It's like someone turned the knob of all my senses up to 11.

This is not news though. If you know me at all in person you’ve heard me complain a thousand times about all the smells that make me gag, foods that repel me, and even some sights and sounds that make my skin crawl if you’re lucky. Nat, YOU my friend, are the luckiest one – he could probably tell you more things that drive me batty than I could. (And let me also take this time to mention that likewise Nat’s a saint.) So yes, I haven’t really thought about it in this way before, but I bet you there are things in all 5 senses that make my eyes water and throat quiver. Since I’m getting out of the house more and may have dinner with you, maybe you should have some kind of list. Here goes…

I’ll just give you a list of the foods and smells since they have the most severe affect on me. For example, I went to an Italian dinner the other night with friends and had to forbid everyone from getting chicken marsala in fear that I’d throw up in the bread basket. (And thank you, friends, for obeying. And thank me, Me, for being honest and alerting you to the potential danger.) It was the only thing I could eat for weeks early on, and now if it’s anywhere near me, you’ll have to follow a trail of throw up through a Nikki-shaped hole in the wall to find me.

The Bad Smells:

- Chicken Marsala
- Raw onion
- Scrambled eggs
- Rubber
- Foosball table
- Beef stew
- Men’s cologne
- Ladies’ perfume
- Scented candles
- Cigarette smoke
- Garbage
- Lamb
- Chef Boyardee
- Hamburgers

I gotta stop. I don't feel so good. Buhhhhh.

You must think I’m the most Negative Nancy ever, but I’m not. So I’m going to leave you with a list of foods and smells I crave so you know it’s not all bad!

Must Haves, or Why I Gained 7 lbs Before My Baby Was 2 Inches:

- Pickles
- Cornichons (makes me so happy)
- Pickled beans
- Marinated mushrooms
- Burritos
- Egg salad sandwich
- Tofu
- Mexican food
- Oranges
- Grapefruit
- Lipton hot tea with milk and sugar
- Spaghetti with olive oil, salt, pepper, and parmesan
- Artu paninis (only the Artu on Charles st. The one on Prince st. will not do.)
- Ida’s chicken parm with eggplant
- White rice with furikake
- Ochazuke (Japanese rice soup with green tea and seaweed)
- Gyoza
- Popsicles
- Popcorn with a little parmesan cheese sprinkled on top
- Chicken katsu with bulldog sauce
- Strawberry and/or chocolate ice cream

Thing is definitely Italian and Asian. And maybe a little Mexican…

OK I’m hungry and this post inspired me… Off to Artu to pick up some paninis and eggplant rollatinis on my way home. And probably polish off that fresh jar of tobasco pickles. And some popsicles. Nom nom.