Name: Paul Lukas
Occupation: Journalist, minutiae fetishist
Borough: Brooklyn
Relationship status: I always like to refer to whomever I'm dating as "my future first wife."
What did you eat today?
It's early, so all I've had is a bowl of Cheerios mixed with Frosted Flakes (a really good combo). I'm about to make some toast, which I'll wash down with a glass of OJ.
What do you never eat?
My life is a mayonnaise-free zone.
Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you can always find:
Diet Coke, butter, margarine, OJ, milk (usually 1%), Granny Smith apples, bacon fat (although at the moment I also have goose fat), more Diet Coke, mustard, some sort of meat thawing, eggs, pickles.
What is your favorite kitchen item?
My toaster, an early-1960s Sunbeam Vista VT-40-1 that I inherited from my grandmother. I love it for three primary reasons: (1) It's gorgeous -- a near-perfect balance of chrome and Bakelite. (2) It doesn't have a knob. Instead, a slice of bread dropped into the slot trips an internal lever that causes the mechanism to lower the slices into the toaster. It's pretty damn sexy. (3) Since I use it every morning, I also think of my grandmother every morning, and I like that. She was a cool lady.
Where do you eat out most frequently?
Popcorn at the movies.
World ends tomorrow. What would you like for your last meal?
The single most life-altering meal I've ever had was a cup of gumbo at Eddie's, a tattered old gumbo house in New Orleans. Ideally, this is what I'd want, but Eddie's is no longer in business (they closed long before Katrina), so I guess that isn't an option. Failing that: chicken skin. Lots and lots (and LOTS) of roasted chicken skin. It's my favorite foodstuff.
Visit Paul's otaku world of uniform scrutiny at Uni Watch.
I have the same toaster! I got it from my parents when I moved out on my own. Its the one we used when I was growing up. I have to put it on the lightest setting or it will burn the toast, otherwise it works great.