When I was very young, one of my favorite games was Silly Sandwich, a vintage 1975 Milton Bradley classic (actually, I have no idea whether the game was popular anywhere but my house, but it should have been a classic). The goal was to construct the zaniest possible sandwich from a collection of cardboard cutouts. You could make a ketchup and mushroom sandwich! Or a turnip and olive sandwich! But the win almost always went to whichever player was quickest to grab the sardine.

Whether paired with peanut butter, hot dogs, or cheese, sardines always seemed pretty gross. I didn't encounter a real sardine until I was in my teens (my mother is allergic to fish and shellfish, which is why I still consider tuna salad a luxury item), but I was certain my anti-sardine position was justified.

But I digress. Every year, Seattle Weekly sponsors a music festival in a dozen downtown Ballard venues featuring 70-some bands. It's called Reverb. This year, Reverb falls on this Saturday, October 8, and is sponsored by the following beverage brands: Genessee (beer), Sparks (malt liquor), Vitamin Water, Freixenet (sparkling wine), Tullamore Dew (Irish whiskey), and Sailor Jerry (rum).

All of these brands will be available free of charge in a designated area on the day of the fest to persons holding a Viking Pass. The approximate retail value of such a pass--which also gets you into each and every show--is $75, but let us tell you how to win a pair of Viking Passes FOR FREE!

Nobody dislikes mayonnaise. But there are plenty of eaters who revile the stuff.

Skittish eaters brook no exception when it comes to mayonnaise, a seemingly innocuous mixture of egg yolk, lemon and vinegar. Mayo haters won't tolerate a stray smear of mayo on their sandwiches. They don't care if the eggs came from free-range, organic chickens or if the lemons were squeezed by angels: They despise mayo's smell, color and texture.

"It reminds me of pus," Jimmy Fallon told Mario Batali, one of the many mayonnaise fans who've tried to convert the comedian.

Janelle Stokesberry of Stokesberry Sustainable Farms is a vocal proponent of using every part of a chicken. But even she balks at a meal of chicken feet.

"I'm not quite there yet," says Stokesberry, who this Saturday will be at the U-District Farmers Market to teach a session on making the most of a whole chicken. "I've done it, and it's not my cup of tea."

Chicken feet are used in African, Jewish, and Caribbean cuisines, although most American eaters encounter them at Chinese restaurants, where they're fried, steamed, and sauced for dim sum menus. While chicken feet have a tremendous amount of flavor, their gelatinous texture and distinctive pronged shape are turn-offs for many eaters who didn't acquire a taste for feet at a tender age.

Visitors to the Hood Canal often assume they've stumbled upon a miles-long raw bar. Hama Hama Oyster Company's Lissa James says local residents quickly correct them.

"There isn't much of a raw-oyster culture among local people," says James. "I've had trouble finding people to work in our retail store and talk about raw oysters in a way that's at all appetizing."