Gastronautical Survey Results (so far)

Here are some of the results from the first survey (complete results are in the book) – or at least this is what the first 500 people told me. The survey has now changed slightly – I’m asking different questions that will feature in a new book. If this tickles you, add your voice.

What best defines food for you?
1 Love 54%
2 Fuel 33%
3 Power 13%

What’s your relationship with food?
1 Eater 39%
2 Foodie 34%
3 Cook 21%
4 Gourmand 3%
5 Chef 3%

Do you love eating turkey at Christmas?
1 Love eating turkey at Christmas 71%
2 Hate eating turkey at Christmas 29%

Do you genuinely like your pasta ‘al dente’?
1 Genuinely like their pasta ‘al dente’ 62%
2 Don’t like their pasta ‘al dente’ 38%

Do you think Delia Smith wears nipple clamps whilst filming?
1 Delia Smith wears nipple clamps whilst filming 59%
2 Delia Smith doesn’t wear nipple clamps whilst filming 41%

What’s your favourite food?
1 Cheese 8%
2 Lamb 7%
3 Fish (general) 6.5%
4 Chocolate 6%
5= Curry 5%
5= Sushi 5%
7 Bacon 4.5%
8 Meat (general) 4%
9 Pasta 3.5%
10 Scallops 3%
2.5% or less included these highlights: testicles; Korean-style beef; raspberries, roast chicken dinner, mango, apple tart, olives, micro-elephant on toast, poached eggs, fish eggs, crËme Anglais.

What’s your least favourite food
1 Fast food 8%
2 Liver 7%
3 Fish 6%
4 Beetroot 3.5%
5 Offal 3%
6 Anchovies 2.5%
7 Meat 2%
8= Brussels Sprouts 1.5%
8= Tripe 1.5%
10 Celery 1%
Other leading figures of hate included: broad beans, courgettes, marzipan, olives, oysters, peas, rice pudding and yoghurt.

Have you ever made a recipe you’ve seen in a TV programme?
1 Never 43%
2 Occasionally 41%
3 Once 10%
4 Often 6%

Who is the most irritating food celeb?
1 Ainsley Harrriot 15%
2 Gary Rhodes 13%
3 Anthony Worral Thompson 11%
4 Jamie Oliver 10%
5 Nigella Lawson 3%

After you’ve picked trapped food out from between your teeth do you eat it?
1 Yes 66%
2 No 32%
3 Depends on certain factors 2%

Strange Foods
As children, many people had experimented with strange foods including: marbles, loo freshener blocks, beads, buttons, bleach, pens, coal, meths, lip balm, turps, soap , metal swarf, maggots, hair grips, paper, paperclips and shoe polish. There was one instance of a boy eating polystyrene cement straight form the tube when he was 12 years old, and the most disturbing was the respondent whose mother tried to serve him a Vim crumble.

Now send me your thoughts

Ó Stefan Gates 2005