Choose One Ingredient You Can Live Without and It Will Reveal Your True Personality

My dear friend, I see these little personality quizzes making the rounds, and I always smile. At eighty-seven, having lived on my own in my farmhouse for the past eight years, I've come to understand that the small, everyday choices we make form the true foundation of our well-being. What we put on our plates—and what we leave off—is rarely just about taste. It reflects our journey, our values, and the memories we carry.

As a physician who finished her residency many decades ago, I've always seen food through a dual lens: the science of nourishment and the emotional comfort it provides. So I put the kettle on, brewed a cup of my grandmother's "church coffee"—the kind made with a pinch of salt and an egg to smooth the flavor—and sat down to think about what these simple culinary choices might reveal about us. Let's explore.

Why Food Choices Feel So Personal

Food is more than fuel. It is tangled up with memory, tradition, and identity. The ingredients we gravitate toward can reflect our cultural roots, our lifestyle, our values, our need for comfort, and our openness to the unfamiliar. Because food touches so many parts of daily life, even a small choice can carry surprising weight.