"25 things" news and stories

I know some people roll their eyes at Facebook's current "25 Things About Me" meme, but I, for one, really enjoy reading them, even if I don't know the author. Sure, some of the facts are boring or creepily over-share-y or annoyingly self-aggrandizing. But others are really surprising or touching or insightful. They're like mini-memoirs, and I've always adored memoirs.

As a food-fan, I'm especially fond of food memoirs - Ruth Reichl's Tender at the Bone, Judith Jones' The Tenth Muse, Nigel Slater's Toast, Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, anything by M.F.K. Fisher. Food is so much a part of our lives that sharing our food-related feelings and thoughts and memories says so much about who we are. So I thought I'd combine the two and try out "25 Things: A Foodie List." Here's mine - memories, factoids, favorites. I'd love to see yours!

1. As a kid, I truly believed the thing about the Bubble Yum and the spider eggs. If you came of age in the '80s, you know what I'm talking about. But I chewed it anyway!
2. Growing up Jewish in North Carolina, one of my favorite meals was hummus and stuffed grape leaves at a Lebanese cafe on Christmas morning. It was the only place that was open.
   
3. When my uncle from New York would visit, he'd always bring down stuff like kosher dills and chopped chicken liver and corned beef - all things my Yankee parents missed and couldn't get at the time in North Carolina. He'd bring cannolis for me, which I loved so much I hardly cared that they were completely soggy.

Continued after the jump...