I guess they're trendy in this area :) 15 years ago, no such restaurants existed. Now? They are all in the communities that are considered trendy and people are going to them constantly.

Indian food is good, but it's way too spicy. Kind of like Tai food.

-Sushi
-Country/rap/most hip-hop music
-Mary J. Blige...she's an okay singer, but I don't get why everyone says she's incredible
-Picking out your own lobster (and then I found out I was allergic to shellfish)
-Health insurance
-Driving. I f#$king HATE driving, and will probably not renew my license. The bus systems serves me well.
-Motorcycles and ATV riding.
-Nirvana/AC/DC/Aerosmith/Jonas Brothers/Miley Cyrus/Annie Lenox/Pink Floyd
-Wine. I will drink beer, and I haven't met a liquor that I didn't like, but I cannot get into wine.
-Cinnamon. I am deathy allergic to cinnamon.
-FML.com
-MySpace. I'd delete my profile if it wasn't the only way I stay in touch with a few friends.
-Quentin Tarantino movies.
-American Apparel.

Okay.. raw onions. I won't eat them, nor will I consume any food containing them. Also Mountain Dew. I told my son that Mountain Dew is made of urine, collected at the Nascar races, with sugar and caffeine added. At one of his soccer games, he saw one of the parents drinking Mountain Dew, and he told that parent where his mom told him Mountain Dew came from...

The sensory integrative theory is that people with autism process sensory information differently than other people. Temple Grandin describes this well with sounds that were actually painful to her because of how she processed them. Usually, it is stimuli that over-excite the central nervous system. Chewing something really chewy like Tootsie Rolls is usually calming to the CNS. The things we do to calm babies (rocking, neutral warmth, wrapping in a blanket, low light, etc) are calming to the CNS. Strobe lights, music with a beat faster than a heart beat, spinning.. all excitatory stimuli. Generally, if a texture in the mouth excites the CNS, it will bother the person with autism. Sometimes pairing it with other stimuli that calms the CNS can re-train how their brain is processing it so it's not so aversive. Sometimes introducing it in small amounts can help desenstize the aversive stimulus too. Fascinating stuff, truly. Lorna Jean King, the OT who did the most research into this area worked with Temple Grandin and that's how I ended up hearing Temple Grandin speak. It was the single most eye opening lecture I've ever attended. It's a gift that she is so talented at describing her experiences. I always sort of regret not getting certified in Sensory Integration, but I used a lot of the techniques with ADHD kids that I worked with (and a few kids with mild autism) and got amazing results in improving their attention spans. The two disorders are not dissimilar.

The one chain place that I truly do enjoy though is Carrabas. I was shocked that it was a chain because their food is really good. It's still not quite as good as three of the Mom & Pop Italian places locally (PM_Mama's family's restaurant is THE BEST), but it's still very very good.

Mmmmmmm.....I grew up on Winchell's Donuts. The one my mom used to take me to (in Cali) when I was a kid was bought out but there's still another one near my house. Whenever I think of it, I groan like Homer Simpson. :o

ETA: Pumpkin pie. My mom always makes sweet potato pie at Thanksgiving so I just never developed a taste for it.

Not all Indian food is spicy. There are dishes that will take paint off your car, but there are also dishes that are quite mild, like biryani or butter chicken.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_EHX7hPUqIs...omer_donut.jpg

PS. grown =/= groan. though if you eat donuts in mass quantities i suppose you could grow like him :)

Exactly - some of it is extremely mild.

That's one of the things I really miss about Boston - my wife and I are friendly with a family that owns Indian restaurants in the area, so we could easily get our Indian food fix. There's a halfway decent place in our town here in CT, but it's just not the same.

OMG! I am over here laughing my butt off! Hog maws, haven't heard of those in years!!! Don't tell me, you like pigs feet too? Gimme hogshead cheese any day and I'll meet you up with a pile of hog maws! Neckbones, use them every holiday in the greens! Saltpork and fatback, same! You're right, they are quite tasty!

Calamari. Ick. Something everyone else in my family loves.

Eel. Gak. Daughters love it in sushi. No thank you!

I must admit, I am a card carrying member of the Wussie Eaters Club.

See I don't even like sushi at all. Ick!

http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/24.gif I forgot about pigs feet. I eat those things like steak.:D I haven't tried hogshead cheese, yet. My mom says it's good, and she and like the same food, so I'm sure I'll like it. LOL at the holidays. I throw down on some holiday food.:D