Any Food Feuds You Know of? Where do You Stand on Them?

[Catamount]

All this discussion about fries is silly. Everyone knows curly fries are the best.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

Chick-fil-A fries rule!

[Patx2]

@burpo_the_wonder_mutt

Chick-fil-A fries rule!

Testify! They are so good!

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

@Patx2

Testify! They are so good!

They need a different catsup; Heinz is too sweet.

[JcWoman]

@Lemur866

If your four year old will eat off the adult menu, then by god order off the adult menu, of feed them off your plate.

The problem is that lots of kids are picky eaters. The time to introduce them to new foods is when you’re at home. If my four year old isn’t going to eat sardines and pickled asparagus, she isn’t going to eat them. Then I’ll have a cranky hungry four year old at the restaurant. Maybe…give her some french fries to shut her up?

It’s absolutely true that the kids menu is bland familiar food. Pizza, hamburger, chicken strips, spaghetti, quesadilla, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, hot dog, and I think our list is done. And why? So that kids who won’t eat sophisticated food don’t have to starve while the adults enjoy their meal.

Well, how about adults who don’t want to be served a plate of food that is portioned for 4 people? As someone who struggles to keep her weight down, and in fact the primary reason is portion control (thank you Weight Watchers for helping me to learn that), it’s a real peeve of mine that so many restaurants feed you like you’re a lumberjack. Sure, I can take some home… if I’m at a restaurant near my home and am not running errands after lunch, leaving the food in a hot car to die. Just stop wasting food already and serve realistic portions. There’s been many a time where I know the restaurant serves gigantic portions so I take a look at the kids menu, but I don’t want to eat the aforementioned mac and cheese, hot dogs or tomato pizza. The least they could do was offer half-portions of the adult menu.

[Acsenray]

@JcWoman

The least they could do was offer half-portions of the adult menu.

In the U.S., restaurant economics require them to maintain an average income per customer. You can still ask for half, but I don’t blame them for not lowering the price.

[Catamount]

@burpo_the_wonder_mutt

They need a different catsup; Heinz is too sweet.

Ranch dressing. Preferably the buttermilk ranch Chick-fil-A used to carry, not that garlic abomination they have now.

[silenus]

Curly fries? Ranch dressing?

You people are sick.

[Loach]

@enipla

When I’m busy and 100 miles from home, and just need fuel to get me through the next six hours. Just give me a McD’s 1/4 pounder with cheese that I can scarf down in 5 minutes.

Five Guys is definitely not a burger you want to want attempt to drive and eat. While on the subject, fries. Five Guys: +1 for cutting up fresh potatoes for their fries, +1 for making a small fry big enough to feed a family of 4 for a week, -100 for most of the fries being limp and soggy.

[BigT]

For hard tacos, you need to bake them after the meat (and cheese, if desired) are added to the taco. This will make the bottom part a bit soft, while making the rest crispy. Then add any other toppings. It should then be easy to eat without dropping anything.

If you get it from Taco Bell, let them set for a bit so that the bottom gets soft, for the same reason.

Soft tacos are alright, but the hard corn gives a better flavor than flour tortilla, which has none.

[silenus]

@BigT

Soft tacos are alright, but the hard corn gives a better flavor than flour tortilla, which has none.

That’s why you use soft corn tortillas, aka street tacos.

[drad_dog]

Wasn’t there a political kerfuffle about John Kerry ordering a philly steak and cheese with Swiss? What BS. But then again on reflection those were the days…

I think you have to be a dope to have cheez wiz on a sub. Swiss, provolone, anything. No american no kraft. And getting all working class hero about it is for contemptible rubes.

[Chronos]

Granted that the restaurant has to make a profit, and granted that a lot of their expenses are independent of the amount of food (wages for the cook and waitstaff, overhead associated with having a table and seats in the building, etc.). But at least some of their costs are associated with the food itself, and so it should be possible to reduce the price of a half-sized meal at least a little.

And in my four years living in Philadelphia, I saw a lot of debates about cheesesteaks, but nobody ever seemed to get worked up over what cheese anyone used. Granted, I never actually saw anyone order Swiss, but given the wide variety of cheeses I have seen ordered with nary a squeak, Swiss hardly stands out.

[LH75]

a grilled sandwich with ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing and coleslaw, while tasty, is not a Reuben

[LoneRhino]

@Anamorphic

I’m pretty mellow on most food arguments. Eat and let eat, I say. Personally, I’m a mustard guy, but if you want to slather ketchup on your hotdog, knock yourself out. I won’t look at you askance. Beans in your chilli? Sure, enjoy. Pineapple on your pizza? Go ahead. I’ll pass, but you enjoy it. We’re all open to our own food choices, and it’s all good.

Except.

If you take your steak any past medium, you are simply doing it wrong. You are cooking all the flavor out, and merely eating texture. Yes yes, it’s your meal, and you are allowed to have it any way you’d like. But you are still doing it wrong. I know, this contradicts what I said in my first paragraph, but we all need to draw the line somewhere, and murdering a poor, innocent steak is my line in the sand.

If I’m out with someone that orders a well done steak they have to buy an appetizer to cover the long wait for my food.

[LoneRhino]

Ketchup on hot dogs, pineapple on pizza, miracle whip(?) are all aberrations. We live in a barbaric society. It took me a few years to accept this.

Chili: with or without beans is fine. But please do not add sugar or any other sweet stuff to it.

Fruit and cinnamon do NOT belong in bagels.

[silenus]

@LH75

a grilled sandwich with ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing and coleslaw, while tasty, is not a Reuben

No, it’s not. That is a Rachel.

[Chefguy]

@silenus

Oh, they do. I just a) haven’t had one that matches/beats In-'N-Out yet, and b) need no reason to heap scorn and condescension on [del]Wrong Coasters[/del] people who see the sun rise from the ocean, rather than set into it as the IPU intended.

::smiles condescendingly at silenus, shakes head and sighs as I head out the door for PDX Sliders.::

[JcWoman]

@Chronos

Granted that the restaurant has to make a profit, and granted that a lot of their expenses are independent of the amount of food (wages for the cook and waitstaff, overhead associated with having a table and seats in the building, etc.). But at least some of their costs are associated with the food itself, and so it should be possible to reduce the price of a half-sized meal at least a little.

Agree. Especially the places I am thinking of: super cheap prices, lumberjack portion sizes. Especially in the southern region of the US. I was shocked a few years ago when I went down to Gatlinburg Tennessee for a weekend event and had a few meals in a low-end steakhouse. Between the steak and the three sides included in an “entree meal”, it was enough to stuff four adults and only cost about $20 including the tip. Granted, they’re not using quality products, but I still think they’d have a larger profit margin if they halved the portions for the same price!

[Slow_Moving_Vehicle]

@LH75

a grilled sandwich with ham, turkey, Swiss cheese, thousand island dressing and coleslaw, while tasty, is not a Reuben

I don’t really have a position on the burning question of Reubens, but what, then defines the Reuben? Sauerkraut instead of coleslaw?