# Foods that Don't Live Up to the Hype **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [September 26, 2025, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414 "2025-09-26T13:19:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/21 "2025-09-26T17:23:10Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > I think whoever is making your gravy is doing it wrong. Spicy sausage, lots of pepper: no reason to have boring gravy. Boring white gravy is the only way I’ve had it. My grandmother considered pepper to be too spicy. And white gravy is not my thing, spicy or not. I’d rather have honey with biscuits. And make the sausage into patties and serve them on the side. Skip the gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/22 "2025-09-26T17:23:16Z")
This exactly. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/23 "2025-09-26T17:23:24Z")
I hear you on lobster. Since is usually the most expensive thing on the menu, it must be delicious, right? Gimme a pile of cajun peel-n-eat shrimp instead. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/24 "2025-09-26T17:32:41Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > What is it called when you do the same thing over and over again expecting a different result? “Life.” ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/25 "2025-09-26T17:41:02Z")
Another big fan of biscuits and gravy here. I agree that the gravy must be properly seasoned, as should the sausage. And the biscuits must be fluffy enough to properly absorb the gravy. Unfortunately for me, I also need to take a bunch of lactaid to offset the milk in the gravy. @Beckdawrek I would gladly take you up on your offer to try yours. I probably should mention that one of the reasons I moved from Chicago to NC after I retired is because a woman I met online tempted me with the local BBQ. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/26 "2025-09-26T17:53:48Z")
Another dish that was hyped up to a ridiculous degree was chicken and waffles. I found the enthusiasm baffling to be honest. I mean, plain fried chicken served on a breakfast waffle. I love good fried chicken and I love a good waffle, but together? The two foods keep to themselves. It’s not like one enhances the other. I suppose you could get maple syrup on the chicken, but is that a good thing? I don’t think so. Thankfully, I haven’t heard about chicken and waffles for awhile. Fad had its run. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/27 "2025-09-26T18:01:09Z")
Since lobster has been mentioned, I’ll add truffles. I’m sure I’ve just been doing it wrong, but any time I order something that has been “elevated” by the addition of truffle, I am reminded that elevations can be negative…. My reaction has always been “this would be a lot better without the truffle…” ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/28 "2025-09-26T18:03:20Z")
See also: olives. It’s not that I don’t like the taste of olives, but it somehow overwhelms the taste of everything else it’s in contact with. I’d rather taste everything else. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/29 "2025-09-26T18:07:46Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Krispy Kreme Yeah, I never got the love for them - oven fresh or not. Too sweet, too greasy, not even close to the wonderful donuts I used to get from the bakery near my grandmother’s house. Chik-Fil-A. Mediocre chicken sandwich. My in-laws loved the place and always wanted to stop there when we were on a road trip together. I didn’t get the appeal. Can I mention a beverage? Champagne. Wine with bubbles - OK. My rich cousin sent my mom a bottle of what was supposedly some primo champagne. Tasted to me like fizzy vinegar. Maybe I don’t have a refined palate. ---
**Author:** ![Trieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Trieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trieste)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/30 "2025-09-26T18:14:50Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > What I find over rated is BBQ ribs. They are always disappointing, to me. Agreed. I always found them to be more of a hassle than they’re worth. Messy, a lot of bones and very little meat. T ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/31 "2025-09-26T18:19:07Z")
Lobster, like the donuts above, must be fresh and well-prepared. It’s sweet and delicate. Not at all what you get on the buffet steam tray on Lobster Nite!!! I’ve tried two brands of expensive Dubai pistachio chocolate bars, one of which was the original and so pricey it counted as a birthday present. I found them cloyingly sweet and uninteresting, and I love pistachio. I’ve never been served chicken and waffles without a side of maple syrup. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/32 "2025-09-26T18:24:18Z")
> [@susan](#): > > I’ve never been served chicken and waffles without a side of maple syrup. I never have either. But in pouring it on the waffle, the chicken gets in the way. And I don’t care for maple syrup on chicken. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/33 "2025-09-26T18:26:01Z")
I love you anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/34 "2025-09-26T18:42:04Z")
[Cold pizza for breakfast.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R7iWsOilQs) Sorry, but I’ll stick with eating it hot at lunch or dinner, like God and Frank Pepe intended. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/35 "2025-09-26T18:48:12Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Chik-Fil-A. Mediocre chicken sandwich. My in-laws loved the place and always wanted to stop there when we were on a road trip together. I didn’t get the appeal. Yeah, I don’t get it either. The kids in my sons’ scout troop LOVE it, and we’re sort of indifferent. There’s nothing bad about it, but it just doesn’t ever scratch any food itches that I have. Another place that was distinctly underwhelming was In-N-Out Burger. Again there’s nothing bad, just not anything special either. Otherwise, lots of these are individual taste things; I love kimchi and I love biscuits and gravy. But I suspect if the gravy’s bland, the person making it doesn’t know what they’re doing. > [@Horatius](#): > > Lobster, and without the qualification that it’s because of the cost. All that work cracking the shell, digging the stuff out, for something that’s kind of rubbery, and doesn’t taste that great until you drown it in melted butter. Meh, I’d rather just have a nice type of bread to dip in the melted butter, thanks. I like lobster fine, but it’s almost fetishized because of the extraordinary cost. Even in Maine in lobster season (this past July in fact). I can take it or leave it; honestly the best dish I had in New England this past summer was the fish chowder. That was surprisingly delicious. I have also never understood the love/desire for going out to a fine dining place and spending a lot of money on a _steak_. They’re good and all, but they’re hardly the pinnacle of culinary art. Yet people will go out as if getting a steak is the best meal they can possibly get, regardless of the expense. I don’t get that at all. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/36 "2025-09-26T18:50:36Z")
Turkish delight did not turn out to be nearly as wonderful as C.S. Lewis promised me. Oh, it’s not horrible or anything. It’s pleasant enough, but certainly not Betray My Family To The Forces Of Evil delicious. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/37 "2025-09-26T19:04:15Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > > [@susan](#): > > > > I’ve never been served chicken and waffles without a side of maple syrup. > > I never have either. But in pouring it on the waffle, the chicken gets in the way. And I don’t care for maple syrup on chicken. I won’t say it lives up to the hype, but it works for me if I take into account a few things. First, I don’t consider it a fried chicken meal, _and_ a waffle meal, that just doesn’t work. What I consider it is a piece of fried chicken with a light, crispy and delicious fried “biscuit” as it were - the waffle is the side, and works well as long as you make the adjustment. Plus, both pieces play nicely with a Hot (capsicum, though cassia/cinnamon is _okay_ if that’s your preference) honey. Or a honey based hot sauce by my preference. 😉 It’s basically the same as getting fried chicken at Pop-eyes with biscuits, just slightly better. Tastes of course vary dramatically. And it’s still overhyped. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/38 "2025-09-26T19:07:42Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Champagne. Wine with bubbles - OK. My rich cousin sent my mom a bottle of what was supposedly some primo champagne. Tasted to me like fizzy vinegar. Well, now I have to disagree. (although for each his/her own). Bad champagne is undrinkable. Good or great champagne is nectar of the gods. I recently had a vintage Cristal Champagne for the first time. (a gift). It was so good. So very good. [Louis Roederer Champagne - Cristal Champagne](https://www.louis-roederer.com/en/wine/cristal) ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/39 "2025-09-26T19:27:53Z")
According to my wife, who is of Chinese descent, one should only order lobster in a Chinese restaurant, not an “American” seafood restaurant. It’s far cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2025, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/40 "2025-09-26T19:29:22Z")
I’ll keep that in mind! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414.md?page=3)