Category: You Are What You Eat

Name: David Farley

Occupation: Travel writer

Borough: Manhattan

What did you eat today?

Breakfast: Two cups of coffee—I rarely eat anything till lunch.
Lunch: I took leftover Thanksgiving ingredients—yams, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, and gravy—that I’d frozen and then combined it with jalapenos, salsa, and black beans for an awesome Thanksgiving burrito. My family thinks I’m insane when I do this at Thanksgiving.
Dinner: I made an amatriciana sauce that was actually from one of Mario Batali’s cookbooks. For me it’s much more agreeable to eat his food at home since I’ve always found his restaurants overrated.

What do you never eat?

There’s nothing I wouldn’t try at least once—I’d probably eat a dog’s balls if it were prepared in the French manner. Although after living in Rome, I still have a hard time stomaching sloppy old school Italian-American cuisine.

Complete this sentence:  In my refrigerator, you can always find:

That spicy, red Vietnamese chili sauce that has a rooster on the plastic container. Jalapenos. Peanut sauce. Green salsa. Czech beer.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My dog. I never have to clean my kitchen floor.


Where do you eat out most frequently?

Westville, Shake Shack, Ivo & Lulu, Tartine.

World ends tomorrow.  What would you like for your last meal?

I’d eat about 20 burritos from Taco Bell. I never eat fast food, but if I knew I was going to die the following day the ethical and health reasons for avoiding a multi-national fast food chain would no longer matter.  [Death by frijoles; totally disgusting, but I can respect that.  --Ed.]

Read Farley's travel tales over at his place.

A special bonus for you: Italian blogger Pepe Rosso's readers respond with their own desired end-of-days meals. 

"Sa cordula" preparata da mia mamma con le micche che fa un mio amico bevendo...il cannonau di Loi
VOGLIO MORIRE PIENO DI ROBA ITALIANISSIMA!!!!

I don't know what it means, but I want someone to whisper it into my ear. PURRRR.

I've also decided that I'd like to tack on 77 bottles of sparkling wines of various prices, grades, and regions to my last meal so I can ring in the end in style.

Name: David Byrne

Occupation: Artist/composer?

Borough: Manhattan

What did you eat today?

For breakfast: Pad Thai noodles and pumpkin pie and iced coffee.

What do you never eat?

Pig feet

Complete this sentence:  In my refrigerator, you can always find:

Grapefruit, white wine, cheese, leftovers, tortillas, ice cream, frozen pizza, hummus.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

Microwave

Where do you eat out most frequently?

In my neighborhood (Hell’s Kitchen)

World ends tomorrow.  What would you like for your last meal?

Fresh fish, grilled w/ lemon and olive oil, spinach, brussels sprouts, white wine.

Read David Byrne's journal here.

Name: Shelley Burgon

Occupation: Musician/harp and other things with strings

Borough: Brooklyn

What did you eat today?

On Tues 11/22: First I drank some water, then for breakfast I made myself two slices Niman Ranch bacon, two organic eggs (cooked in the bacon fat...yum) and one slice of country french bread with a cup of
organic coffee.

For lunch I ate out and had tom kha soup and spring rolls, for a snack I had some stinky French cheese from Blue Apron and an almondine croissant and water. 

For dinner I made myself an all-American veggie burger with cheese, onion, lettuce, ketchup and mustard with a side of tater tots and a Corona with lime.

What do you never eat?

Chicken (dirty bird sticks to your teeth)

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you can always find:

Food, new old good and a box of baking soda

What is your favorite kitchen item?

salt and pepper grinder, toaster oven

Where do you eat out most frequently?

Taro Sushi or pizza

World ends tomorrow. What would you like for your last meal?

Wow...sex and dessert

Find out more about Shelley and her harp hotttness here.

Name: Mark Bello

Occupation: Part time cheesemonger, full time fingers in other pots

Borough: Manhattan

What did you eat today?

Breakfast: coffee and a steamed bun with pork/chive filling
(something I ate every day for breakfast when I lived in Taiwan- I heart NY!)
Lunch: a burger at Island Burgers & Shakes (766 9th Ave between 50th and 51st). Part of a research mission. I'm a member of a club that is committed to eat at 100 NYC burger establishments over the course of 2 years. This is in response to a Time Out New York story on the 100 Best Burgers in NYC. 100 "Best" burgers?!? We're going to set the record straight!
Dinner: As soon as I finish typing this up, the plan is to cook up a batch of bucatini and toss it with some Fulvi pecorino romano, nice green Tuscan olive oil and a healthy dose of cracked pepper (some of my favorite kitchen items listed below will come into play) and a side of spinach with garlic and lemon juice.

What do you never eat?

Subway. Their meat tastes like Band-Aids® smell.

Complete this sentence:  In my refrigerator, you can always find:

half and half, good butter, lots of condiments

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My Le Creuset 7 quart French Oven, my Microplanes, and a spatula I've had since junior high

Where do you eat out most frequently?

-Bellavitae, on Minetta just west of 6th. My favorite Italian
restaurant in the US
-Totonno's, Coney Island location
-Gray's Papaya, 8th St. & 6th Ave.
-Number One Dumpling, on Eldridge just south of Broome
-Barney Greengrass, Amsterdam at 86th

World ends tomorrow.  What would you like for your last meal?

At my fantasy food court:
cocktails by:
-The Matchbox, Chicago
wines by:
-Casa del Vino, Florence
then a supernatural appetite for:
-Hot Doug's, Chicago (with the duck fat fryer fired up)
-Avec, Chicago
-Sun Wah, Chicago
-Carniceria Uruapan, Chicago
-Ristorante Buca dell'orafo, Florence
-Lee and Rick's Oyster Bar, Orlando
-a Thai joint selected by Erik M. wherein he has negotiated the menu
-Coerper's Steakhouse, Milwaukee
-my mom's meatballs, matzo balls and brisket
-and all the NYC spots listed above
dessert:
-Murray's Cheese
-German Kinder Eggs (the chocolate is still pretty blah but they
contain the best toys) with whipped cream and fresh raspberries

Visit Mark at Murray's Cheese Shop on Bleecker and Cornelia to find out what's rocking his palette at the moment.

Name: Rebecca Federman       

Occupation: Librarian

Borough: Brooklyn

What did you eat today?

Coffee, toast with butter and marmalade and a pear. 
Spinach Pie, hummus and pita, fried cauliflower
Sushi from Taro Sushi on Dean Street - yum.

What do you never eat?

Brains

Complete this sentence:  In my refrigerator, you can always find:

Butter, marmalade (see breakfast), mustards, chili sauce.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My lemon reamer and my little egg timer

Where do you eat out most frequently?

All lunch places in Midtown: 'wichcraft kiosks in Bryant Park; Cafe Zaiya on 41st Street, Pret a Manger.

World ends tomorrow.  What would you like for your last meal?

Chicken soup with oats
Steamed Juicy Pork Buns
Bucatini all'amatriciana from Lupa
Grilled Swiss with Tomato on Rye with fries
Lady M Crepe Cake with Friendly's "whipped topping" on the side.

Name: Roger Williams

Occupation: Corporate Whore/Web Consultant

Borough: Manhattan

What did you eat today?

Breakfast: Coffee
Lunch: Homemade Chicken Salad Sandwich - chicken salad has sour pickles, candied pecans, and pears all smoothed out with some sour cream, mayo, and dijon. [Fascinating.  That is beyond my taste comprehension.  I am a little grossed out, a little intrigued. -- Ed.]
Afternoon: Went to a wine tasting - the wines of Portugal - got pretty tipsy, y'all - I had some cheese there.
Dinner: At Lavagna, I had their rigatoni with ground sausage and peas in a tomato cream sauce.  I eaten at Lavagna for 5 years, this is easily their best dish.

What do you never eat?

Lima beans, I mean, what is the point?  It's mushy crap, and it doesn't go with anything.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you can always find:

Cheese, butter, and wine

What is your favorite kitchen item?

Cutting board



Where do you eat out most frequently?

I can't name one place, but if I had to pick the most frequented I would say Casimir (French), Alias (comfort and new American), Max (Italian), and Ginger (sushi)

World ends tomorrow. What would you like for your last meal?

1st Course:
Oysters
with a nice white wine

2nd Course:
Cobb Salad
Cheese Plate - all stinky and sharp
with a nice rose

Main Course
NY Strip Steak - rare
Risotto
Creamed Spinach
Big fluffy roll
with a nice Bourdeaux

Dessert
Key Lime Pie with Whipped Cream
with a nice port

Finishing it all off with as much Single Malt Scotch I can drink.

Name: Jenny Feddersen

Occupation: Web designer

Borough: Manhattan

What did you eat today?

A bowl of kashi go lean crunch for breakfast, a glass of fresh squeezed (by someone else) orange juice, and a coffee from out of the kitchen with milk and an accidental pump of hazelnut coffee that wasn't so good.

Lunch: snap peas! carrots, yogurt, choc chip cookies, turkey sandwich, diet coke

Dinner: chicken tagine with prunes and apricots from Cafe Mogador, choc chip cookies [I love Mogador's chicken tagine -- I always get it with preserved lemon and olives.  YUM!  As a lunch special, it comes with a huge fresh mesclun salad with lemony vinaigrette, making it one of the best deals in town at only $7.50.  Take that, Rachael Ray! -- Ed.]

What do you never eat?

Liver

Complete this sentence:   In my refrigerator, you can always find:

Milk, leftover Thai, cheese and tortillas

What is your favorite kitchen item?

The garlic press




Where do you eat out most frequently?

SEA Thai
Saigon Grill
Esashi
Blue 9 Burger

World ends tomorrow.   What would you like for your last meal?

A big juicy cheeseburger grilled by my dad with onions, etc., corn on the cob, a flourless chocolate cake, and a tall glass of milk.

Name: Shannon Darrough

Occupation: Designer

Borough: Manhattan

What did you eat today?

Breakfast: coffee
Lunch: One of those salads where you pick what you like. At Cafe Metro near my work on 52nd and 5th they have a deal where it's $7 for unlimited toppings (don't forget that you have to limit yourself to only 1 meat and 3 cheeses) so I got a spinach salad with albacore tuna, raisins, roasted almonds, corn, avocado, cheery tomatoes, kidney beans, croutons, cucumbers, olive oil, balsamic vinaeger, salt, and pepper. I know I've forgotten a few. The thing weighed a pound.
Dinner: Sat at the bar at Amuse and had a turkey burger with fries and a bellini martini (vodka, peach nectar, champagne). Two bellinis. Yum.

What do you never eat?

Beef. I gave it up a few years ago. When I lived in San Francisco, I used to have an out clause that allowed for In-N-Out burgers but I gradually began to dislike the taste. I also steer clear of strong, stinky, multi-colored cheeses.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you can always find:

Limes.

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My lime-squeezer from Williams-Sonoma.  I also love our global knives. Great for cutting limes.

Where do you eat out most frequently?

The single sit-down restaurant I find myself at most is L'Annan on 28th or 3rd. My mom and I probably probably eat there once a month (she lives a block south). Spice on 21st and 8th might be a contender also.

World ends tomorrow. What would you like for your last meal?

I'll be completely unrealistic and create a "food orgy" made up of my all-time favorite foods and dishes.

A handful of pistachios
A few shiso leaves to nibble on between courses
Green papaya salad
Fresh Japanese tofu with soy sauce and bonito flakes
Bolet mushroom terrine from Les Jardins des Sens
Souvlaki (on pita) from the local corner taverna in Pefki
Okonomiyaki from cute little okonomiyaki hut in Sangenjaya
Al Pastor burrito from Balazo on Haight Street (with lettuce)
Lamb chops from Slanted Door
Chicken tikka from Bengal Village in Shoreditch
Rainbow roll from Osaka on Castro
Tonkotsu ramen from Men Kui Tei in midtown
My grandma's chocolate chip cookies
Fresh mango
Pocky candy (the original kind)

As for drinks, I'd start with a margarita (my own), move to a Montrachet, end with a Sauterne.

No, it's not a very harmonious smorgasbord.

Shannon's website is fancier than yours.

Name: Sirion Skulpone

Occupation: Research Analyst

Borough: Manhattan

What did you eat today?

Breakfast: cottage cheese and a pear & a cup of Tetley's English breakfast tea; Snack: Dannon Light n Fit smoothie in peach passion fruit and a banana; Lunch: Boca cheeseburger on multi-grain english muffin with spinach and tomato; Snack: Laughing Cow light cheese on Kavli 7 grain crackers and an apple; Dinner: Baked chicken breast with onion and baby creamer potatoes in broth, garlic, and lemon juice & white rice; Dessert: leftovers from my boyfriend's birthday cake (yellow cake with vanilla buttercream frosting).   

What do you never eat?

Tripe.  Even thinking about it makes me break out in hives.

Complete this sentence: In my refrigerator, you can always find:

Land O Lakes nonfat half and half, Dannon Light and Fit Smoothies [What the hell is nonfat half and half made of? You are a much more trusting eater than I.  --Ed.]

What is your favorite kitchen item?

My mortar and pestle which I use to mash up garlic for my mom's garlic shrimp recipe and pretty much everything else I know how to cook.

Where do you eat out most frequently? Saigon Grill

World ends tomorrow.  What would you like for your last meal?

Comfort food, which to me is my mom's home cooking. 
Tom kha gai (chicken coconut galangal soup)
Kanom Jeeb (dumplings)
garlic shrimp
Rex sole with celery in salty bean sauce
garlic pepper pork
thai basil pork
cabbage soup with pork
khao-tom (rice porridge) with bacon
mussamun curry with beef
white rice
for dessert, Viennetta or Ben and Jerry's Heath Bar toffee crunch

It's a big meal but I think I could do it!

Sirion is my one blood relation in New York City.  Of all the kids in the clan, she is the "Successful One", allowing a liberal arts jerk-off like me the freedom to be the "Slacker One" -- for that I am forever grateful.  Don't mess with her or all 182 of her globally positioned first cousins (yours truly included) will rain down on you like a muay thai monsoon.