1. No shellfish other than fried clams and crab
2. No blue cheese
3. No capers
4. No sauce or salad dressing whose main ingredient is vinegar
(Because of rules 2-4, I rarely eat salads when I'm out.)
5. Thin crust pizza only, please, and with no foo-foo toppings like Thai chicken
6. Spices, YES! But I have to be able to taste something besides heat, and if my nose and eyes are running, it's too hot.
7. No sugar or fruit flavorings in my ice tea. In fact, no sweet drinks unless they're also alcoholic
8. I hesitate to eat Japanese food outside of Japan, because too many places think that the cuisine consists of sushi plus meat smothered in teriyaki sauce.
9. Real food only: no skim milk, no margarine, no cool whip, no artificial eggs, no Aspartame
10. Helmans/Best Foods mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip
11. No strong-tasting fish
12. No smoked foods except pork products and the eggplants for baba ghanouj.
13. No lemon merengue pie
14. I'd rather have sparkling water with a dash of fruit juice or wine than any commercial soft drink
15. Eggs must be solid, with nothing runny, cooked in olive oil or butter
16. No gelatin in my yogurt, please
17. I like all vegetables, but few fruits: apples, berries, melons, mikan, and grapefruit (but only with honey). I can tolerate bananas mixed in a drink and pineapple in pina coladas, but I eat the rest only if someone serves them to me and it would be impolite to refuse.
18. Black, dark-roast coffee with chocolate overtones. No milk or sugar
19. Peanut butter must be crunchy
20. Sorry, Brits, but stewed tomatoes, baked beans, and mushrooms are not breakfast foods.
21. I'm fine with beer, wine, hard cider, and white distilled liquors. Can't stand whisky, bourbon, or anything of that type
22. I avoid strip mall "Chinese" restaurants where the lunch buffet consists of UFOs (unidentified fried objects) in duck sauce with fried rice.