Top Five Interactive Foods

Who says I'm too old to be playing with my food?

1. Salad Bar
From a very young age, I've always been fascinated with salad bars. Maybe it's because I'm a bit picky when it comes to veggies and prefer the opportunity to only eat those that I like. Maybe it's because a salad bar in a restaurant or supermarket offers far more in variety than any salad you assemble at home. Maybe it's because salad bar croutons are invariably awesome. Maybe it's because while at any given salad bar, I'll get the same thing nine out of ten times, but the tenth time I'll throw caution to the wind and venture over to the pasta salads and couscous and fruit.

2. Vietnamese Rice Wraps
The experience of Vietnamese rice wraps is the reason to order this dish whenever it's available. You take your rice paper, dip in the hot water, grab it (if you can) with the unwieldy tongs they give you, then fill it up with chicken, mint leaves, matted-up noodles, whatever other vegetables they give you, and the sweet and sour sauce they provide. Then you somehow roll it up and if it doesn't fall apart between the plate and your mouth (good luck), enjoy! Rice wraps get the nod over their cousin, Thai lettuce wraps, because melting a piece of rice paper in hot water is much more fun than tearing off a portion of a lettuce leaf.

3. Fajitas
Any Mexican restaurant that does fajitas properly (and that even includes Chili's) will deliver a minimum of four plates to your table: a plastic container filled with tortillas; a small plate loaded with cheese, salsa, lettuce, sour cream, and guacamole; an empty plate where you can put everything together; and -- the piece de resistance -- a sizzling skillet loaded with chicken, beef, peppers, and onions, accompanied by the obligatory warning that's it's hot and you shouldn't touch it. You have a veritable Mexican fiesta, and it's all for you!

4. Peking Duck
Peking duck is the emperor of dishes at your local Chinese restaurant. The centerpiece is a tray of roasted duck, meticulously arranged with breast meat in the middle, surrounded by dark meat, topped with skin, and four drumsticks poking out from each corner. Accoutrements de rigeur are scallions with shredded ends, pancakes, and the delicious plum-based hoisin sauce. Some places will feature the waiter assembling pancakes table-side while others are strictly self-service. Either way, the end result is a delightful treat.

5. Ice Cream Sundae
To finish our meal, we'll partake in the most interactive of desserts. A good ice cream sundae bar should start with a couple of traditional ice cream varieties (vanilla, chocolate, and/or strawberry) joined by one or two specialty flavors (cookie dough, heath bar crunch, mint chocolate chunk). For sauces, hot fudge is obligatory while strawberry, caramel, marshmellow, and peanut butter sauce are highly recommended. Then, you need sprinkles, walnuts, crushed Oreos, and M&M's as toppings. Whipped cream is a must (in a can is okay, fresh whipped is amazing, Cool Whip is barely tolerable given a lack of alternatives). And, of course, what would an ice cream sundae be without a cherry (or three) on top?