PrintWhat Five Foods Can't You Live Without?
Somebody asked me this at a party last week. This question has vexed me for years. I find it difficult if not impossible to limit myself to five foods. If you asked me for ten or 15 or 20 or even 25 foods I couldn't live without, that would be much easier. But I've always had a problem with limits when it comes to food.
But here goes. I'm going to do it, as painful as it might be, but I will not suffer alone. Serious Eaters, join me on this exquisitely difficult assignment. Tell me what the five foods are you couldn't live without. Then we can compare notes—or should I say crumbs.
Remember, list five foods, not six or seven or ten.
1. Pizza (preferably from Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix or Una Pizza Napoletana in New York City)
2. Fried Chicken (preferably from Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken in Memphis and Mason, TN or from Scott Peacock's Watershed Restaurant in Atlanta)
3. Barbecue (either brisket from Black's in Lockhart, Texas, Pork Shoulder Sandwich from Big Bob Gibson's in Decatur, AL, a smoked Elgin sausage from Southside Market in Elgin, TX, or ribs from Lem's in Chicago, IL)
4. Pie (any pie except pumpkin made by Karen Barker at the Magnolia Grill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina), served with an ice-cold glass of milk.
Number 5, the last one, always kills me. It seems so final, so limiting, so unfair. How can I not include a cheeseburger with or without fries (is that one food or two?); or a Gene & Jude's Chicago hot dog served with fries on top of the dog (now that is most certainly one food); or a plate of fried clams with homemade tartar sauce; or an oyster po' boy; or a pastrami sandwich; or a bowl of ramen or the pork buns from Momofuku in New York, or a bowl of pasta Mark Ladner would cook for me at the Enoteca at Del Posto in New York, or some warm chocolate chip cookies with a glass of really cold milk; or the gnudi or the prosciutto tart at the Spotted Pig; or a perfectly dry-aged Porterhouse at Peter Luger; or a hot fudge sundae made with frozen custard at the Shake Shack. All right, I can't take it anymore. I can't take the fifth, so I'm going to choose the fifth.
Number 5. A cheeseburger with french fries.
Forgive me, food lovers, for I am sure I have sinned.
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81 Comments:
1. Crusty, very crusty bread
2. Cheese (NOT processed)
3. Pork (Hey, there's a reason I won the Pork Board's Grilling Grates contest!)
4. Olives
5. Chocolate cake
dksbook at 8:41AM on 11/30/07
1. Kraft Mac and Cheese (from the blue box, seriously)
2. Herbed goat cheese
3. Popovers from BLT Steak in DC
4. Pierogies (from a homemade stand at my county fair)
5. ...man this last one is hard! umm...Homemade banana ice cream from Lot 12 in Berkeley Springs, WV
AddiE at 9:03AM on 11/30/07
1. spagetti with meat sauce
2. coffee ice cream
3. Lay's original potato chips
4. a GOOD burger
5. extra cheese pizza
NewEnglandBites at 9:26AM on 11/30/07
Pho
Burrito
Deli Sandwiches from the Bay Area
Cheeseburger
Eggs
Jason L at 9:27AM on 11/30/07
1. Kimchi
2. baguette l'ancienne
3. chocolate
4. In-n-out (a double-double w/onions and extra sauce)
5. Rice
Crap this was hard. How could I not include gooey brie, pasta, prime rib, cornbread, bacon, a crisp salad w/ my boyfriend's vinaigrette, and taco bell's hard taco supreme?
jooree at 9:32AM on 11/30/07
Cheese
Dark chocolate
Figs
Perfectly ripe tomato
Fresh pasta
EmilySC at 9:56AM on 11/30/07
1. Cheeseburger
2. ice cream (if I just say ice cream, does that mean I can have any kind?)
3. Turkey sandwich with avaocado & cream cheese from the deli in my hometown
4. Peaches
5. Fries
LizNYC at 10:02AM on 11/30/07
1. Pizza
2. Pizza
3. Pizza
4. Pizza
5. Pizza
grampart at 10:06AM on 11/30/07
1. Roasted Pork Shoulder
2. Dry Rubbed BBQ Ribs
3. Chincharrones
4. Pork Belly
5. Ham Hocks
"But those come from the same animal!"
Suuurrrre they do... A wonderful, magical animal.
Zach Brooks at 10:10AM on 11/30/07
1. Barbecue
2. Baked Beans
3. Succotash
4. Burrito
(ok... you're right, this is hard)
5. Crab
feep at 10:11AM on 11/30/07
barbecue (I like Black's, and Elgin sausage, but I also like some Allen and Son's shoulder).
taco with salsa (carnitas, lingua, res, asado, al pastor, pollo, picadillo, any kind, and I think that means I get to eat salsa without it counting as six)
beans (pinto or black, but I would miss green snap beans terribly)
cinnamon roll
cheesburger with fries
sure would miss vegetables too...
sodapopinski at 10:12AM on 11/30/07
1. A perfectly aged, rare porterhouse, a la Luger.
2. The shredded chicken noodle soup at Pho Viet Huong on Mulberry St.
3. Stayman-Winesap apples
4. Spinach and mashed potatoes, all mushed together
5. Jersey tomatoes from my garden.
radiogrl1 at 10:14AM on 11/30/07
Pizza, White Castle sliders, Japanese curry rice, ham and cheese sandwiches, popcorn. Assuming that all other foods are now dead to me, this diet will kill me fast, so I won't be living without all the other stuff I love all that much longer.
Adam Kuban at 10:14AM on 11/30/07
Cheese
sausage
wine
potatoes
cauliflower
gfweb at 10:15AM on 11/30/07
1. Pasta
2. Tomatoes
3. Cheese
4. Chocolate
5. Bread
Yup, I think that'll do it.
Kerosena at 10:17AM on 11/30/07
1. congee
2. ham, egg and cheese on an english muffin
3. the house bolognese at our house
4. corn tortillas
5. an atomic sub from the submarine center in San Francisco (turkey, roast beef, corned beef, pastrami, lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapenos, mayo, mustard, mozzarella, all toasted)
ccbweb at 10:18AM on 11/30/07
i will be as vague in my list so as to include the broadest amount of fod that i simply cannot live without:
1. french
2. italian
3. asian
4. meat
5. wine (yes, wine is food)
seyo at 10:33AM on 11/30/07
ps: wow ed, you loves you some junk food! and dont argue that your list isnt junk food, because it is.
seyo at 10:36AM on 11/30/07
1. Cheese
2. Bacon
3. Tomatos
4. Beer
5. Bread
Obviously, I like BLTs.
phattymatt at 10:37AM on 11/30/07
1. good vanilla ice cream
2. hot flour tortillas with refried beans and queso
3. homemade strawberry shortcake (only in-season strawberries need apply)
4. steak
5. bread and butter
(But the five foods I actually couldn't live a week without are yogurt, rice, green vegetables, beans, and plum tomatoes in a can.)
rhrbelly at 10:44AM on 11/30/07
Ed, I find it interesting that you would be so specific, as in a particular dish from a particular place. Although I adore anything from Momofuku, it is not part of my daily existence and therefore, I could live without it though I certainly would prefer not to! On the other hand, if the five following foods were not part of my life I would feel bereft.
1. Bread
2.Cheese
3.Chocolate
4. Lamb
5.Chicken
izzy's mama at 10:52AM on 11/30/07
1. pizza
2. Tex-Mex
3. cold cereal
4. good bread
5. dessert!
I know #5 is probably cheating but I don't care.
AuntJone at 11:03AM on 11/30/07
steak
potatoes any way
cheese
greens
garlic
ride&cook at 11:05AM on 11/30/07
Not in any particular order:
eggs
goat milk gouda
baguette
dark chocolate
perfect strawberries
Seems like a nice picnic!
Library Lady at 11:06AM on 11/30/07
Steak (ribeye or hanger)
Cheese
Chicken wings
Cheeseburgers
Avacados
EatWisconsin at 11:13AM on 11/30/07
1. Hershey's Kisses
2. My father's homemade Italian Wedding Soup
3. Sushi
4. Bread
5. Pasta
pgeorgia at 11:29AM on 11/30/07
Spicy Tuna Rolls
First growth wild asparagus
Pizza
Vegetarian Indian
heirloom tomatos
LIRC at 11:31AM on 11/30/07
I'll tell you what I craved when I was a strict health-nut vegan (not all of these involve meat btw)
1. sushi
2. pizza
3. epoisse on good bread, hell good french cheese in general
4. fried chicken
5. chocolate
disgustingfoodie at 11:40AM on 11/30/07
Oof. Seeing everyone else's delicious comments has made narrowing the list down to five even more difficult. I guess it'd be...
1. Cheese (good brie or blue cheese, to be specific)
2. Tomatoes (could there be a more versatile, delicious and therefore perfect vegetable?)
3. Grits (preferably heirloom)
4. Barbeque (brisket or a good pork butt, with homemade sauce)
5. Chocolate (especially in my favorite chocolate cake, Red Velvet Cake)
Can you tell I'm a southerner? ;)
sheeats at 11:44AM on 11/30/07
hmm.. sushi counts? see i wonder how specific we have to get. do i put down spicy beef noodle soup or just noodles? or soup? or beef? but going with Ed's categorization where pizza allows you any variety of pizza or pie that allows any type of pie...
1. buns (think Momofuku pork buns, but any bun from chinatown)
2. barbeque (because a lot of cultures have bbq. Can I count bbq from chinese joints? or is it specific to American versions? hmmm...)
3. hamburger (any kind of toppings?)
4. chocolate
5. cake
foodinmouth at 11:46AM on 11/30/07
Cheese, any cheese at all
Tacos, soft corn tortillas or crispy
Buffalo Wings, the hotter the better
Hanger steak
Oysters
Tom Steele at 12:05PM on 11/30/07
(Keep in mind-I always over-think things). As I tried to decide my top five, I thought: Does this mean favourite dishes, or favourite ingredients? If I were limited to five foods, would I be able to survive or have a balanced diet? How specific or vague can I be without breaking the "rules" (which don't really exist anyway). Bottom line, I went with the things I tend to crave and eat too much of on a regular basis, but still struggled to narrow it down to five.
cheese
eggs
potatoes
pasta
ice cream
psychsarah at 12:09PM on 11/30/07
I thought about this two ways. One, what 5 foods couldn't I live without in my kitchen? And, what 5 foods couldn't I live with more generally.
Kitchen:
1. olive oil
2. garlic
3. sea salt
4. eggs
5. tomatoes
Now, the more interesting:
1. Cheese
2. Salsa (Homemade mango salsa)
3. Pizza
4. Eggs
5. Pho
Those aren't my favorite foods but certainly staples in my diet, so I guess those are the ones I literally couldn't live without.
NSW at 12:11PM on 11/30/07
1, French Bread
2. Chocolate
3. Wine
4. Cheese
5. Poultry
NO_Pam at 12:29PM on 11/30/07
I've probably thought about my answer more than I should. I always overthink. Because, really, to live on only 5 foods forevah? That would be difficult. Plus, there's the whole heath issue to consider. So having worked this out as well as possible, while still adhering to real specificity, here goes:
Potatoes
unflavored whole milk yogurt
Mango
Skirt or Flank Steak, always medium-rare
Feta cheese
I don't know if I could go forever on this, but I could last quite a while with eating foods I truly love. And I remember from when I was a kid, a Hollywood Squares answer, which was that you could, in fact, live a reasonably healthy life on only potatoes and milk.
rockykay at 12:46PM on 11/30/07
1. Spaghetti with a good marinara sauce w/chunky veggies (peppers/onions/mushrooms)
2. LaSalle Vanilla (or cherry vanilla) ice cream
3. Morningstar Farms grillers on a toasted roll w/onion, tomato, pickle, mustard-mayo
4. My own special baked macaroni & cheese (creamy and crusty)
5. Cinnamon toast (made w/good butter)
SavtaShayna at 12:50PM on 11/30/07
Avocados
Peanut Butter
Tacos (cart tacos are best, especially Gordo Lele's in Cabo San Lucas)
Beer
Onions
GoldenEel at 12:57PM on 11/30/07
1. Calandra's bread
2. Good cheese (anything but bleu)
3. Fruit
4. Beans
5. Does garlic count as a food or as a spice? Either way, that's all I'd need.
hereandthe at 12:58PM on 11/30/07
in no particular order (5 was hard enough!)
ice cream
bread
peanut butter
cheese
chocolate
myink at 1:01PM on 11/30/07
Dark chocolate
String cheese
Cold fried chicken
Refried beans
Macaroni and cheese or spaghetti (tied for the last spot)
orinky at 1:31PM on 11/30/07
Homemade popcorn
Cheese pizza from Joe's
Cheesecake
Strawberries
Crusty bread
dallimomma at 1:48PM on 11/30/07
Crusty White Bread
Cheese
Pad Thai (or at least one great thai noodle dish)
Pizza
Poultry
lakeloverhh at 1:53PM on 11/30/07
good bread
tomatoes (and all they make raw and cooked, if you cut me I bleed tomato sauce)
pasta
cheese (many kinds especially locatelli)
iced or plain good (totally firm crumb) pound cake (with or without lemon)
JerzeeTomato at 2:19PM on 11/30/07
So hard...
- My Sicilian hubby's homemade marinara on a bed of fresh spaghetti.
- My maternal grandmother's pancit (Filipino noodle dish).
- My paternal grandparents' homemade tamales.
- A bean burrito from a local taco shop.
- Chocolate!
And now I'm hungry!
Lorena at 2:30PM on 11/30/07
1. cheese
2. spinach
3. dark chocolate
4. tomatoes
5. eggplant
sheldel at 2:37PM on 11/30/07
1) The precedent has been set: beverages count. Anyone who has woken near me knows that I can not possibly live without that meal-in-a-beverage, coffee.
2) I won't eat a regular tomato after September, as their flavor is a lonely ghost once they are gone from the greenmarket. Grape tomatoes get me through the 9 months of the year that full-sized tomatoes are unavailable, as they taste passably good, remind me of the real thing, and are a filling zero-point snack. Which I eat by the pint. I'd surely be dead (or at least very overweight) without them.
3) I eat at a steakhouse maybe once a year, so I can live short-term without a triple-decker forkful of creamed spinach-on hash browns-on a bite of rare rib eye. But if you told me I could never have it again, I might lose the will to go on long-term.
4) Mom's lasagne. It is in my blood. Take it out I die.
5) Bananas. Not my favorite fruit, but readily available, filling, and healthy. Thanks to bananas, when I worked as an editorial assistant making $15 a year I was always able to afford to eat lunch. I undoubtedly owe Chiquita my life.
Jenn Smith at 3:02PM on 11/30/07
1) Lemon
2) Bacon
3) Cheese
4) Fettuccine
4) Milk
Tactful_Cactus at 3:14PM on 11/30/07
Sashimi (okay, it's cheating, but it's true!)
Olives
Stinky cheese
Tomatoes
Avocado
stephanieb at 3:39PM on 11/30/07
Cheese
Chicken
Sweet Potatoes
Coffee
Lemons
Curlz at 3:53PM on 11/30/07
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Beef
pasta
garlic bread
red curried anything
cupbaker at 4:02PM on 11/30/07
chocolate
roast pork buns
waffles
hamburgers
muffins
that was way harder than i thought it would be!!
deadhead22 at 4:37PM on 11/30/07
Chocolate
Mushrooms
Beef
Cheese (especially goat cheeses)
Nuts (especially cashews)
That pretty much covers all my favorite things
peachfish at 4:44PM on 11/30/07
1. Mom's meatballs/sausage 'n sauce with pasta
2. good cheeseburger and fries
3. apples
4. cheese
5. guava paste
danielle719 at 4:44PM on 11/30/07
coffee
Fage 2% Total yogurt
4% cottage cheese
poached eggs
nuts
JEP at 4:56PM on 11/30/07
1. pork
2. pistachios
3. lox
4. guava paste
5. cuban bread
bobdobalane at 4:57PM on 11/30/07
pork
eggs
cheese
salt
bread
Salt isn't a food, but I can't live without it. :)
Alaina Browne at 5:21PM on 11/30/07
sausage
cheese
black beans
nuts
pasta
adeaner at 6:33PM on 11/30/07
1. pizza
2. bacon cheeseburger
3. parmesan cheese
4. most other cheese
5. ice cream
redrover at 6:39PM on 11/30/07
Pork
Cheese
Bread
Chocolate
Fresh, local lettuce
Vanessa at 7:10PM on 11/30/07
1. My hubby's homemade meat sauce/meatballs (he's Italian, so it's a family recipe)
2. Ice cream
3. My mom's homemade biscuits
4. Cheese
5. Baked Cheetos (I have an unexplainable weakness for these)
beyondblond at 7:11PM on 11/30/07
1. Chocolate
2. Pastries (like in Europe)
3. Crusty Bread
4. Cheese
5. Bacon!
No wonder I need to lose some weight!
rockymountainmarta at 7:35PM on 11/30/07
1. butter
2. parmesan cheese
3. beef rib eye
4. Kimlan brand soy sauce
5. whole vanilla beans
kathyvegas at 8:17PM on 11/30/07
1. Pizza (Una Pizza)
2. Sushi (Kuzaku)
3. Hot Wings (Candlelight Inn)
4. Tamales (from the lady that sells them outside of the 137th st. subway)
5. Beer (ummm... yes beer)
BoRaynolds at 8:32PM on 11/30/07
1. Soft, fluffy, pillowy, just slightly sweet hot yeast dinner rolls.
2. A good thick cheeseburger with just ketchup and mustard on it.
3. Pecan Pie
4. Sweet potatoes
5. Pizza (cheese)
elderberry44 at 10:43PM on 11/30/07
top five raw/whole ingredients:
1. green beans
2. salt
3. onions
4. black tea
5. limes
top five dishes:
1. pho chay (vegetarian pho from the vietnamese restaurant down the street)
2. roasted chili guacamole
3. coconut milk and mango non-dairy ice cream
4. poached egg on toast with onion, stone ground mustard and swiss cheese
5. pumpkin enchiladas
mslapis at 1:21AM on 12/01/07
I am afraid am over-thinking it too...but here goes, nevertheless (in no particular order):
1. sushi
2. bangers & mash
3. good pistachio ice cream
4. Wine (preferably, Sauvignon Blanc)
5. Good European cheese with raspberries and grapes (yep, that's cheating...but so is "cheeseburger with French fries":-))
brooke29 at 1:29AM on 12/01/07
Chicken
garlic
potatoes
avocado
shrimp
sw8t at 4:54AM on 12/01/07
Cheese
Pork
Bread
Butter (for the bread, of course)
Having a tough time with #5, but frankly the only things i could NOT live without are cheese and a good loaf of bread. The rest is negotiable.
mh330 at 9:47AM on 12/01/07
chocolate
potatoes
eggs
pasta
cheese
danwalk at 11:37AM on 12/01/07
1. sweet potatoes
2. swiss chard
3. pistachio gelato
4. chili
5. bacon
Littlebluesiren at 12:46PM on 12/01/07
Bacon cheese burger
ribeye steaks
eggs benedict
bagel with cream cheese/nova
pizza
bessfour at 1:53PM on 12/01/07
People - what are you thinking?
Potato chips!
And then,
Crusty bread
Chicken
Noodles
Coffee and wine (to start and end the day)
Likeswords at 3:14PM on 12/01/07
1. Soyghurt
2. grains (rice or barley in particular)
3. Muesli/granola
4. Vegetables
5. Fruit
I cheated :D
choc_puddin at 4:27PM on 12/01/07
1. Hot wings
2. French fries
3. Strawberries
4. Dumplings (any kind)
5. Creamed spinach
laurakitty at 11:08PM on 12/01/07
1. bread
2. beef
3. fish
4. fruit
5. vegetables
since pizza and things like sub sandwiches encompass more than one ingredient, I hope that fruits and vegetables qualify as one thing.
suegsf at 4:46AM on 12/02/07
peanut butter
pasta
beef
wine
sushi
Dee at 9:56AM on 12/02/07
dal
rice
cheese
pasta
vegetables
stumbler02 at 3:30PM on 12/02/07
dark chocolate
tomatoes
bread
sushi
cereal
dogloverdc at 6:27PM on 12/02/07
Pizza
Hand cut French Fries
Goat Cheese
Steak ( raw or cooked)
Sushi
Top Five Desserts:
Creme Brulee
Chocolate Pasticiotti
Key Lime Pie
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Ice Cream
I had to cheat :) I couldn't resist
Apizza Luv at 6:47PM on 12/02/07
Pizza
Hot Wings
Potato Chips w/dip
Cheeseburger
Wakame salad
Rottenmom at 8:46AM on 12/03/07
My five favorite things:
Southern Fried Chicken
Cocoanut Ice Cream
Hot Fudge Sundae
Porterhouse Steak
Garlic Bread
LadyLinda at 8:57PM on 01/18/08