Erin's Good Things - It Ain't What's Good For Oprah

I notice that celebrities enjoy telling people what they like. It usually amounts to name-dropping $500 wrinkle cream and $45,000 handbags. To counter all this unattainable foolery, I thought I'd share a bunch of stuff I like that's way more affordable.

1. Rose's Lime Cordial. It's not sweet, not sour - just right. This cordial costs about $3.49 in Toronto. If you cut it with club soda, it lasts a long time. Delish!

2. Anthony Bourdain: I must admit I've only read one of his books, but I think his show No Reservations is brilliant. I love that after all these years, he still looks like a roadie for the New York Dolls roaming around the back streets of international locales looking for interesting food, people, and stories. Bravo! On this clip, he gets an insanely painful back rub at a spa in Uzbekistan. Look for it just before the 4:00 mark. I laughed so hard watching it.

3. Absurdist British comedy such as Fawlty Towers. My entire family loves this show. John Cleese is a hoot as Basil Fawlty. I love how he's this mess of simmering rage who always gets it wrong.

4. The smell of fresh bread and also the smell of fabric softener blowing out neighbours' dryer vents. I know, the second one is odd. If Proust said it, it would have been brilliant.

5. Most people hate black licorice. I've loved it ever since I was a kid. I don't go for the salty Scandinavian licorice, however. That's too hard-core for me.

6. Laughing at people laughing at inappropriate things. Here's a classic example. I just can't get enough.

7. Dark roast coffee: Again, I've been indulging since I was a kid. Being the youngest child in a large family, my parents had given up trying to be "correct" when I came along and basically let me chug back coffee at the dinner table before I was ten. It didn't do me any harm, although I might be a foot or two taller had I been drinking milk instead.

8. Mexican culture. I love the music, the food, the art. For me, this country has it all. Can't wait to visit one day. I won't be sunning myself by the pool.

9. Randy Bachman's Vinyl Tap: The former Guess Who and BTO axe-man hosts the best radio show ever each Saturday night on the CBC Radio. I think you can listen via the internet. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of music and plays some fantastic tunes. Love it.

10. Pomegranates: I consider this fruit to be a finger food. There's nothing I like more than settling in to a great movie with a yummy pomegranate to pick at. Mmmm.

Thanks for reading. I'll do another ten things I love later.