alisonsylvia's Profile

I tend to be really sensitive to that sort of...energy, I guess, and growing up in New England, there were always plenty of opportunities to have unsettling encounters. The feeling is never something I could get used to (a weird, chilly pressure on my neck and back, kind of like when you can sense someone is staring at you), so I know I could never comfortably live in a house that is truly haunted.

Ghost story time!

The building where my kindergarten was located was VERY haunted; home to phantom knockings, freezing drafts (even in hot weather), and multiple sightings of a little boy with bluish skin who perpetually wore an old fashioned sailor suit and was found squating in various corners (the reports were usually made by very freaked-out children. I, apparently, made one such report, but I have no memory of it).

My mother (who worked as a kindergarten teacher there) always had an incredibly difficult time entering the basement. We found out much later that during the 1920's the family who lived in the building met a terrible demise; A man brutally beat his wife before tossing her down the basement stairs (where she died), and suffocated his young son before taking his own life (though I'm not sure of the method there).

The building is now home to a coffee shop and, from what I've heard, most of the weird activity has ceased. I still get the shivers whenever I drive by, though.

I so am glad to find that I am not the only person who can't STAND watermelon (though I love all other melons). I always feel like an outcast at every summer picnic or barbeque. I don't mind the taste, but the texture is incredibly off-putting; so wet and stringy. Same with mushrooms. I like the taste, but the rubbery/slimy consistency ruins it for me.

I'm picky when it comes to cheese, too. I'm a real big fan of havarti or a good sharp cheddar but I can't handle:
-Swiss (too bitter/sour),
-Provolone (too bland and tough),
-Blue (all I can taste is mold),
-Parmesan, in any form (when I was little my dad gave me some to try and I spat it out and I called it 'puke cheese'; Charming, I know),
-Ricotta or cottage (UGH! I can't handle the texture of the either...If it weren't for ricotta I would be all about lasagna, but alas, I just can't do it. They're just so, so...clotted. Bleh).

I only recently discovered that I now enjoy feta and un-cooked mozzarella (before I would only eat it on pizza), and I have started to be able to stomach brie, but only if taken in the same bite as green apple, otherwise the weird sneaky sour taste is too pungent. Having a cracker helps, too.

To date, I have never eaten a pure vegetable that disagreed with me. I am particularly fond of the kinds that it seems many dislike, like beets (sweet as candy!), brussel sprouts (wonderful roasted!), and kale (I could eat it three meals a day if sauteed with lemon, sea salt, and olive oil). I've also never had any pickiness issues with seafood or meat.

To those who hate on the avacado because of consistency; you have to know when to buy/eat it to get it right. If your avacado is stringy, is far too over-ripe; I LOVE avacado, but I've thrown plenty away because I could tell with the first mealy bite that it was no longer at proper devouring stage. If it gives easily when you press on the outside, it's probably past it's prime. When ripe, a good avacado should still be firm, giving slightly when you press on stem (not on the body itself), and will be smooth and creamy inside. Also, like tomatoes, whole avacados (peel unbroken) should NOT be stored in the fridge.

For those who are looking for a good way to eat avacado in which it hasn't been mashed into guacamole or otherwise mutilated, I recommend cutting a whole avacado in half lengthwise, removing the pit, and then putting a little tamari (or other high grade soy sauce) and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds in the well. Eat right out of the peel with a spoon. The cool, mellow taste pairs wonderfully with the savouriness of the tamari. NOM!