Hi everyone,
I'm from St.Paul, but I learned my cooking skills in New York City. Every place you go has its own set of rules when it comes to pick what you eat. In NYC, it looks like this:

Rule No. 1 - When you are ordering a lot of deep-fried stuff, don’t waste space on the garnish. Garnish is garnish.

Rule No. 2 - I would subtitle this one the "Counterintuitive Rule": There’s no food on Earth that bacon doesn’t make better.

Rule No. 3 - The enjoyment of the meal is in direct proportion to the size of the line you have to wait on to get it.

Rule No. 4 - The more disgusting the food, the greater the chance whoever is hawking it, selling it or pushing a bowl of it on you will say that "it’s good for what ails you."

Rule No. 5 - You know you’ve had a good meal when you have a pile of teeny shells, feet and connective tissue lying around on your plate.

Rule No. 6 - The QRA (Quick, Reliable and Accurate) method of dispatching animals is very important when it comes to eating things that have just been living and have now sadly given themselves for our pleasure.

Where do you live and what rules apply to your local food?

Your signature is my #1 rule! Other than that, no seafood and no Chinese.

No Chinese? Maybe you should try Taiwanese instead. But be sure to follow these rules:

Rule No. 1 - Never talk too much about a food before eating it.

Rule No. 2 - The more innocent a food looks, the more dangerous it is. It’s like those teeny little snakes crawling in the rainforest; they’re always the deadliest ones.

JuliePurplehead said:

I Agree!!!

Always FRESH if possible and organic if possible too

Homecooked over anything if possible

I’ve had a lot of memorable meals, but as a full-on experience, the most memorable would have to be the witch doctor in Ecuador. I’ve never been rubbed with a guinea pig, eggs and whipped with branches. Not to mention getting fire blown on me and breaking out into a small rash (which did go away). Did it work? Well, it has been a great year so far. I say, if you believe it works, it works.

AndrewZimmern said:

perhaps, unless it happens to be the only eating establishment on this side of airport security in minnepolis airport so you tolerate the ridiculous half hour line up only to have the counterperson laugh when you order and say "we ran out of that hours ago."

emm said:

Now that could be true. But things can get worse. When you're in the Amazonian rainforest and you're eating lemon ants, you have to be very careful that the conga ants (otherwise known as bullet ants) aren’t crawling all over you, because that would totally blow your game. It's a very important rule.

AndrewZimmern said:

you sound like you've been around!!!

KidaDynamite said:

I have been fortunate, yes. But you don't have to go as far as the Amazonian rainforest to find the most exciting dishes. Say New Orleans. If a backyard is littered with shotgun shells and an old rusted smoker, well, you know the food’s gotta be pretty good.

AndrewZimmern said:

i am totally your fangirl, andrew.

Mach said:

homecooked with love is always theeee best

evenstar said:

Are you saying that you are hittin' on me, girl?

AndrewZimmern said:

i want to travel the world and watch you eat disgusting things!

evenstar said:

I think my wife might have a problem with that, also I have to admit, your offer is quite seductive. The best thing is to head out into your own backyard. Peruse the menus of local Asian and Latin restaurants, make friends with your next door neighbor who hunts, and stay tuned.
If you are lusting after older man like me and you don't know what to do about it, I suggest that you try Spirulina - it is a superfood. Not many legumes and other food items, besides meat, have complete proteins, but spirulina has all essential amino acids. And it really packs a punch with vitamins as well -- B-1, B-2, B-3, B-6, B-9, B-12, C, D and E. I’m sure you would be able to find it wherever dietary supplements are sold.

AndrewZimmern said:

oh hush, andrew, i'm sure we can get your wife and my boyfriend to make an exception. i don't think i can manage spirulina. the color and algae-ness of it are kinda disturbing.

gross.

gross, gross gross.

evenstar said:

The algae is actually a good substance to eat if you want to treat autism.Look it up, I'm not kiddin' you. Maybe that would help your boyfriend(isn't he that guy Benyamin who posts here as well?).

horatio said:

LOTS of love

Rule #1. Food has to appeal to the
2. Smell good.
3. Go down easy.