Updated: March 29, 2010

If we have learned only one thing at RevolutionSF covering nerd-related things, it is this:

Everybody loves pudding.

What's not to love? It comes in many different varieties. It is a tasty treat that is easy on the eyes and on the tummy. It's fun to say, especially if you pronounce it like we learned via our Alabama public school education: Puddin'. In England, they love it so much they call every dessert puddin'. I mean pudding. They don't go to school here.

You can tell many things about genre professionals by learning their favorite flavors of puddin'. The question makes them think back, to happy times when it was just them and a spoon (and pudding). Except sometimes it makes them nervous and, ahem, snippy.

These responses are actual quotes given to us by the actual sci-fi person. If a flavor is listed with no quotes, that's all they told us, and we moved on. After many years of puddin' investigation, we've come to believe the "Puddin' Question" reveals a little something about the sci-fi celebrity. And about ourselves. And our favorite yummy treat.

As the old adage says, the proof is in the puddin'.

The Pudding List

Alley Baggett, model: "Oh, dude . . . vanilla."

Jackson Bostwick, first Captain Marvel in Shazam!: "Vanilla -- make that tapioca."

Terry Brooks, writer , Shannara series: "I don't remember the last time that I had pudding! Well, I like . . . I'm pretty, uh . . . I'm from the midwest. And in the midwest, we're very centrist, for the most part. We're pretty well grounded in the way things were a hundred years ago. So I suppose vanilla."

Jeremy Bulloch, Boba Fett: "I'm not a pudding eater normally. I don't like sweets so I don't like ice cream. It has to be apple crumble with custard."

Tom Braidwood, Frohike from The Lone Gunmen: Rice pudding.

Angela Cartwright, Penny from Lost in Space: "I don't really eat pudding . . . but chocolate."

Jeanne Cavelos, writer, The Science of The X-Files, The Science of Star Wars: Chocolate

Roger Christian, director, Battlefield Earth: "I suppose it would be rice of some sort . . . Indian rice pudding."

Chris Claremont, writer, Exiles, Excalibur: "I don't eat pudding."

Dave Dorman, artist , Star Wars trading cards: "Chocolate. Just plain ol' chocolate pudding."

Andy Duncan, writer: “The one in Through the Looking Glass.” We're pretty sure he meant the Knight's blotting-paper/ gunpowder/ sealing-wax pudding.)

Jane Espenson, writer , Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Buffy, Angel: Chocolate

Christian Gossett, writer, The Red Star : Vanilla

David Goyer, writer, Batman Begins, Blade: "I hate pudding. I like New York style cheesecake."

Dean Haglund, Langly from The Lone Gunmen: Lemon

Joe Haldeman, Forever War writer: "Lemon pie filling."

Bruce Harwood, Byers from The Lone Gunmen: "Actually, there's a particular recipe of pudding that I like especially. I call it Snow Pudding, but it's basically chiffon lemon pudding. Actually the way you make it really simple. You take the filling to a lemon meringue pie, and you take the meringue, and you mix 'em together. And that's the pudding."

Nalo Hopkinson, writer: "Caribbean egg custard."

Jeff Jarrett, wrestler , Total Nonstop Action Wrestling: "Is this some kind of trick question?"

Herb Jefferson Jr., Boomer, Battlestar Galactica: Chocolate

Brad Kayl, writer, The Red Star : Dark chocolate

Erik Larsen, writer and artist , Savage Dragon: Chocolate

Joe Linsner, writer and artist, Cry for Dawn: "I simply adore, love, worship tapioca pudding with strawberries on top."

Kristanna Loken, actress , Painkiller Jane, Terminator 3: "I don't eat pudding! Sorry!"

Ron Marz, writer, Witchblade, Ion: "I've gotta go with rice pudding."

Chase Masterson, actress, Leeta, Deep Space Nine: "Do you always ask stupid questions?" (Joe's answer: "Yes.") " . . . I don't really eat much pudding."

Mary McDonnell, Laura Roslin, Battlestar Galactica: "Oh, gosh, I don't eat pudding. I used to love rice pudding. I used to make a wicked rice pudding, but I haven't made one in about 20 years."

China Mieville, author, Perdido Street Station and The Scar: "My favourite pudding -- by which we English simply mean 'dessert,' do you mean something more specific? -- is the dark chocolate tart from the London restaurant Pied A Terre."

Paul Reubens, creator, Pee Wee's Playhouse: "I'm not a big pudding eater in real life, but I love chocolate pudding."

What kind of pudding would Pee Wee Herman eat? ""I think Pee Wee would say bread pudding, it being so odd. A mix of bread and pudding."

Greg Rucka, writer , Queen & Country, Whiteout, 52: Butterscotch

Jack Stauffer, Bojay from Battlestar Galactica: Chocolate

Peter Straub, horror rwiter: "Spotted dick!"

Takayuki Tatsumi, scholar: "Babaloa pudding."

Jill Thompson, writer and illustrator , Scary Godmother: "I know that I got really sick off vanilla pudding, and tapioca pudding. But chocolate pudding was always pretty good. I would have to say pistachio pudding."

Jim Valentino, writer and artist , Shadowhawk: Chocolate

Judd Winick, creator , Barry Ween, Boy Genius: "One could answer it easy and just say Swiss Miss chocolate. I'm remembering when I was a kid. I forget what brand it was, the ones you actually open the can. The pulltab chocolate in cans."