# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/41 "2019-12-03T12:46:37Z")
The classic UK fruitcake is[like this](https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/celebration_cake_61952) and at least where I come from the traditional accompaniment is a slice of cheese in the Wenslydale, or Cotherstone style and nice whisky or port. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/42 "2019-12-03T15:04:06Z")
> [@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. My stepfather was a bartender and had his own recipe for “Tom & Jerry”. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a batter that is much like eggnog, only thicker. It’s made from eggs, powdered sugar and spices. The eggs are separated and beaten, then folded together with the sugar. The batter is cut with either booze or milk before drinking. I loved the stuff when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/43 "2019-12-03T15:13:52Z")
Yes on the eggnog - sometimes with rum, sometimes with brandy, sometimes straight. Yes on the hard candy - candy canes to Grandma’s ribbon candy. It’s all good. Yes on the fruitcake - we send high quality fruitcakes to select friends every year. It’s a great way to say “Thinking of you this Holiday Season. Dickhead.” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/44 "2019-12-03T15:42:16Z")
Egg nog is fine; good fruit cake is great. I’m not one for hard candy, though. Are we talking peppermint sticks and things like that? I guess we just don’t really do hard candy for Christmas, as, except for the candy canes, I don’t associate it with the holiday. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/45 "2019-12-03T15:45:21Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > My stepfather was a bartender and had his own recipe for “Tom & Jerry”. For those who don’t know what that is, it’s a batter that is much like eggnog, only thicker. It’s made from eggs, powdered sugar and spices. The eggs are separated and beaten, then folded together with the sugar. The batter is cut with either booze or milk before drinking. I loved the stuff when I was a kid. And if you’re in Chicago for the season, the classic place to get it is downtown is at Miller’s Pub, which [proudly announces Tom & Jerry season on its signage](http://www.chicagomag.com/images/cache/cache_4/cache_1/cache_7/millers_thumb-b8ad1714.jpeg?ver=1513804090&aspectratio=1.7777777777778). They serve it through New Years’ Day. I once tried to order one the second or third week of January, thinking that maybe they run it through the winter, and was told to go buy a calendar. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/46 "2019-12-03T16:01:03Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Are you talking about [Panettone](https://www.amazon.com/Panettone-Specialty-Cake-Bauducco-Tradicional/dp/B005ZVU73Y/ref=asc_df_B005ZVU73Y/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312193706068&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2969880921961709173&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9061285&hvtargid=pla-412474665096&psc=1)? Looks very similar, but to my mind, Pannettone is closer to bread than to cake. Mom’s version was more sweet and moist. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/47 "2019-12-03T17:25:51Z")
> [@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). _Screeches the thread to a halt_ How DARE you. Terry’s chocolate orange is what Christmas was invented for. Carry on. BTW, hard candy (boiled sweets to us) isn’t a British Christmas thing, but chocolates of various stripes are - Cadbury’s selection box, After Eights, huge tin of Quality Street, Chocolate Brazil nuts and TERRY’S CHOCOLATE ORANGE. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/48 "2019-12-03T17:42:22Z")
The only Egg Nog I really liked was Chipwich brand but that no longer exists… ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/49 "2019-12-03T19:47:08Z")
Darigold Old Fashioned Egg Nog is in the fridge, and the Trappist Abbey Monastery Fruitcake(soaked in 120 proof brandy) should be here by Friday. Not a fan of hard candy(outside of Butter Rum Life Savers). ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/50 "2019-12-03T20:18:13Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > The only Egg Nog I really liked was Chipwich brand but that no longer exists… I’m not a fan but my wife is, she once bought a bottle in Bruges that you had to scoop out of the bottle with a spoon and could take your fucking head off. In Austria, when skiing, 'tis the fashion to heat up and froth the nog with a steam wand, squirt some cream on top with a schnapps-soaked pear chunk. A “schneeflocke” they call it. I have a beer ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/51 "2019-12-03T20:55:18Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Looks very similar, but to my mind, Pannettone is closer to bread than to cake. Mom’s version was more sweet and moist. Nothin’ beats _Mom’s_. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2019, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/52 "2019-12-03T23:10:26Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Eew, who serves fruitcake with custard? > > That’s for Christmas pudding. No, use hard sauce for Christmas pudding. ---
**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 4, 2019, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/53 "2019-12-04T04:49:03Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > No, use hard sauce for Christmas pudding. No, like I said, that’s for the mince pies. The Christmas pud should already be completely sozzled itself. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/54 "2019-12-04T06:49:51Z")
The results surprise me, but I guess I don’t know what people mean by “hard candy.” Like regular-ass candy that’s not chewy? That’s a Christmas thing, and also has a hatedom? I can take or leave fruitcake, but while some people hate raisins, I think it’s the bread’s texture that puts people off, so panettone passes as it’s just like certain breads. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/55 "2019-12-04T14:07:51Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > No, use hard sauce for Christmas pudding. What is hard sauce? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/56 "2019-12-04T14:51:11Z")
I like eggnog, with or without additives. I like some fruitcakes, not many but my sister makes one from scratch loaded with rum that is quite tasty. I like some hard candy, that is a very open category. If you mean those awful ribbon candies of the past, I’ll pass. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/57 "2019-12-04T14:56:45Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > What is hard sauce? [Hard sauce](https://www.thespruceeats.com/hard-sauce-for-bread-pudding-3056248) Basically butter creamed with powdered sugar, plus some spices and a nice dollop of rum or brandy. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/58 "2019-12-04T15:07:01Z")
Yes to the eggnog. But a funny thing–I like booze 9 ways to Sunday, but not in eggnog. Yes to the fruitcake, as long as it is moist, not dry. No to the hard candy. Oh, I can enjoy an occasional butterscotch, but most Christmas candy seems to revolve around peppermint, and I \*detest \*peppermint. ---
**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 4, 2019, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/59 "2019-12-04T18:20:22Z")
Add me to the list of being surprised to see “hard candy”. Is that candy canes? Ribbon candy? Something else? I think of candy canes as decoration that happens to be edible, not really food. The one food we always got for Christmas was a tangerine or clementine tucked into the toes of the Christmas stocking. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2019, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282/60 "2019-12-04T19:21:50Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Personal preference. Thanks. I voted no to all three, although I don’t mind hard candy, I just don’t seek it out or associate it with Christmas (beyond candy canes). Love watching videos of making figurative candy on youtube - Public displays of confection. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-food-poll/844282.md?page=4)