Desert island variation: What four foods would you take?

[Robin Garr]

I just got this idea from a pal who saw it on a non-food/wine forum, but it seems just right for FLDG. Enjoy ... and no cheating!

What four foods would you take with you to a desert island where you expected to spend the rest of your life, and would have no access to other edibles?

"Food" may be taken to mean an individual item or a dish, but it must be complete - you can't list "risotto" and then claim access to a wide range of alternative add-in ingredients.

Let's hear yours!

[Jenise]

Ooh, hard one. Without overthinking it, though, the first things that occur to me are:

Tomato caprese salad: heirloom toms, fresh mozz, fresh basil, Maldon salt and single-orchard Tuscan EVOO from Prunotto

Tacos: soft corn tortillas filled with carnitas, cilantro, chopped Vidalia or Walla Walla sweet onion, romaine and lime wedges

Chicken noodles: a rich home made stock stuffed with farfalle noodles cooked al dente and drizzled with the aforementioned EVOO and finely chopped parsley

Fresh grape basket: green perlettes, concords and a variety of wine grapes like gewurztraminer, pinot noir, nebbiolo and cabernet

Edited 1) to specify type of onion; edited 2) to add romaine to my tacos. Edited 3) after I realized that I didn't actually add romaine to the tacos, vs just saying I was going to. Sheesh!

I'd wait until Jenise fell asleep, sneak over to her site, steal her food and run away and hid in my cave.

Her food would go well with my list.

Roasted chicken
Rib eye steaks
Fresh fish
A huge box of fresh veggies

Jenise has out-classed me!

My four:

1. Bacon
2. Whole lobster with clarified butter
3. Crisp, fresh green salad laden with all kinds of goodies, like avocado and artichokes, barely coated with a superb vinaigrette (I ain't getting into the homemade v. bottled thread!)
4. My late father's Mexican cornbread

Pork, cooked almost any way imaginable
steamed rice
a green -- either fried cabbage, boiled mustard greens or collard greens; a green salad with almost any ingredient combination will suffice as a marginal substitute
a sliver of a dessert (with almost any filling -- not too sweet), as long as there is a buttery, flakey crust.

You're cheating! You can't pick "a green." It has to be specific!

I want pasta carbonara a la George W. from this forum.

Then...

Then....

oh, geez, Robin.

I will try again later.

Is wine food?

Bread
Cheese
EVOO
Wine (it is food right?)

[Robin Garr]

Wine (it is food right?)

Wine is a food, but you're wasting one of your slots, since the four "foods" or "dishes" don't really exclude beverages. I think.

I'd go back to basics; I could eat with this menu for many, many years with great pleasure:

1. Rough cut oatmeal.
2. A few well laying hens for eggs and maybe a future stew depending on the length of my stay.
3. As many vegetables as your rules will allow.
4. Hopefully your island has fruit growing wild, and the water will have some fish. If not, as many fruits as your rules will allow.
5. If so, 19 artisanal salts for the food snob in me.

This picture resonated with me when I read your question; I went to Antarctica on the Explorer II, but the little red ship MV Explorer was a legend among crew, passengers and many of the folks we met on scientific stations.



Regards, Bob

PS: if you can only have one vegetable, peas; one fruit, apples. B.

You are not allowed to do generics. SPECIFIC things. What do you love the most?

almost impossible.

almonds
oranges
eggs
rice

[Robin Garr]

Guess I should enter my own list. This really is tough!

Shrimp. Healthy, nutritious, and I never get tired of them.

Rice. A VERY tough call from pasta, but seems more nutritious and more capable of being served on its own. And goes great with shrimp.

The Big Salad from City Cafe. Dozens of healthy and tasty salad ingredients, and it comes with a yummy Japanese-style ginger dressing. I don't think I'd ever get tired of this.

Pizza with everything. It incorporates bread, tomatoes and cheese and toppings. And of course, if I interpret "everything" literally, what a great cheat! (Uh oh, here comes Karen ... )

You're cheating! You can't pick "a green." It has to be specific!

Okay -- fried cabbage!

Pizza, Italian bread, tomato sauce, stinky, dry, aged provolone.

Guess I should enter my own list. This really is tough!

Shrimp. Healthy, nutritious, and I never get tired of them.

Rice. A VERY tough call from pasta, but seems more nutritious and more capable of being served on its own. And goes great with shrimp.

The Big Salad from City Cafe. Dozens of healthy and tasty salad ingredients, and it comes with a yummy Japanese-style ginger dressing. I don't think I'd ever get tired of this.

Pizza with everything. It incorporates bread, tomatoes and cheese and toppings. And of course, if I interpret "everything" literally, what a great cheat! (Uh oh, here comes Karen ... )

ROBIN!!! SPECIFIC!!! <stamping> You can't have pizza with EVERYTHING! How would the Barcalounger fit?

You're cheating! You can't pick "a green." It has to be specific!

Okay -- fried cabbage!

With bacon? <g> (Move over!)

[Robin Garr]

ROBIN!!! SPECIFIC!!! <stamping> You can't have pizza with EVERYTHING! How would the Barcalounger fit?

You are so tough! But that's why I love ya ...

Okay, okay. Pizza with sausage, green peppers, onions, roasted garlic and anchovies. That'll keep me happy for a long time, and the anchovy will keep you from snitching a piece.

ROBIN!!! SPECIFIC!!! <stamping> You can't have pizza with EVERYTHING! How would the Barcalounger fit?

You know Robin, I remember being drawn and quartered in the back room when I tried to enforce rules. I even got a pm from one of the moderators telling me to quiet down. Hmmmmm.... (all in good fun, my friend).

rwj

Edited to say that the Chat Princess would vehemently disagree with the statement "...you can't have pizza with EVERTHING!"

So, StudMuffin, what are your top four faves?

You're evil! ANCHOVIES!

[Robin Garr]

You're evil! ANCHOVIES!

Little hairy fish! Want some?

Ewwww!!!!

So, StudMuffin, what are your top four faves?

I'm the Muffin Stud. Stuart is the Stud Muffin.

rwj