Sunday, November 23, 2008

Also the Chenopodiaceae. I don't know why.

I do not like that man. He's quite disagreeable. And then there's the obligatory post visit fight betwixt Señor C and myself. I demand that he not inherit 50% of his DNA from such a man, and he points out that if I didn't insist on love and respect for the people who raised us, we could spend the weekend watching Avatar.

So some of you called me these last few days. My phone was sitting safely in my old pants. Call me back.

Gyozilla and I were cooking, and he mentioned that he didn't like parsley. I asked if there was anything else he didn't care for, and he mentioned fennel. Interest piqued, I asked about brussels sprouts, liver, lima beans, and natto. He said they were all fine. Then, being a good botanist, I asked about celery, carrots, parsnips, dill, and cilantro. Score one for pattern matching skills: I've found someone who hates the entire Apiaceae, without prejudice.

I had a coworker would wouldn't eat the Apiaceae because the alkaloids found in Conium might be hiding in relatives. He also avoided the Fabaceae (compounds in Astragalus), the Solanaceae (Solanum), Brassicaceae (glucosinolates in general- the burning taste in mustard and wasabi), and the Anicardiaceae (Poison oak family- no mangos or cashews) Since he made a diet that excluded carrots, celery, parsnips, beans, peas, peanuts, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, I suspect he actually secretly hated vegetables. What did he eat? Mostly rice.

After a little research, I'm pretty sure that Gyozilla doesn't like the compound anethole- the fennel flavor. I know the aroma because I depend on that same compound in my scent based keying technique. All the things he hates smell the same!

Well, okay, he also hates chopped herbs in his food. And he doesn't like cheese very much. Still, I got to do the creepy psychic thing.

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