Some tastes never acquired.

Byline: FOOD DUDE By Lewis Taylor The Register-Guard

People's palates, like everything else in life, change over time. When Food Dude was just a little dude, nothing tasted worse than asparagus. Second on the list of most-hated foods was Brussels sprouts. Eating them was like eating nasty little cabbages.

Asparagus has since risen in the rankings and now appears regularly on the menu at my house. Brussels sprouts still taste like Belgian garbage to me, though, and liver and onions, which I used to love, has definitely dropped off the hot 100 chart.

I realize now, I just liked the onions.

I'm not sure why I've acquired a taste for some foods and lost my yen for others. I'm sure a scientist somewhere has the answer for me.

I'm also pretty sure, if I were really hungry, that I'd eat any food, and I'd enjoy it.

If you've got a food that you can't stand (or one you can't live without), send your nominations to the address at the end of the column.

Dear Food Dude: Technically speaking, is it legal to buy booze in California - let's say, at one of those big-box places called Liquor Shedd or something - and drive it back into Oregon?

Not that it would stop me from doing it if it wasn't - I was just wondering.

- Hung Over

Dear Hung Over: This is probably not a question for me, but until The Register-Guard gets a Booze Dude, I'll be fielding all queries related to distilled alcohol.

The good news (not that it matters to you, Hung Over), is that you are probably not breaking the law by smuggling Costco-sized bottles of Grey Goose across the border.

According to Section 4 of Oregon Revised Statute 471.405, you are allowed to bring up to 4 liters (135.2 fluid ounces) of distilled liquor into the state.

There is an exemption to the limit if you can prove you're using it for sacramental purposes, so if you're looking to bring in lots of liquor, start a new religion.

The other question you might want to ask yourself, Hung Over, is whether it's worth going out of your way to bring liquor into Oregon.

The state can't compete with California when it comes to sale items - especially "loss leaders" designed to get customers in the door so they'll buy other more profitable booze - but, overall, Oregon's state-run liquor stores probably aren't as expensive as you might think.

Some items may even be cheaper in this state, says Michael O'Connor, financial services director for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

In pricing distilled liquor, the state relies on a formula that varies depending on the size of the bottles. On average, the mark-up is 105 percent of the "landed cost" (the total cost the state pays for the item, including shipping) which makes Oregon's prices fairly competitive with California's, particularly when it comes to top-shelf liquors, O'Connor says.

And one advantage of buying liquor locally is the selection. Because of the state's enormous buying power, Oregon liquor stores carry about 1,300 different products compared with 300 to 400 items at most California stores, O'Connor says.

Dear Food Dude: Is there anything that is a good substitute for cilantro in salsa? I really do not care for cilantro.

- Terry

Dear Terry: As someone who used to dislike cilantro (it tastes like soap, right?), I empathize with your plight.

I used to think nothing ruined a perfectly good salsa like cilantro, and then one day something changed for me. Like the kid who grows to enjoy the taste of Ivory suds in his mouth, I began to like cilantro, which, by the way, is the leafy part of the coriander plant.

I'm not suggesting you force-feed yourself until you acquire a taste for soapy greens, but I think cilantro is one of those distinctive ingredients that doesn't really allow for substitutions. Either you like it or you don't.

Just to be sure, though, I asked Mark Stern, head chef and owner of DISH Comfort Cuisine.

Stern makes a Mexican pesto with cilantro, cotija cheese and pumpkin seeds that sounds great to me but would probably give you nightmares, Terry.

"(Cilantro) is not really for fence-sitters," Stern agreed. "It really just kind of tastes like itself. If you don't like it, don't use it."

Stern has heard of plenty of people who share your dislike for cilantro, but he's not one of them. He suggests you try using a very small amount the next time you make salsa.

"Visually, flat-leaf parsley is the closest thing to cilantro," Stern says. "But you don't want that in your salsa, do you?"

Do you have questions about food? Send them to the Food Dude via e-mail at [e-mail]. Or, send regular mail to Food Dude, The Register-Guard, P.O. Box 10188, Eugene, OR 97440-2168.

CAPTION(S):

Asparagus is one of those foods that people either love or hate.