Often when my friends and I decide to go out for dinner, we don’t have anything specific in mind, and we ask each other, “What do you feel like having? Chinese? Mexican? Thai? Indian? Vietnamese?” and the list, which is comprised mostly of ethnic cuisines, goes on. Of course, I’m basically a foodie, so I’m enthusiastic about almost everything, from soup to nuts (not sure if that’s the right expression).

But if I were forced to state a preference, it would be for Mediterranean cuisine. Oddly enough, for someone who grew up in Hawaii, I call wheat rather than rice the staff of life. I love bread and pasta, and also cheese, which is not a mainstay of Asian cuisines. Although I never ate them as a child, I love lentils and garbanzos. My favorite vegetable is the tomato, and I also happily consume cucumbers, onions, garlic, and mushrooms. High on my list of desirable fruit are melons, apricots, dates, and pomegranates. Then there’s the olive, which is in a class by itself. The Mediterranean world has also given us lemons, almonds, walnuts, and pistachios, all of which I eat avidly. Finally, there are the vineyards which yield hundreds of varieties of wine.

So, what shall we eat tonight? Pizza or spaghetti sounds really good! I’ll drink to that.