Cynthia's FAQs

Yesterday’s post inspired me to think about some of the other frequently asked questions clients, students, and consumers (at my cooking classes, talks, etc.) toss my way. Here they are, along with my usual responses:

Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: That’s so hard for me to answer because I have so many!!! I’m a big fan of seasonal eating (berries, cherries, melons, tomatoes and cucumbers in summer; apples, pears, avocado and squash in fall; broccoli, kiwi, tangerines and potatoes in winter; and asparagus, carrots, and oranges in spring). But if I had to pick just ONE single food, I’d probably have to choose beans – I really, really love them (seriously, especially black and pinto). Nearly every day I tend to eat some type of berry (frozen if not in season), figs (dried if not in season) and of course beans. And I couldn’t possibly go through life without dark chocolate (oh and coffee, and wine)!

Q: What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
A: Without a doubt, dinner at the Millennium Restaurant in San Francisco. Close seconds include the Green Garden in Paris (no web site?!), Red Bamboo in NYC, Real Food Daily in Los Angeles, and Sunday brunch at Counter in NYC.

Q: What’s the best weight loss diet?
A: Diet-schmiet! I don’t believe in ‘em. For more of my thoughts on giving up dieting for good, check out my previous posts Moderation Isn’t a 4 Letter Word and Fed Up With Fads!

Q: What are the best and worst foods?
A: In my opinion, the best foods are plant-based foods closest to the source - an apple freshly plucked from the tree, a tomato straight from the vine (well washed of course) and other minimally processed or whole foods. And the worst are Frankenfoods. You know, the ones with an ingredient list a mile long that sounds like a science experiment (loaded with additives and preservatives).

Q: What will the next big food trend be?
A: I hope it’s not wishful thinking, but I think food traceability and transparency will become more important. Traceability refers to knowing more about where food comes from (how far away was it grown, what do we know about the farm it came from), and transparency meaning really knowing what’s in the food at your market (and what went into producing it). I think (I hope!) more and more consumers will want to know a lot more about exactly where their food came from, how it was grown, and what’s in it.

Do you have any questions for me? If so, I’d love to answer them!

Photo courtesy of Geek Philosopher

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