Over the years, throughout the various stages of my life, I’ve become an accomplished connoisseur of fine foods. It was not a talent I inherited, or one that came easily—being raised in a household of predominately Irish cooking thus, you might note, the dearth of fine Irish cuisine restaurants in the world—it required much effort through trial and error.

Yet the list of the fine foods that my palate embraces is a hallmark of a life well lived.

• Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Fluff Sandwiches, aka the Fluffernutter
• Macaroni and Cheese
• SPAM, fried or straight up(the true indication of a gourmet master)
• Deviled Ham (the sandwich spread from the gods)
• Pizza with Anchovies (lots of Anchovies) and, I will admit, the occasional pizza with pineapple (don’t cringe ye of the uneducated palate.)

These are but a few examples of the highly developed tastes I have nurtured over the years.

But there is one item for which I required no long-term familiarity. No consistent exposure to this enigmatic wonder food needed. From the first moment I experienced the distinct texture—crunchy on the outside, soft, warm, fluffy center—I knew this would be a food I would enjoy my entire life.

This love affair with this delicacy also shows how I could embrace something long before the masses.

This exquisite culinary delight became a staple of my youthful diet and has remained one of my guilty pleasures my whole life.

The simple, yet succulent, potato puff.

Just the words alone imply a celestial (dare I say, Heavenly) experience.

I embraced plant-based foods long before the huddled masses. I understood the essence of fine foods in the simplest of presentations.

And I cannot wait to educate my grandson in the art of fine foods. Out of sight of his mother and others with less sophisticated palates, of course, they eat way too healthy a diet to understand such true gourmet matters.