The above problem - rated D4 by me - worried the eminent mathematician George W. Hart ( scientist, sculptor and co-founder of MoMath)
for over 25 years, so he published in 2003 (revised in 2010)
a long paper dedicated to food pairing and summing up the various candidate solutions to the bolded problem.
Please read his essay (available on the web - named as this puzzle) prior to climbing your discovery train.
Bon voyage!
I must mention that obviously the 3 foods must be distinct products
so a solution like a=b=c=a long shot of vodka
does not qualify as an answer.
re(3): I agree with This
