On a research-based site I just discovered, www.able2know.org, I found this interesting information about foods people either love or hate. Take a look at the list and comments from those surveyed. Following is my own or one- or two-sentence opinion. And I'm wondering what your take is on these foods?

1. White Chocolate: The "chocolate" part trips people up. It's really just a sweet confection (no cocoa involved). Moving on from terminology, when good, it's creamy and vanilla-y, but like "normal" chocolate, when bad, it's just waxy calories.

Maybe I've never had good white chocolate, because to me, it's just bland waxy calories.

2. Cilantro: Soapy, rotten, or just plain vile are popular complaints from cilantro haters. Did you know Julia Child hated the leafy herb? But behavioral neuroscientists would argue that America's food darling had no control. It's all about genetics. Studies have linked liking cilantro to being able to detect the "pleasing" chemicals in the leaf.

I love it; there's no rotten smell/soapy taste to me. In fact, when dining at Café Rio I ask them to pile it on.

3. Eggplant: For some, it's an old purple sponge and for others it's soft-firm texture is what makes a veggie sandwich or an Italian pasta dish. It was half and half for those surveyed. Some said raw is never good, but fried, grilled, or roasted (always doused with gobs of olive oil), eggplant is OK. The other half said it made them nauseous any old way it is served.

I have to tell the truth: I've never tasted eggplant in my life. I'm open, though.

4. Coconut: The smell in shampoo and sunblock is one thing. But the sawdust-like shreds of real coconut can mean chewing and chewing forever until you eventually swallow the darn lump. Sprinkled on pies, cakes, and chicken, coconut either adds a mild tropical zing, or a vile, never-ending chewing party. That's when it comes out that a lot of coconut haters don't even know about young fresh coconut which is as soft as a Hawaiian baby's bottom.

I LOVE coconut—dried and shredded, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut cream, coconut flavoring, coconut anything. And fresh coconut is simply spectacular!

5. Tomato: This one really comes down to texture. Slimy and gritty is never good for the tomato world. The cooked, soft version brings in a few fans. Others are only in it for the vine-picked version during their peak season in August (cut to romantic images of Italian country sides). Others can only bare them on pizza or completely masked inside ketchup.

HUH? How can there be any debate over tomatoes? They're awesome.

6. Sardines: Cat food or human food? A small whiff can make you seasick or have you loading them on pizza and Caesar salads. Whether fresh or in flat metal cans, the salty little fish has some so obsessed, they'll eat the bones. Eating roasted sardines with bread crumbs, garlic, and mint is good.

Here's more truth: I've never tasted these either. (I need to get out more, I guess.) But how about YOU, yea or nay on sardines?

7. Black licorice: Even the red licorice-tolerant may draw the line here. Black licorice gum, jelly beans, tea, Good n' Plentys, and Jägermeister should be removed from human history. Along with any herb, like anise or fennel, that resembles the flavor. Out. Lovers say it's an acquired taste, but little kids have it straight here: not a real candy.

No sir! Black licorice (and anise and fennel) are the best of man's creation or discovery. I can eat my weight in black licorice. When dating my husband, Rich, we talked about our favorite candy and when we discovered we both agreed on black licorice, that cemented the deal!

8. Stinky cheeses: If this smell came from something else (a shoe or dog), folks might take issue, but knowing it's from a dairy gob, growing moldy in a controlled environment, people seem fine with the pungent aroma. But many folks said when they sniff Gorgonzola or Roquefort, they're convinced that feet or laundry were actually involved.

I like some cheese—Cheddars, Swiss, Provolone, mozzarella, Parmesan, Havarti, and cream. There are over 650 varieties of cheese, so I realize my repertoire is narrow. But the true stinky cheeses? Nah, I pass.

9. Mayo: Whether Hellmann's or even Miracle Whip, does the creamy off-white slime strip the taste off food or magically make anything better? Haters have been told to try it homemade, but for many, this won't make a tuna or egg salad look any less scary.

I like real mayo; Best Foods (Hellmann's back East) is my store-bought preference. I've made my own and it's really good too. I found this recipe on www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com and it's my favorite (see recipe at the end of this article).

10. Bell Pepper: To some, all those colorful strips are a mouthful of crisp freshness. To others, they're the backseat driver of vegetables. On a pizza or in pasta, they're supposed to be one of many veggie passengers, but no. The bell pepper's always got to be the loud guy telling your taste buds where to go -- and green, he's the loudest. Green is actually unripened, picked from the vine before its more sweet (and edible) brethren.

I think they add a great flavor to salads and certain soups. They have too much recipe possibility and health value to nix. So I vote for 'em.

11. Beets: Lots of people surveyed said beet smell is a toss-up between "ick" and "gross" and they felt beet taste is like a metallic vitamin, that it's just not meant to be. But there were lots more who said they loved beets—especially pickled.

I'll mix freshly made beet and carrot juice together and wow—what a flavor combo. But to just eat beets? Nope, can't do it. They make me gag.