Well, I have racked my brain and while there are things I tend to make habitually with certain foods, the only thing I can think of that I HAVE to have is cool whip with pumpkin pie. Not whipped cream, not redi whip. The stuff in the tub. It is just not the same and not as good without it.

SO is more picky. If I make purple hull peas, he HAS to have creamed corn with them. And cornbread. Cornbread is also a requirement for cabbage or other greens. And he won't eat eggs by themselves. He has to have them scrambled, covered in cheese and served with either rice or grits for him to mix with them.

The only thing I can think of is that I want toast with my egg in the morning. The egg is over easy and the toast is buttered. If I don't have toast, I don't eat the egg. I'm not crazy about breakfast anyway, not being a "morning person" and don't care whether I eat it or not, so there's that.

Annie

This is only a HAVE to have if it's just me suiting myself. Being a grownup, I'm open to other preparations, so long as they're good.

Lamb chops. My favorite food since childhood. Other kids would say their favorite was ice cream, but mine was double cut rib lamb chops. Still is. I think they paved over all the local grazing areas because we used to get superb California lamb and I haven't seen any for sale in forever. I don't like Colorado or Icelandic. New Zealand are almost too wee, but they're very good. And because they're a single digit childhood favorite, they have to be broiled plain, with salt at the table and ketchup. The ketchup really isn't 100% mandatory. Not every piece gets some, and it's fine without, but the combo of lamb chop, salt and ketchup is a must. And they have to be with green salad. Strong flavors need a pause.

Like Annie, I must have toast with egg. Also, MUST have cole slaw with spaghetti or lasagne.

Wasabi, soy sauce, and ginger with sushi and sashimi.

beer *grin*

and an MLT [mutton, lettuce tomato] sandwich ... *princess bride moment*

Steak with chips.......fries for you lol

Same with the toast and egg here. Also beans and greens have to have cornbread and preferably pickled beets, too. Seafood needs coleslaw. And I don't want anything on my shellfish except for salt, pepper, lemon and sometimes butter. I will make an exception, fish and chips need the malt vinegar with it. Pan-fried liver has to have bacon and onions along with mashed potatoes and gravy. Liverwurst sandwich has to be on pumpernickle bread spread with mustard and butter, topped with sliced onion. Fried baloney sandwich has to be on plain white bread from the bread aisle - not fresh baked - with mayo, mustard, yellow cheese. Roast turkey must have dressing. I'm flexible on most other things but if I can't have the above exactly as I like it I won't even bother.

Meatloaf must have baked potato. It goes back to very frugal days when the oven was on you put everything in there.

Pasty must have ketchup.

JellO must have a dab of Miracle Whip ( it's a childhood thing )

Cantaloupe must have a sprinkle of salt.

Grilled salmon must have lime.

Ohhhh. fish and chips with malt vinegar. I haven't had that in decades. Just love it.

I’m having a hard time with this one. Condiments come to mind even those are flexible. Except perhaps hot dogs, can’t imagine eating one without mustard. Or a bun! There, that’s closer. Actually here’s one (I’m typing as I think) Sauerbraten requires potato dumplings. And to a lesser extent red cabbage. That’s all I’ve got for now.

I have very few must-have-together requirements. Toast with eggs for me too. Ditto mustard on a hot dog (but nothing else). French fries with ketchup, sweet potato fries - or calamari - with garlic aioli. Mint sauce with roast leg of lamb. Horseradish with beef. Wasabi with sushi....and lots of it!

That's all I can think of although I do have preferences of foods that I think go well together and so typically serve together. I make stroganoff often (but never with mushroom soup...never heard of that nor would I enjoy it) but I prefer it served over steamed rice rather than egg noodles. Garlic bread with spaghetti, lasagna or most other pasta dishes. Mashed potatoes with meatloaf.....unless very tiny, baked potatoes (with all the trimmings) for me are a meal in themselves. Creamed spinach with steak. Grilled cheese sammies with tomato soup (will also gladly enjoy grilled cheese without the soup but not the other way around).

These came to mind for some reason. Horseradish with prime rib, tzatziki with grilled lamb, and cilantro with Mexican food.

Apple sauce with roast pork...ketchup with lamb chops ( another early childhood thing) but mint jelly with roast lamb, cranberrys with turkey...unless it's cold in a sandwich then I better have some mayo. Corn bread with beans and baked potatoes with steak, mustard on a hot dog and kraut or red cabbage with bratwurst.

When I read the OPs post I didn't think I really had any.... except a Coke with pizza; but after reading all above I find I agree with most.

This makes me think of a combo my family had when i was a kid. If we had turnip green (fresh) we always had pickled beets, I thought it was required. I still get a craving occasionally.

CA Kate, I agree, pizza demands soda, but mine doesn't have to be Coke. Tacos and similar food also has soda with it. Maybe it's because as a teen I only had these foods when I ate out and that was about the only time I had soda. Today I drink almost no soda, but still like a small glass with pizza.

And ham needs a side of mashed potatoes. Homemade applesauce and corn are also great with it, but not essential.

Cornbread with chili.

Honey and butter with grits.

Raisins or dried cranberries in oatmeal.

I agree with many of the combinations, but for me they are preferences, and not "must haves". I don't like hard eggs, so I don't eat scrambled/hard boiled/omelettes unless it's a matter of being polite, then I eat them but I don't really like them and if I can gracefully do it I beg off, saying that I'm not a breakfast person and actually just prefer black coffee. That, incidentally, is true, but some people won't believe it.

I like coleslaw with fish, but I can eat it without. Same with sushi and wasabi, I'd prefer it but I'll eat it either way. Beans want cornbread but I'll eat either one by themselves.

So, if it's a matter of being polite, I'll just shut up and eat most things, although if it's not my preference or whether it's served how I like it or with my preferred accompaniments. I've even been known to eat lamb, although I really dislike it, and smile sweetly. Everything except Jello. I gag the minute it hits my mouth, I can't even eat that stuff to be polite.

Annie

Hot dogs require shredded cheese, dill pickles and coleslaw for me, chili sauce & coleslaw for DH. Anything Mexican has to have sour cream, cheese and tomatoes. Thanksgiving turkey without stuffing is a no-go. Other than that I can roll with whatever. Although I never say no if offered ice cream with cake!

Mustard with steamed or fried sweet potatoes. Black beans with noodles and salsa.

Berries with plain Greek yogurt. Cinnamon with half and half warm milk and hot water.

Mashed potatoes with a stuffed bell pepper, no other version of potato tastes right. Toast with egg yes but also with oatmeal, oatmeal is too lonely without a slice or two of toast, cinnamon toast is even better. And ketchup with meatloaf, always.

This is kinda fun!

It occurred to me tonight, can't have battered/deep-fried fish without tartar sauce (preferably Frisch's.)

I disagree with most of the above, but I do agree that deep-fried fish needs tartar sauce, but I always make my own, and I never use sweet pickles in it - only dill, if I put pickles in it at all. I've learned to make variations of tartar sauce, based on what I had in Brazil, and none of them are sweet.

I don't have to have toast with egg - I often have tortillas or tostado, but I won't eat egg by itself. Half the time I do have toast, and the other half I have some form of tortilla.

I do not put ketchup on anything - in fact I do not have ketchup in the house at all, except perhaps in some small packets from take-out that I never used.

I only eat lamb when I go to a Middle Eastern restaurant, and even then I generally order something else, such as falafel.

My favorite condiment is hot sauce, and I use that a lot and make my own.

Any kind of beans have to have cornbread on the side. Ketchup with fried okra (it's the only thing I put ketchup on). Pie with black coffee.

Typed out a long response to this, twice, apparently gremlins are afoot! LOL

With pork, I love to have mashed sweet potatoes. Unfortunately, I like them only the way *I* make them, with MY amount of butter and dash of maple syrup.

hmmmmm ... no hummus?

With spaghetti, must have a nice salad with Italian dressing and garlic bread.

With baked chicken breast, like to have fettuccine alfredo, and asparagus or English peas.

With steak, like to have baked potato with sour cream and butter, and a nice salad and garlic bread.