We attended a blue crab boil on the eastern shore of Virginia with a huge chunk of my dad’s family, and I managed to get through 2-3 crabs before giving up and eating a cheeseburger. They are incredibly labor intensive for what you get and I was afraid I’d starve to death in front of a pile of food. Argh.

However , I was in a Turkish grocery in north Chicago a few years ago and they had Turkish delight in the bakery case. I ordered two little squares, and was happily surprised. They wouldn’t turn me to the dark side or anything, but it turns out that a well made one tastes like a very soft gummy bear made of very fresh fruit. Pretty yummy. The soapy problem is probably a westerner’s response to things flavored with rose water. If you see them again Kimdog- don’t buy one unless they have flavors other than rose!

But as to the food, my biggest disappointment has to be celery. It looks so tasty with the peanut butter and raisins and chocolate chips that they used to serve as “ants on a log” in pre-school. It’s also really temptingly crunchy and delicious and guilt free when all you actually need is the ‘crunch’ factor. I was horribly let down when I realized that I can’t even smell it without feeling sick, let alone eat it. It’s the texture, the scent, everything. People try to tell me that celery “has no smell” but man are they wrong. I’ve started to think I’m allergic to it, and am thus super aware of it…

And never, ever, EVER get it out of a vending machine or you will get precisely what you deserve.