“Are you really going to eat that with that?”

This is a common question I get everytime I sit down to eat. My food choices are unpopular to say the least. Whether it be Oreos with hummus, french fries dipped in ice cream, salty chips with Nutella or peanut butter with pickles, my food choices are often ridiculed or gagged at.

I have had a weird appetite ever since I was a kid. I hate regular foods like milk, tomatoes or blueberries and have the need to make most of my meals myself in order to satisfy my odd tastes. One thing my friends make fun of me for is my obsession with ranch dressing. I have it with pizza, chicken, fish, fruits, veggies, nuts, fries, burgers, cheese and even sometimes by itself.

Another common snack I make is scrambled eggs with ketchup and ranch and tortilla chips. First, I scramble two eggs on the stove and season with salt, garlic powder and curry powder. After mixing the eggs with equal parts of ranch and ketchup, I then take my tortilla chips and dip it into the egg ranch ketchup concoction. Sometimes, I add cheese or hummus on top.

Food, of course, is a highly flexible concept. There are so many different ways to combine different foods, yet people are so closed minded and stick to their regular meals.

I think people should be more open to different types of foods and cultures. You don’t necessarily have to eat my weird food combinations the way I do, but there are so many unique flavors and dishes that the world has to offer like jambalaya or vegemite. Living in the Bay Area, we have access to practically every different culture’s food in a 10 mile radius. Instead of eating the same three meals that you’re accustomed to, branch out. Who knows — maybe you’ll find a new dish to add to your daily menu.