Sweets, Italian, Oriental Lead Favorite Foods List

If the age-old saying, “You are what you eat,” is true, then today’s teen-agers are a wide variety of gastronomic delights. If you can stomach the results, try swallowing the following answers obtained when Hot Topics served up the question, “What is your favorite food and why?”

“Pepperoni pizza--it’s greasy, but who cares; it’s real cheesy and delicious.”

Marsha Morley, 14,

freshman, Bethel Baptist

“Italian food--especially spaghetti, because you can play with it by slipping it into your mouth.”

Valerie Canfield, 15,

sophomore, Bethel Baptist

“Ice cream, because it is cold and reminds me of the summertime.”

Sharon Forquer, 16,

junior, Brea-Olinda

“Chinese food, because it is starchy and good for carbohydrate loading.”

Peter Argao, 17,

senior, Brea-Olinda

“Bread, because it has a unique taste all its own.”

Traci Skeen, 17,

senior, Capistrano Valley

“Hamburgers, because they’re not Chinese food.”

Joey Liu, 16,

junior, Capistrano Valley

“Watermelon, because I like to spit the seeds.”

Jennifer Kercher, 15,

sophomore, Capistrano Valley

“Blackened salmon, because it adds a little spice to my life.”

Jamie Katzman, 15,

sophomore, Corona del Mar

“Japanese food, because there’s such a variety of fish that you never get bored with what you eat.”

Dan Camaras, 16,

sophomore, Corona del Mar

“Sushi--I’m always in the mood for it because it’s so different and always fresh and zesty.”

Bernard Kim, 17,

senior, Corona del Mar

“Lasagna--I’ve been eating it since I was 5 and my grandma makes it the best because she’s Italian.”

Larry Sean Branam, 17,

senior, Cypress

“All Pakistani food--it tastes good and it’s spicy. The neat thing about it is that it’s easy to make, tastes good and is affordable.”

Arifa Mirza, 17,

senior, Cypress

“Chocolate-covered strawberries with whipped cream on top, because it looks and tastes delicious.”

Mayumi Negishi, 15,

junior, El Toro

“Tacos, because I like the variety of tastes together.”

Cheryl Reynolds, 17,

junior, El Toro

“Steak, because I like the taste, the texture and it makes me feel like I haven’t eaten anything bad for me.”

Bryce Lenon, 16,

sophomore, El Toro

“Macaroni and cheese--it tingles my taste buds and makes my tummy cheer.”

Mark Hartley, 17,

senior, Estancia

“Anything with garlic and mushrooms.”

Teresa Bell, 18,

senior, Esperanza

“Barbecue spareribs, because they’re messy.”

Krista Sammons, 17,

senior, Esperanza

“Lobster, because it’s delicious, especially when they burn it in wine at your table. It’s also entertaining.”

Brad Smith, 17,

senior, Foothill

“Tangerines, because we have bushels and bushels of them at our house.”

Ron McGehee, 17,

junior, Foothill

“Lamb, no question about it. There’s so many ways to enjoy it--lamb chops, shish kabobs, etc.”

Kevin Astor, 17,

senior, Foothill

“Homemade apple pie--every time I eat it, it reminds me of when I was a little kid and would go to my grandmother’s house.”

Mike Pinnow, 17,

senior, Laguna Hills

“Pretzels; hot, cold or soft--I love them all.”

Kim Westad, 17,

senior, Laguna Hills

“My mother’s vegetable soup, because one taste, and Campbell’s stays in the cupboard.”

Ruben Rivera, 17,

senior, Los Amigos

“A dish called vurichergeschnetzeletts. It’s a Swiss specialty made from a cream sauce which is poured over fried, shredded potatoes. It’s very flavorful and reminds me of home when I eat it.”

Joanne Flemmings, 17,

senior, Lutheran

“Microwave dinners, because they’re easy to make when you’re starving.”

Lisa Aseltine, 15,

sophomore, Marina

“Potato scones, because my dad makes them the best in all of Scotland.”

Blair Matheson, 15,

sophomore, Mission Viejo

“Every kind of Chinese food, except pork. I love the way everything is prepared.”

Laura Cockersell, 17,

senior, Rosary

“Steak--it reminds me of summer, because we always barbecued steak and corn outside at the pool.”

Maureen Croghan, 16,

junior, Rosary

“Cereal, because it is easy to make.”

John Myers, 17,

senior, Valencia

“Popcorn, because it’s fun to eat.”

Erica Bjorklund, 15,

sophomore, Villa Park

“Wild pheasant and wild rabbit, because I eat what I kill. “

Don Mear, 15,

sophomore, Western

“White rice, because it has a jasmine fragrance.”

Geneva Hoang, 15,

sophomore, Western

Next Week’s Hot Topic: What was the worst nightmare you’ve ever experienced?

Hot Topic responses gathered by Chris Bergerud, Joanna Brooks, Angela Conner, Rachel De Velder, Roxane Dyrud, Jill Hedlund, Jenny Kaplan, Lynda Kim, Kyra Kirkwood, Joo Young Lee, Stephan Lee, Tabetha Nakasone, Hai Pham, Kimberly Snow, Dawn Stone, Janet Stouder, Jana Swail, Laura Wadhams and Patrick Yoon.