Spotlight: Ms. "I Want Seconds"

This week, we are delighted to spotlight Ms. J. "I Want Seconds" H. She is the co-founder and CEO (Chief Eating Officer) of the Los Angeles Chapter of Delta Eta Pie as well as the Managing Editor of the DEP blog. We sat down with Ms. J.H. over a cup of tea to ask her a few questions central in the minds of all food lovers. Now without further ado, we present to you Ms. "I Want Seconds."

What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Cheese bagel w/ cream cheese, steamed nonfat milk, daily multivitamin, 2 berry flavored chewable fiber tablets (hey, prevention is the best medicine!). Real healthy, eh? What can I say, I'm a sucker for cheese, both literally and figuratively.

How do you like your eggs?
Poached until yolk becomes thick and creamy served with salsa and ground pepper.

Would you like fries with that?
Yes, McDonald’s fries w/ ketchup, an apple pie and non-fat skimmed milk pleez.

What is in your refrigerator and freezer today?
Fridge: canned beans - pinto, kidney & garbanzo, artichokes, greek-style yogurt, oranges, feta cheese, whole wheat hamburger buns, Rice Dream, pitcher of iced Japanese green tea, eggs, 4 varieties of salsa (jicama with roasted chilis, roasted sweet corn, fresh tomatoes, Pace).
Freezer: caught fillets, homemade vanilla w/ candied ginger and strawberry bits ice cream, sweet corn, bell pepper strips, edamame, veggie burgers, steel cut oatmeal, whole wheat waffles.

Your all-time favourite place to eat in Los Angeles?
Amandine Patissiere in Brentwood.

What would you like to have for your last meal on earth?
Lobster tail w/ melted butter, oysters steamed in shell with green onion and ginger, deep dish Chicago-style veggie pizza, steamed hot dog on toasted bun w/ fixings + sauerkraut, xiao long bao (Shanghai-style steamed pork dumplings), xian dou jiang (savory soy milk soup), hot and sour soup, steamed white rice, crème brulee, chocolate torte, fresh assorted berries, McD’s fries with extra salt, fresh tomato salsa, Manhattan clam chowder, hot black tea, fried green tea ice cream ball sprinkled with cinnamon sugary streusel mix topped off with bananas foster sauce of rum and brown sugar.

Name the 3 most daring foods you have eaten.
I'm ashamed to admit:

• Curried crocodile in Bangkok, Thailand (very bony)
• Ground kangaroo burger in Frankfurt, Germany (like tough ground beef)
• Rabbit poached with sweet plums in Toulouse, France (like gamey chicken)

What symptoms do you experience when you haven eaten all day?
Delirium, hypochondria, psychokinesis.

If you were a flavour of ice cream (see quiz), which would you be and why? PG answers only.
Without having taken the quiz, I'd have to say I'm half baked - I'm a work in progress.

Is your plate half empty or half full.
Have full 'cause I always make sure I have food!

G*d forbidden, for dessert, you must choose between fruity and chocolaty. Your choice?
Chocolate, hands down.

Your cooking style: Do you Iron Chef or are you Recipe Retentive?
I have trouble following directions so I Iron Chef. My dishes are always tasty but gigantic since I keep on adding ingredients to fix my problem with proportions.

Which came to cuisine first, the chicken . . . or . . . the egg?
Chicken! Who ever came up with the idea of eating a calcified round oval? Then again, who came up with the idea of eating the feathered clucker? Food for thought.

Your favourite non-alcoholic drink?
Iced japanese green tea with a spoonful of sugar - although the caffeine makes me hit the ceiling so I've sworn off it and anything caffeinated (except of course for dark chocolate).

Your favourite alcoholic drink?
Umm . . . to be honest, I don't like the taste of alcohol. On rare occasions, you'll see me with a lite beer - I know, nasty!

What do you do to stay in shape?
I practice yoga every day, bike to school, play tennis, walk my dog and in the winter, I snowboard!

Word of advice to a fledgling foodie?
Get fresh ingredients, prepare them with care and pay attention when you’re eating! Your body and spirit will thank you.

Take a look at the ink blot to the right: what do you see?
Neopolitan ice cream.

If you were in the forest, holding an iron skillet with tender kobe beef sirloin cooked in a rich peppercorn sauce with buttery mashed fingerling potatoes on the side and a ravenous pack of wolves was chasing you, what would you do?
I subscribe to a school of thought called self preservation. So, in these circumstances, I admit that my love for food is outweighed by my love for myself and my fear of pain. I'd throw the steak and potatoes at the wolves to buy myself time and then knock each wolf dizzy with my iron skillet. If I hit them fast enough (bap, bap, bap, bap!! somewhat like the gopher carnival game where you bonk the heads that pop up), perhaps I could recover a lone fingerling potato or two. Oh, I forgot to mention: it helps that I don't care for meat (well, at least 6.7 days out of the week).