Haha, right now I’m a much better baker than cook. I’m determined to learn though! I can do a lot of American dishes well, but I’m not familiar enough with the spices, herbs, and other flavorings from other parts of the world to know what a dish needs when I taste it. I can tell that my saag paneer doesn’t taste right, but what exactly is it missing? Hell if I know!

Can confirm, I dislike most fast food. Always have with a few exceptions. I enjoy eating out, but I would rather have a delicious curry with naan and pakoras, or barbecue brisket with tangy coleslaw and cornbread, or ma po tofu with egg rolls and hot and sour soup, or a big pastrami and Swiss on rye with a crisp green salad… Give me big flavors! A variety of textures! Temperature contrast! Rubs, sauces, marinades, cured meats, strong cheeses, luscious ripe fresh fruits and cool crunchy vegetables.

This is why truly stuffing myself is a special treat. I have expensive taste in food. (Yeah, there are some things I can make myself, but my homemade Indian and Chinese food game is still weak. Alas.)

I was seriously considering the Big Fig, but I don’t have a lot of money. I went with the Titan Plus from Brooklyn Bedding instead. The online reviews were just as good and it was significantly cheaper, especially since Brooklyn has a 30% student discount.

I was sleeping on the same mattress and box spring for twenty years. Partly because I didn’t want to spend the money to replace it, partly because I don’t like change. Well, it got to the point where I was waking up with lower back pain and not sleeping well. Can’t pass my classes if I can’t sleep.

They actually make beds for us now! Mattresses and bed foundations designed especially for people over 250 lbs! Amazing. Bought one, assembled the foundation with a great deal of swearing, let it air out for 24 hours to avoid the new mattress smell.

Oh my god. The difference is night and day. My back doesn’t hurt anymore! It’s a very firm mattress, but that’s what I wanted. If your mattress is ten years old or more and you’re having back pain, get a new one. It’s worth the money.

Ooh, send me her info? It’s so hard to find pretty dresses that fit and aren’t made of polyester. I have texture issues, polyester is a big no.

I detest avocados. They’re like vegetable-flavored butter, and I am not the type of person who enjoys eating straight butter.

Ketchup and mayonnaise are not good condiments, they are ingredients with which to make much better condiments.

Ugh, yes. Did I ask about your diet? No? Then why do you think I want to hear about it as I fill my plate with appetizers?

I love good food. The flavors, the textures, the aroma, it makes me so happy. But I do tend to lose my appetite under extreme stress. Some stress = a craving for comfort food, tons of stress = ew, you mean I have to eat something?

Skipping meals isn’t a practical option for me though. I have seizures and low blood sugar is a major trigger. So I’ve had to learn how to make myself eat enough to keep the seizures at bay even when nothing tastes good. It’s a chore under those circumstances. Same when dinner doesn’t come out well. I’ll eat it so as not to waste food, hot sauce covers a multitude of culinary sins, but I’m not going to stuff myself unless I like the taste.

Fortunately my body is convinced that there will be a famine any day now. It takes a whole lot more than a couple light meals for me to lose any significant amount of weight. I haven’t been below 320 lbs in years.

A party size bag of Lays barbecue chips. I have zero chill around those things. If there aren’t any witnesses, one bag equals one serving, regardless of the size of the bag.

Same here. Between the holiday food and the cold weather making me crave warm hearty dishes, it's much easier to put on weight this time of year.