I finally have enough time to answer this, so here goes.

I have the "gag-reflex" aversion that a few people have mentioned, to many foods. Unfortunately, most of them seem to be the healthy vegetables. I simply cannot eat cabbage, sprouts, leeks, turnips, broccoli, swedes, cauliflower or carrots without wanting to hurl them back up. As has been said, it's an involuntary thing, I just can't get them down before I gag. The only way is to *completely* smother them with something else. Mashed potatoes in my case, usually.

I can eat sweetcorn, peas, beans and potatoes like there's no tomorrow, so at least I can get some vestige of a healthy diet.

I do like a curry, but not a *hot* curry. For me it's a case of taste before spicy hotness. I ate a phall once, for a bet. Never again.

As for accents, I am just beginning to distinguish the different American accents. I had an interesting conversation on a plane with an American about eight years ago. It basically boiled down to; I could differentiate between Mancunian, Brummie, Gordie, Souser and the like, where it was all the same to him. He could tell Deep South from New Yorker, Chicago and Californian etc.

Accents are a funny thing. I don't know why they developed in the first place, but the range of them across the planet is truly amazing.

Bea"Broad Essex accent for me"sty