A Red Robin opened recently in Bothell. Angela has been dying to go there
because they have a gluten free menu and she like many others in this city
are longing for some restaurant food that isn't Mexican. Yes, there are a
few places to eat that are not Mexican, but most of them are, and more
particularly if you have the kind of food allergies that we do. Mexican is
usually a safe bet. We do have a Bonefish grill and that's a good place for
people with food allergies who like fish. That's not us! Angela also seems
to have forgotten having eaten at Red Robin before and not liking it.

We tried twice to get into the new Red Robin, but there was a huge crowd
waiting to be seated. They spilled out into the parking lot and the line
seemed endless. So we didn't go.

Tonight, I told her perhaps we could try the Red Robin in Woodinville. We
normally eat at Taco Del Mar after her swing dance class because it's
nearby, cheap and doable for us. But I remembered seeing a Red Robin there.
As luck would have it, they were pretty dead. I presume that was because of
the football game that was showing on the many TVs located throughout the
establishment. Angela even spotted a small TV in the bathroom!

I was pleased to notice a stack of "nutritional menus" along with the
regular and kid's ones. I was going to ask for one, but I didn't have to.
Seems they are now offered to all patrons. Alas, it didn't have any gluten
free information on it, but it did give the nutritional breakdown of
everything on the menu, including the carb count. That was nice.

I already knew what we were going to order. Lettuce wrapped burgers minus
the cheese. Angela noticed a little placard on the table depicting a Santa
Fe chicken salad that she thought looked good. It might be another low carb
option, perhaps minus the tortilla strips on the top. I would advise not
getting those anyway since I once had the misfortune of having them on some
kind of salad I had in there long ago. They get all soggy from the wet
lettuce and are not at all appealing. But I digress.

Our meal consisted of a burger patty, cheese (we asked to have this left
off), slices of red onion, slices of tomato, all wrapped in iceberg lettuce
leaves. It was accompanied by a uninspired salad of purple cabbage, more
iceberg lettuce, perhaps a bit of Romaine, a few shreds of carrot and a
light sprinkling of anemic, chopped tomato. A very low carb choice. The
salad comes with balsamic vinaigrette but we opted not to have that either.

We did each order fries because that meal does not have enough carbs for me
and had I eaten just that, I would have had a BG spike. Angela also had a
kid's milkshake which was nicely small. She can have dairy twice a week now
and opted for the shake instead of cheese on her burger.

The service was fast, but... Our burgers arrived with cheese on them. We
sent them back. They were quick to refill my Diet Coke, but had they not
loaded the glasses with so much ice, they wouldn't have had to refill it.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give that meal about a 5. I didn't care for the
fries at all. I never did like their fries. They are Steak fries and I
just don't like those. I did notice a large shaker of Red Robin seasoning
on the table which I presume is what they use on their fries. It contained
hydrolyzed soy protein (eek!) and garlic. Aha! Hence the "weird taste" as
Angela described the fries. If we ever eat there again, we'll ask them to
leave that off and hope that they do. The burger was VERY hard to eat. It
was partially wrapped in paper. Angela's paper came undone right away. Of
course it was likely her own doing. She manages to get the foil wrapping
off of the tacos at Taco Del Mar too. My paper stayed on, but the first
many bites I took were nothing but lettuce. Eventually I hit the tomato and
onion. Then finally the burger. Seems the burger slipped down. And by the
time I got to the end, I just had meat left. And it was crumbling in my
hand. I don't think Angela was too thrilled with the meal, aside from the
milkshake.

On the way out, she noticed that Linens and Things was going out of
business. I dropped almost $100 in there, but...it did finish up some
upcoming birthday shopping I needed to do. Then we went next door to Top
Foods for a bit of produce I wasn't able to get at Costco. We noticed a
room with tables and chairs in it. Hmmm... We saw people eating all sorts
of things in there, including noodles in a cup. Turns out they also sell
prepared things like Asian food, pizza, sandwiches and they have a nice
looking salad bar. Angela suggested that one day we have a dinner of salad
in there. I think we will. It will probably be cheaper and more tasty than
what we had tonight.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>A Red Robin opened recently in Bothell. Angela has been dying to go there
>because they have a gluten free menu and she like many others in this city
>are longing for some restaurant food that isn't Mexican. Yes, there are a
>few places to eat that are not Mexican, but most of them are, and more
>particularly if you have the kind of food allergies that we do. Mexican is
>usually a safe bet. We do have a Bonefish grill and that's a good place
>for people with food allergies who like fish. That's not us! Angela also
>seems to have forgotten having eaten at Red Robin before and not liking it.
>
> We tried twice to get into the new Red Robin, but there was a huge crowd
> waiting to be seated. They spilled out into the parking lot and the line
> seemed endless. So we didn't go.
>
> Tonight, I told her perhaps we could try the Red Robin in Woodinville. We
> normally eat at Taco Del Mar after her swing dance class because it's
> nearby, cheap and doable for us. But I remembered seeing a Red Robin
> there. As luck would have it, they were pretty dead. I presume that was
> because of the football game that was showing on the many TVs located
> throughout the establishment. Angela even spotted a small TV in the
> bathroom!
>
> I was pleased to notice a stack of "nutritional menus" along with the
> regular and kid's ones. I was going to ask for one, but I didn't have to.
> Seems they are now offered to all patrons. Alas, it didn't have any
> gluten free information on it, but it did give the nutritional breakdown
> of everything on the menu, including the carb count. That was nice.
>
> I already knew what we were going to order. Lettuce wrapped burgers minus
> the cheese. Angela noticed a little placard on the table depicting a
> Santa Fe chicken salad that she thought looked good. It might be another
> low carb option, perhaps minus the tortilla strips on the top. I would
> advise not getting those anyway since I once had the misfortune of having
> them on some kind of salad I had in there long ago. They get all soggy
> from the wet lettuce and are not at all appealing. But I digress.
>
> Our meal consisted of a burger patty, cheese (we asked to have this left
> off), slices of red onion, slices of tomato, all wrapped in iceberg
> lettuce leaves. It was accompanied by a uninspired salad of purple
> cabbage, more iceberg lettuce, perhaps a bit of Romaine, a few shreds of
> carrot and a light sprinkling of anemic, chopped tomato. A very low carb
> choice. The salad comes with balsamic vinaigrette but we opted not to
> have that either.
>
> We did each order fries because that meal does not have enough carbs for
> me and had I eaten just that, I would have had a BG spike. Angela also
> had a kid's milkshake which was nicely small. She can have dairy twice a
> week now and opted for the shake instead of cheese on her burger.
>
> The service was fast, but... Our burgers arrived with cheese on them. We
> sent them back. They were quick to refill my Diet Coke, but had they not
> loaded the glasses with so much ice, they wouldn't have had to refill it.
>
> On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give that meal about a 5. I didn't care for
> the fries at all. I never did like their fries. They are Steak fries and
> I just don't like those. I did notice a large shaker of Red Robin
> seasoning on the table which I presume is what they use on their fries.
> It contained hydrolyzed soy protein (eek!) and garlic. Aha! Hence the
> "weird taste" as Angela described the fries. If we ever eat there again,
> we'll ask them to leave that off and hope that they do. The burger was
> VERY hard to eat. It was partially wrapped in paper. Angela's paper came
> undone right away. Of course it was likely her own doing. She manages to
> get the foil wrapping off of the tacos at Taco Del Mar too. My paper
> stayed on, but the first many bites I took were nothing but lettuce.
> Eventually I hit the tomato and onion. Then finally the burger. Seems
> the burger slipped down. And by the time I got to the end, I just had
> meat left. And it was crumbling in my hand. I don't think Angela was too
> thrilled with the meal, aside from the milkshake.
>
> On the way out, she noticed that Linens and Things was going out of
> business. I dropped almost $100 in there, but...it did finish up some
> upcoming birthday shopping I needed to do. Then we went next door to Top
> Foods for a bit of produce I wasn't able to get at Costco. We noticed a
> room with tables and chairs in it. Hmmm... We saw people eating all
> sorts of things in there, including noodles in a cup. Turns out they also
> sell prepared things like Asian food, pizza, sandwiches and they have a
> nice looking salad bar. Angela suggested that one day we have a dinner of
> salad in there. I think we will. It will probably be cheaper and more
> tasty than what we had tonight.
>

You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their Whiskey
Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the last time we
were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin in Tucson is way
over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a new Red Lobster is
going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's a little closer to us.

"jacquie" > wrote in message
...

> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the last
> time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin in Tucson
> is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a new Red
> Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's a little
> closer to us.

I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster. I
have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear they do
not cater to people with food allergies.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "jacquie" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
>> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the last
>> time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin in Tucson
>> is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a new Red
>> Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's a little
>> closer to us.
>
> I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster. I
> have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear they do
> not cater to people with food allergies.
>

Our family has been pretty lucky when it comes to food allergies. Plant
allergies are a problem for us as is Drug allergies for me.
I like Red Lobster. I usually will get snow crab..veggies..salad..and
sometimes a half of a small potato. My Grandson spends one weekend a month
with us and he is a Red Lobster Fan, so that is where we usually go when he
is here....he too loves snow crab.

"jacquie" > wrote in message
m...
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "jacquie" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
>>> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the
>>> last time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin in
>>> Tucson is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a new
>>> Red Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's a
>>> little closer to us.
>>
>> I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster. I
>> have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear they
>> do not cater to people with food allergies.
>>
>
> Our family has been pretty lucky when it comes to food allergies. Plant
> allergies are a problem for us as is Drug allergies for me.
> I like Red Lobster. I usually will get snow crab..veggies..salad..and
> sometimes a half of a small potato. My Grandson spends one weekend a month
> with us and he is a Red Lobster Fan, so that is where we usually go when
> he is here....he too loves snow crab.

We don't like fish or seafood at all, except for tuna from a pouch, in a
tuna salad or casserole.

"jacquie" > wrote:
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> > "jacquie" > wrote in message

> >> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
> >> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the
> >> last time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin
> >> in Tucson is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a
> >> new Red Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's
> >> a little closer to us.
> >
> > I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster.
> > I have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear
> > they do not cater to people with food allergies.

> Our family has been pretty lucky when it comes to food allergies. Plant
> allergies are a problem for us as is Drug allergies for me.
> I like Red Lobster. I usually will get snow crab..veggies..salad..and
> sometimes a half of a small potato. My Grandson spends one weekend a
> month with us and he is a Red Lobster Fan, so that is where we usually go
> when he is here....he too loves snow crab.

When we eat out (which is not very often), Italian, Mexican or Red Lobster,
Jun generally orders shrimp and brings some Thai hot stuff to the
restaurant with her.

Lobsters have more meat than robins and are easier to prepare. ;-D

--
Nick. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their families!
I've known US vets who served as far back as the Spanish American War.
They are all my heroes! Thank a Veteran and Support Our Troops.
You are not forgotten. Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~

"Nick Cramer" > wrote in message
...
> "jacquie" > wrote:
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> > "jacquie" > wrote in message
>
>> >> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
>> >> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the
>> >> last time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin
>> >> in Tucson is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a
>> >> new Red Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's
>> >> a little closer to us.
>> >
>> > I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster.
>> > I have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear
>> > they do not cater to people with food allergies.
>
>> Our family has been pretty lucky when it comes to food allergies. Plant
>> allergies are a problem for us as is Drug allergies for me.
>> I like Red Lobster. I usually will get snow crab..veggies..salad..and
>> sometimes a half of a small potato. My Grandson spends one weekend a
>> month with us and he is a Red Lobster Fan, so that is where we usually go
>> when he is here....he too loves snow crab.
>
> When we eat out (which is not very often), Italian, Mexican or Red
> Lobster,
> Jun generally orders shrimp and brings some Thai hot stuff to the
> restaurant with her.
>
> Lobsters have more meat than robins and are easier to prepare. ;-D

I told Angela to avoid the "chicken" at Red Robin.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "jacquie" > wrote in message
> m...
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> "jacquie" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>
>>>> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
>>>> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the
>>>> last time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin in
>>>> Tucson is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a new
>>>> Red Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's a
>>>> little closer to us.
>>>
>>> I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster.
>>> I have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear
>>> they do not cater to people with food allergies.
>>>
>>
>> Our family has been pretty lucky when it comes to food allergies. Plant
>> allergies are a problem for us as is Drug allergies for me.
>> I like Red Lobster. I usually will get snow crab..veggies..salad..and
>> sometimes a half of a small potato. My Grandson spends one weekend a
>> month with us and he is a Red Lobster Fan, so that is where we usually go
>> when he is here....he too loves snow crab.
>
> We don't like fish or seafood at all, except for tuna from a pouch, in a
> tuna salad or casserole.
>

Gosh Julie.. you and my wife would do GREAT together. She's never seen a
fish that she liked, and I, prior to diabetes, ate fried fish EVERY single
day at least once when I was working away from home! LOL

That's one of the very few things in life where we aren't alike... AT ALL..
and I hate that for her!!! LOL

Wes

"Willy" > wrote in message
...
> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "jacquie" > wrote in message
>> m...
>>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>>
>>>> "jacquie" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>
>>>>> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
>>>>> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the
>>>>> last time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin
>>>>> in Tucson is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a
>>>>> new Red Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of Tucson...that's
>>>>> a little closer to us.
>>>>
>>>> I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster.
>>>> I have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear
>>>> they do not cater to people with food allergies.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Our family has been pretty lucky when it comes to food allergies. Plant
>>> allergies are a problem for us as is Drug allergies for me.
>>> I like Red Lobster. I usually will get snow crab..veggies..salad..and
>>> sometimes a half of a small potato. My Grandson spends one weekend a
>>> month with us and he is a Red Lobster Fan, so that is where we usually
>>> go when he is here....he too loves snow crab.
>>
>> We don't like fish or seafood at all, except for tuna from a pouch, in a
>> tuna salad or casserole.
>>
>
> Gosh Julie.. you and my wife would do GREAT together. She's never seen a
> fish that she liked, and I, prior to diabetes, ate fried fish EVERY single
> day at least once when I was working away from home! LOL
>
> That's one of the very few things in life where we aren't alike... AT
> ALL.. and I hate that for her!!! LOL

I was born in Wichita and the only fish we got there in those days was
canned tuna or salmon. My mom used to make salmon patties. Ppppyuck!
There were fish that could be caught in the local lakes, but I don't think
they were for sale in the stores. Perhaps now days there is more available.
And I think for the most part people only ate such fish if they were out
camping or perhaps too poor to buy food at the store.

I think perhaps not eating fish when I was young, might have had something
to do with it. When we moved to WA, I ate my first fish sticks. They were
served on most Fridays at school. I didn't much like them, but found they
were tolerable if mixed with the mashed potatoes they always served with
them. I eventually learned to like those but only if they were served with
mashed potatoes. Never did catch on to fish and chips and as a child would
not eat French fries unless they came from McDonalds, and only if there was
no other food choice. I really didn't like them. Or potato chips either.

Then when I was in the 7th grade, my parents went on the Weight Watcher's
diet. It seems in those days, white fish was on the menu a couple of times
a week (at least), liver once a week, and hamburger patties the rest of the
time. I don't recall eating much chicken or turkey during that time period.
Maybe we did. French style canned green beans were also very popular. Why
that cut? I don't know but we ate tons of them. Oddly I never grew tired
of those. To this day, my parents can't eat them because they got so burned
out on them. And my mom has told me recently that during those times she
sometimes served us scallops but just told us they were white fish.

At any rate, my mom only seemed to know two ways to cook the white fish.
Poached in water with dill weed. Or poached in tomato juice. And then
there were the occasional salmon patties. I just couldn't get into any of
those dishes.

Salmon is really big here in the Pacific Northwest. I remember getting some
at a cookout and being warned to watch for bones. I hated having to pick
through the stinky fish with my fingers and hated having to touch the bones.
I can't stand to eat any food with bones still in it. Also went to a crab
feed (those are big here too) and wanted to puke the entire time. I can't
sit at a table where lobster are being served either.

Really, I would be a vegetarian if I could. I was one for many years, but
recently I've suffered from anemia when I don't eat meat at least a couple
of times a week. I can recall as a teen, being left a package of chicken
pieces and a recipe for Chicken Almandine, which I loved. However I
couldn't bring myself to touch the chicken because it had bones in it. My
dad came home and found me crying. He had to make the dinner. I couldn't
eat it that night either. Because of the bones. I think that was the
breaking point for which I went vegetarian. I don't think skinless boneless
chicken breasts were available in those days. If they were, we didn't buy
them.

And in 2nd grade I remember fried chicken being ruined for me. They served
it in school. The drumsticks. As I was holding mine up to eat it, a boy
that I didn't know (we had just moved to WA and I didn't know anyone yet)
asked me if I knew what they had to do to that chicken to get it on my
plate. I knew all too well. My grandparents had a farm and I had seen my
grandma kill the chickens. I dropped that drumstick and never ate another
one again. At that point in time I would eat chicken breasts with the bones
in them, but I can't do it now. Neither can my daughter. Oddly, she can
eat the drumsticks with no problems, but she cries if she sees a breast with
the bones in it.

When I married my husband, he was used to eating a lot of fish after having
lived in New Orleans. He didn't get a lot of fish at home, aside from
Christmas dinner. His family is Italian and they do the traditional dinner
of 7 fishes. His dad hated fish and seafood though and it was rarely served
because of him. My husband would make catfish at home by dipping it in hot
mustard and cornmeal and frying it. He would order it in restaurants. When
we lived in Alameda, he would pickup crawfish in Oakland. I had to leave
the house when he ate those.

Oddly, my FIL and I had pretty much the same tastes in food. He wasn't a
big meat eater at all. He loved stuff like salads and raw vegetables,
soups, beans and pasta. He wouldn't touch rice or onions though.

For a while, we would go to my in-law's on the weekends and I would do the
cooking. My MIL has an assortment of medical problems and is now disabled
and confined to a wheelchair. Back then we weren't entirely sure what all
was wrong with her. I don't think she got the best medical care. We had
assumed she would get better. They had given her the wrong diagnosis of a
disease that could take a year to run its course. Anyway... They had a
caregiver during the week, but we would go on the weekends and I would cook
for them. I then learned that my MIL loved fish but never made it because
her husband hated it. I found some kind of white fish fillets that came
frozen and could quickly be cooked. I think I cooked them in the microwave.
Can't really remember. I would buy those and make them for her and my
husband and then make something else for my FIL and myself.

I haven't pushed my daughter to eat fish because I don't think it's
necessarily good for children with the high mercury and all. I know not all
fish could be high in mercury but also never took the time to learn which
ones were better or worse. I do know that tuna can have a lot of mercury.
We do eat that maybe twice a month. Tuna casserole is her favorite food but
it's a royal pain for me to make given our food allergies. I can't just
dump in some cream of mushroom soup. I have to make my own from scratch.
And it's hard for me to do casseroles this year with her dance schedule.
I've been using the crockpot at least twice a week and so far have not
gotten a decent looking recipe for making it in the crock. Tuna salad can
be a problem too since I can't use mayo. She does like Ian's gluten free
fish sticks and I always try to keep a box of those in the freezer for a
quick meal if I need to make one for her. She won't try salmon. I can get
some pre-cooked at the local store and my husband says it is good...although
expensive. So there's his fish at home. I figure it is so prevalent here,
if he wants it, he can get it when we dine out.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Willy" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> "jacquie" > wrote in message
>>> m...
>>>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>>
>>>>> "jacquie" > wrote in message
>>>>> ...
>>>>>
>>>>>> You can always ask for unseasoned fries. I always did. I loved their
>>>>>> Whiskey Bar-B-Que Salad. I haven't been there in a long time but the
>>>>>> last time we were their they no longer served it. The only Red Robin
>>>>>> in Tucson is way over on the other side of the Valley. I just heard a
>>>>>> new Red Lobster is going to be put in on the S side of
>>>>>> Tucson...that's a little closer to us.
>>>>>
>>>>> I've never liked BBQ, nor have I been tempted to eat at a Red Lobster.
>>>>> I have checked their menu but I see nothing I would eat. And I hear
>>>>> they do not cater to people with food allergies.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Our family has been pretty lucky when it comes to food allergies.
>>>> Plant allergies are a problem for us as is Drug allergies for me.
>>>> I like Red Lobster. I usually will get snow crab..veggies..salad..and
>>>> sometimes a half of a small potato. My Grandson spends one weekend a
>>>> month with us and he is a Red Lobster Fan, so that is where we usually
>>>> go when he is here....he too loves snow crab.
>>>
>>> We don't like fish or seafood at all, except for tuna from a pouch, in a
>>> tuna salad or casserole.
>>>
>>
>> Gosh Julie.. you and my wife would do GREAT together. She's never seen a
>> fish that she liked, and I, prior to diabetes, ate fried fish EVERY
>> single day at least once when I was working away from home! LOL
>>
>> That's one of the very few things in life where we aren't alike... AT
>> ALL.. and I hate that for her!!! LOL
>
> I was born in Wichita and the only fish we got there in those days was
> canned tuna or salmon. My mom used to make salmon patties. Ppppyuck!
> There were fish that could be caught in the local lakes, but I don't think
> they were for sale in the stores. Perhaps now days there is more
> available. And I think for the most part people only ate such fish if they
> were out camping or perhaps too poor to buy food at the store.
>
> I think perhaps not eating fish when I was young, might have had something
> to do with it. When we moved to WA, I ate my first fish sticks. They
> were served on most Fridays at school. I didn't much like them, but found
> they were tolerable if mixed with the mashed potatoes they always served
> with them. I eventually learned to like those but only if they were
> served with mashed potatoes. Never did catch on to fish and chips and as
> a child would not eat French fries unless they came from McDonalds, and
> only if there was no other food choice. I really didn't like them. Or
> potato chips either.
>
> Then when I was in the 7th grade, my parents went on the Weight Watcher's
> diet. It seems in those days, white fish was on the menu a couple of
> times a week (at least), liver once a week, and hamburger patties the rest
> of the time. I don't recall eating much chicken or turkey during that
> time period. Maybe we did. French style canned green beans were also very
> popular. Why that cut? I don't know but we ate tons of them. Oddly I
> never grew tired of those. To this day, my parents can't eat them because
> they got so burned out on them. And my mom has told me recently that
> during those times she sometimes served us scallops but just told us they
> were white fish.
>
> At any rate, my mom only seemed to know two ways to cook the white fish.
> Poached in water with dill weed. Or poached in tomato juice. And then
> there were the occasional salmon patties. I just couldn't get into any of
> those dishes.
>
> Salmon is really big here in the Pacific Northwest. I remember getting
> some at a cookout and being warned to watch for bones. I hated having to
> pick through the stinky fish with my fingers and hated having to touch the
> bones. I can't stand to eat any food with bones still in it. Also went to
> a crab feed (those are big here too) and wanted to puke the entire time.
> I can't sit at a table where lobster are being served either.
>
> Really, I would be a vegetarian if I could. I was one for many years, but
> recently I've suffered from anemia when I don't eat meat at least a couple
> of times a week. I can recall as a teen, being left a package of chicken
> pieces and a recipe for Chicken Almandine, which I loved. However I
> couldn't bring myself to touch the chicken because it had bones in it. My
> dad came home and found me crying. He had to make the dinner. I couldn't
> eat it that night either. Because of the bones. I think that was the
> breaking point for which I went vegetarian. I don't think skinless
> boneless chicken breasts were available in those days. If they were, we
> didn't buy them.
>
> And in 2nd grade I remember fried chicken being ruined for me. They
> served it in school. The drumsticks. As I was holding mine up to eat it,
> a boy that I didn't know (we had just moved to WA and I didn't know anyone
> yet) asked me if I knew what they had to do to that chicken to get it on
> my plate. I knew all too well. My grandparents had a farm and I had seen
> my grandma kill the chickens. I dropped that drumstick and never ate
> another one again. At that point in time I would eat chicken breasts with
> the bones in them, but I can't do it now. Neither can my daughter.
> Oddly, she can eat the drumsticks with no problems, but she cries if she
> sees a breast with the bones in it.
>
> When I married my husband, he was used to eating a lot of fish after
> having lived in New Orleans. He didn't get a lot of fish at home, aside
> from Christmas dinner. His family is Italian and they do the traditional
> dinner of 7 fishes. His dad hated fish and seafood though and it was
> rarely served because of him. My husband would make catfish at home by
> dipping it in hot mustard and cornmeal and frying it. He would order it
> in restaurants. When we lived in Alameda, he would pickup crawfish in
> Oakland. I had to leave the house when he ate those.
>
> Oddly, my FIL and I had pretty much the same tastes in food. He wasn't a
> big meat eater at all. He loved stuff like salads and raw vegetables,
> soups, beans and pasta. He wouldn't touch rice or onions though.
>
> For a while, we would go to my in-law's on the weekends and I would do the
> cooking. My MIL has an assortment of medical problems and is now disabled
> and confined to a wheelchair. Back then we weren't entirely sure what all
> was wrong with her. I don't think she got the best medical care. We had
> assumed she would get better. They had given her the wrong diagnosis of a
> disease that could take a year to run its course. Anyway... They had a
> caregiver during the week, but we would go on the weekends and I would
> cook for them. I then learned that my MIL loved fish but never made it
> because her husband hated it. I found some kind of white fish fillets
> that came frozen and could quickly be cooked. I think I cooked them in
> the microwave. Can't really remember. I would buy those and make them for
> her and my husband and then make something else for my FIL and myself.
>
> I haven't pushed my daughter to eat fish because I don't think it's
> necessarily good for children with the high mercury and all. I know not
> all fish could be high in mercury but also never took the time to learn
> which ones were better or worse. I do know that tuna can have a lot of
> mercury. We do eat that maybe twice a month. Tuna casserole is her
> favorite food but it's a royal pain for me to make given our food
> allergies. I can't just dump in some cream of mushroom soup. I have to
> make my own from scratch. And it's hard for me to do casseroles this year
> with her dance schedule. I've been using the crockpot at least twice a
> week and so far have not gotten a decent looking recipe for making it in
> the crock. Tuna salad can be a problem too since I can't use mayo. She
> does like Ian's gluten free fish sticks and I always try to keep a box of
> those in the freezer for a quick meal if I need to make one for her. She
> won't try salmon. I can get some pre-cooked at the local store and my
> husband says it is good...although expensive. So there's his fish at
> home. I figure it is so prevalent here, if he wants it, he can get it
> when we dine out.
>



Your story has SO MANY similarities to stories my wife has told me - it's
almost eerie.!!! LOL

My wife swears the reason she hates fish was because of salmon patties when
she was a kid!!! And she too had a period when she ate fish sticks... in
her case, smothered in tarter sauce.. and she too had a period of several
years of vegetarian life.....

Fortunately we both love beef, so a rib eye and large garden salad is a
wonderful meal for both of us (she adds bread or potatoes to hers)... so it
all works out well.

By the way, have you ever tried processing cauliflower, adding cream cheese
and a little butter. OMG... is this good or what!!!!

Better than mashed potatoes and almost no carbs.

Wes