I usually hate "memes."

But I was inspired by the fantastic Melissa of The Traveler's Lunchbox. A couple of weeks ago she put out a call for her international cadre of readers to nominate five things that everyone should eat before we die. She had in turn been inspired by a BBC poll, the results of which were turned into a television show in 2004. That list was both too vague (fresh fish? sandwiches? pasta?) and too esoteric (guinea pig? alligator?) to be really useful, so Melissa's readers submitted their lists of "favorites." This is truly a global list; contributers living in Paris, Thailand, Japan, and elsewhere turned out lists of both local and universal treats. Though no person could ever sample everything (dozens of readers sent in their nominations), it may serve as inspiration to seek out new and unfamiliar dishes and ingredients.

I didn't participate in her first call for suggestions (what can I say? I was in Siberia with a lousy internet connection!), but here goes:

1. A key lime truffle from The Chocolate Moose in Pittsburgh
2. A Georgian supra - can't be separated into individual elements - it's the combination of food, wine, company, and culture that makes this event special
3. My grandmother's raspberry pie, made with fresh berries picked earlier in the day
4. Soup dumplings from Joe's Shanghai, in NYC's Chinatown - a lovely, aromatic, slurpy treat that is a whole lot of fun to eat
4.a. Char siu bao from the unnamed bakery across the street - dense dough surrounding a filling of sweet/smoky meat
5. A fresh, ripe Armenian tomato - somehow in terrible, rocky soil, Armenians manage to produce gorgeous, firm, brick-red tomatoes the size of a child's head. Juicy, flavorful, and deeply, deeply delicious.

Now I'm hungry. I wonder if Grandma has any spare berries that she needs to use up...