven-melted cheese. So, first category of favourite foods is the genre, the same way as someone would say they prefer Horror films to comedies, or Jazz over Hip-Hop.

Second category would be the specific dish. Someone can claim that spaghetti Bolognese is their favourite dish. Or Goulash. Or sweet and sour chicken with fried rice. Specifics. Now, it is still a bit general, since when you have a favourite dish, it stays that way no matter where you eat it or who makes it. You like it the same whether you cooked it, or it was served to you at a restaurant (we presume of course that the restaurant is not manned by chimpanzees that learned to cook during their military service at an outpost of the former Soviet Union). You like the dish, you enjoy it, no matter the variations from time to time. It’s like the band you love the most and follow throughout their career. Are all their albums the same? Do you like them all the same way? No, but you like them all and enjoy them the same, because of the basic ingredients, the aftertaste that stays in your mouth. In a band’s case it is the songwriters, the sound the band has developed. In Bolognese’s case, it is the pasta and the minced meat sauce and the grated cheese on top. Today’s food wasn’t in this category either.

Today’s food is at the ultimate category for this piece of thoughts put on paper. The truly personalized one, the one that you completely enjoy, under very specific circumstances and non-negotiable terms. It is not the kind of food you can get at a restaurant, not even at a friend’s house. Only you can make this very specific favourite food and, maybe, your mother, since most of your food experiences and preferences come from an age that you couldn’t cook and you shouldn’t anyway, unless you are a very special kid or everyone in your family hasn’t got any taste buds. It must be done with the correct ingredients and all of them — otherwise it’s not the same. Since I do not know your specific-favourite food, I’ll talk about mine and my cooking endeavors of today. It is kind of pasta Bolognese. But not with spaghetti, but with the tiny, round pieces of pasta, I believe it is called macaroni here. Also, the minced meat has to be prepared the Greek way, and not per the original Italian Bolognese way. You need grated cheese for sure, but not cheddar or anything less salty than Parmesan cheese. Then, ketchup on top of all that. But we are not finished. It has to be served in a deep, bowl-like plate, the bigger the better. And you need a big soup spoon to eat it with. It looks like this (check pic at the beginning), just before I mix everything around for the final touch of greatness and enjoyment (check pic at the end). In name, it is macaroni with minced meat. Essentially, it is a personal luxury I allow myself from time to time, leading to indigestion and a serious case of immobility for a few hours. It is worth it every time!

The final product before immediate consumption!

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Markos Narses

Written by

UK based opinionated writing enthusiast.

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