# A Christmas Food Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2019, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282 "2019-12-02T18:51:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/21 "2019-12-03T00:08:18Z")
I think there are two things called “eggnog”. There’s the stuff in the dairy display that’s basically sweetened flavored half & half. It’s delicious. We drink it with a sprinkling of nutmeg on Christmas morning. You can add brandy, but by default it’s non-alcoholic. There’s the stuff your friend makes from an old family recipe that’s basically whipped eggs with rum and other booze. You know, egg and nog. It’s also delicious, and foamy, and if it weren’t for all that booze you’d worry about what you might catch from the raw eggs. But thanks to the booze you just worry about driving home from the party. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/22 "2019-12-03T00:15:46Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > 😕 > > I thought fruitcake was something that was famous for being disliked by almost everyone. Sort of like the Circus Peanuts of Christmas. Probably confirmation bias, but it seems everyone I know loves fruitcake :eek:. My mother makes several–from scratch–every Yule time and folks batten on it like Walkers on a deer carcass. And isn’t that the subtext of the “everyone hates fruitcake” joke: everyone really loves it and is poking fun at the shlubs who snub it. Doesn’t faze me; do yer worst! 🙂 > [@](#): > > That said, “fruitcake” is a broad term. Tasteless “cake loaf” speckled with dried & candied Day-Glo colored fruit and soaked in way-too-much rum? Blecch! ☹ Oh, Cripes, you’re talking about [these abominations](https://www.amazon.com/Claxton-Fruit-Cake-Regular-Recipe/dp/B019TUGL2W/ref=asc_df_B019TUGL2W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312323751320&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15206304411092171099&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012345&hvtargid=pla-567986570150&psc=1), aren’t you? Familiar with the term “Wino breakfast”? One of those with a half pint of Knottyhead. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “Claxton” is so similar to “klaxon.” 😉 > [@](#): > > Now, the following fruitcake type I’ve never had, but it sounds good in theory: Basically, an overgrown blueberry muffin. Moist, tasty pound cake with pleasant dried blueberries, cranberries, dates, and raisins, mixed in. No more than a hint of alcohol used in preparation – certainly not enough to preserve the cake any length of time. That _does_ sound good–maybe apples instead of blueberries, though. I would swear that has a different name than fruitcake, but I’m at a loss, at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/23 "2019-12-03T01:09:36Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Probably confirmation bias, but it seems everyone I know loves fruitcake :eek:. My mother makes several–from scratch–every Yule time and folks batten on it like Walkers on a deer carcass. > > And isn’t that the subtext of the “everyone hates fruitcake” joke: everyone really loves it and is poking fun at the shlubs who snub it. Doesn’t faze me; do yer worst! 🙂 Hey, that’s a horse of a different color 😃 Homemade fruitcake probably rocks. The fruitcakes that “everyone hates” are the ones you describe below: > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Oh, Cripes, you’re talking about [these abominations](https://www.amazon.com/Claxton-Fruit-Cake-Regular-Recipe/dp/B019TUGL2W/ref=asc_df_B019TUGL2W/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312323751320&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15206304411092171099&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012345&hvtargid=pla-567986570150&psc=1), aren’t you? Yep, those and their ilk. For wide swaths of the U.S. … these are the main things that comes to mind when we hear “fruitcake”. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/24 "2019-12-03T01:19:32Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > \ … the Circus Peanuts of Christmas. \ …new this year on [The Hallmark Channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSzytvDsPfo). 😃 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/25 "2019-12-03T01:41:59Z")
No to all three. Never really liked hard candy, I don’t do eggs or milk, and I had my fill of fruitcake after having to sell it door to door for school fundraising. Just give me some gingerbread with a dollop of whipped cream, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/26 "2019-12-03T02:04:52Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > This is interesting to me. To me and my circle of family and friends, eggnog is by default non-alcoholic. Yes, this. Plus I don’t like alcoholic eggnog anyway. Yech. I have a recipe for chocolate eggnog that’s fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/27 "2019-12-03T02:24:52Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > …new this year on [The Hallmark Channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSzytvDsPfo). > > 😃 Link much appreciated :D:cool: This is a Hallmark home every December … er, and November, too … aw heck, they’re gettin’ October now\*\*, too. ☹ \*\* _Not in jest. Hallmark’s Christmas movies started the weekend before Halloween this year._ ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/28 "2019-12-03T02:28:18Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think there are two things called “eggnog”. > > There’s the stuff in the dairy display that’s basically sweetened flavored half & half. It’s delicious. We drink it with a sprinkling of nutmeg on Christmas morning. You can add brandy, but by default it’s non-alcoholic. > > There’s the stuff your friend makes from an old family recipe that’s basically whipped eggs with rum and other booze. You know, egg and nog. It’s also delicious, and foamy, and if it weren’t for all that booze you’d worry about what you might catch from the raw eggs. But thanks to the booze you just worry about driving home from the party. When I went on a quickie search for alcoholic from-scratch eggnog recipes, sometimes it’s called “eggnog cocktail”. Therefore, at least a few sources seem to acknowledge that the alcoholic version is not the essential eggnog. Might be some regional/cultural differences at play, too. New Orleans is a drinking town, to be sure, but eggnog is not a native part of the drinking culture. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/29 "2019-12-03T03:13:44Z")
I’ve, um, never had fruit cake. Or, if I have, it wasn’t called that. So I don’t know if I like it or not Egg nog is great (and non-alcoholic), and most hard candy is good–though there is tons upon tons of diversity there, so much that I would be surprised at anyone who hated ALL hard candy. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/30 "2019-12-03T05:04:46Z")
What is hard candy? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/31 "2019-12-03T05:39:26Z")
I wasn’t sure how to vote on “hard candy”. I don’t mind it once in a while, but I don’t particularly associate it with Christmas. When I think of Christmas candy, I think of licorice allsorts or chocolates like Turtles or After Eight (and also the disgusting Terry’s Chocolate Orange). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/32 "2019-12-03T05:45:23Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > This is interesting to me. To me and my circle of family and friends, eggnog is by default non-alcoholic… Same here. Although my father always ensured we had a well-stocked bar, eggnog in our house was neither alcoholic, nor restricted to the Christmas season–we had a family recipe, and made it anytime we liked, all throughout the year. I guess we could have added some booze, but we never did. Fruitcake? Yes, but homemade from another old family recipe, if possible. A few store-bought fruitcakes are good-to-great. But many are not what I would call a traditional fruitcake, which (according to Grandmother’s recipe), you should start making in October. Hard candy? Neutral. I can take it or leave it. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/33 "2019-12-03T06:24:06Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I wasn’t sure how to vote on “hard candy”. I don’t mind it once in a while, but I don’t particularly associate it with Christmas. When I think of Christmas candy, I think of licorice allsorts or chocolates like Turtles or After Eight (and also the disgusting Terry’s Chocolate Orange). Nooooo! The Chocolate orange is great. Love that thing. Love whacking it. The slivers of orange flavored chocolate are not too much. I love chocolate covered cherries too. Alas, I can only have about one per year. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/34 "2019-12-03T06:35:31Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I love chocolate covered cherries too. Alas, I can only have about one per year. **Beck** , let me introduce you to Lowney’s Cherry Blossoms. Available all year around, so you can have one anytime: [https://www.amazon.ca/LOWNEY-Cherry-Blossom-Christmas-Candy/dp/B00NTWTWIM](https://www.amazon.ca/LOWNEY-Cherry-Blossom-Christmas-Candy/dp/B00NTWTWIM) They’re a treat I allow myself from time to time. And oh so good! ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/35 "2019-12-03T07:32:46Z")
I voted “No” on hard candy, but then realised candy canes qualify, so make that a yes from me instead. Not only do we do fruitcake (which I love) we also do mince pies and christmas pudding and pannetone. I love eggnog, but I have to make it myself because we don’t get it ready-made here. I’ve also been making Athol Brose. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/36 "2019-12-03T08:27:18Z")
Yes to all three, with the caveat that the fruitcake should be served together with twice its weight in custard. Mmmm … custaaard … Eggnog is not really traditional in Australia, but I have loved it when I’ve had it - the more alcoholic the better. Not very likely to happen this year with my fully teetotalling in-laws. Hard candy I just assumed was candy-canes - they’re the ones that are “christmassy”. Mint flavour, for the full traditional experience. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/37 "2019-12-03T08:39:20Z")
Eew, who serves fruitcake with custard? That’s for Christmas pudding. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/38 "2019-12-03T09:53:47Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Eew, who serves fruitcake with custard? > > That’s for Christmas pudding. Ooh, yeah, on the Christmas pudding too. What can I say, I’m just a barbarian 😃 But I need something quite bland to cut the richness of both of those And for the mince tarts, a big dollop of cream, thanks ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/39 "2019-12-03T12:30:09Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > And for the mince tarts, a big dollop of cream, thanks Brandy butter for me. AKA Senior Wrangler sauce. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/40 "2019-12-03T12:40:46Z")
I’ll take all three, but I’ll have to take extra insulin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282.md?page=3)