# 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:** 6
**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 29, 2025, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/101 "2025-09-29T15:59:28Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Stone crab fisheries are a rare model of sustainability: fishers twist off one (sometimes both) claws, toss the crab back, and it regenerates—like a self-reloading seafood buffet. Ouch! I’m thinking they aren’t appreciating that. 😄 Being armless for a time, how do they feed themselves? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/102 "2025-09-29T16:17:06Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > you won’t find many edible animals with a built-in “refill” feature. Not since they shut down my lizard tail, earthworm and starfish buffet anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/103 "2025-09-29T16:20:22Z")
Stone crab harvesting is unusually gentle: these crabs naturally shed limbs and can regrow a claw to full size in about a year, so licensed fishers twist off one (ideally just one) legal-size claw and toss the crab back alive, where it clots the wound within minutes and keeps feeding, fighting, and reproducing. Florida’s strict rules—closed seasons, size limits, and protections for egg-bearing females—keep populations thriving, making the fishery one of the world’s most sustainable. Compared with boiling a lobster or netting fish, taking a claw from a creature built to regrow it is about as close to cruelty-free as seafood gets—short of going vegan. ---
**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 29, 2025, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/104 "2025-09-29T16:24:05Z")
> [@Tibby](#): > > Florida’s strict rules—closed seasons, size limits, and protections for egg-bearing females—keep populations thriving, making the fishery one of the world’s most sustainable. Wait a minute! I thought MAGA places like Florida wanted to get rid of those government regulations that stifle businesses! ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/105 "2025-09-29T17:38:43Z")
> [@solost](#): > > That has to be the only meat where that’s the case, right? Ooh, now that’s a good one Caviar is only recently available from living sturgeon but I won’t argue too strongly that they’re meat. ---
**Author:** ![anny\_m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@anny\_m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anny_m)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/106 "2025-09-29T17:49:15Z")
I’m a bit surprised no one has mentioned the McRib sandwich. Apparently some people get all excited when McDonald’s brings it back. I had one once. I won’t say it was bad, but I never ordered it again. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/107 "2025-09-29T18:02:39Z")
I was underwhelmed by the McRib sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2025, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/108 "2025-09-29T19:35:22Z")
> [@sciurophobic](#): > > Are In-N-Out burgers actually good, or is the hype due to the toppings Both. it is the freshness. The meat is fresh the tomatoes are quality, the lettuce is torn on premises, the buns are grilled, etc. Better quality and employees that care. ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/109 "2025-09-30T15:31:00Z")
By your description I’m not seeing any difference between In-And\_out and Five Guys. Has anyone had both and can they tell us if they’re similar? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/110 "2025-09-30T15:45:01Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > Has anyone had both and can they tell us if they’re similar? I’ve had both in the last month, I think 😀. Primarily because this thread got me to visit an In-N-Out the other day. I like Five Guys just fine, but the flavor profile is subtly different. In-N-Out burgers are smaller in circumference (~3.75 vs 4 to 4.25", yes I just looked that up), with thinner patties and more browning. A standard burger have just their house version of 1,000 Islands - no ketchup, mayo or mustard unless requested and fewer toppings available generally. Five Guys are just a little blander, which I chalk up to relatively less browning/Maillard reaction to surface area. Five Guys has better fries IMO and always a lot more of them. They also have hot dogs and I like the occasional hot dog. But given a choice of cheeseburgers, I’d probably usually pick In-N-Out. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/111 "2025-09-30T17:25:37Z")
Five Guys does has far more choices for condiments and toppings, yet somehow doesn’t have thousand island or similar “secret sauce” although you could just ask for ketchup, mayo, and relish. I also believe In-N-Out doesn’t even have mayo. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/112 "2025-09-30T18:41:52Z")
They’re both good, but quite different. The main difference, IMO, is that Five Guys has a far larger list of optional toppings. In fact, it is the only fast food chain I’m aware of that has chopped bell peppers as an optional topping, which I love. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/113 "2025-09-30T19:48:47Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > By your description I’m not seeing any difference between In-And\_out and Five Guys. Has anyone had both and can they tell us if they’re similar? Five Guys absolutely REFUSES to have 1000 island dressing. Which is weird, and makes me not like them. > [@sciurophobic](#): > > Five Guys does has far more choices for condiments and toppings, yet somehow doesn’t have thousand island or similar “secret sauce” although you could just ask for ketchup, mayo, and relish Which makes something like 1000 island, but it aint the same. Five guys does have better fries. In& Out has better service- by far. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/114 "2025-09-30T22:32:28Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Which makes something like 1000 island, but it aint the same. And they seem to have specific guidelines on where each condiment goes, because I got annoyed with them once because they couldn’t understand that I wanted all three on the same side of the bun. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/115 "2025-09-30T22:46:21Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Lobster, for sure. Yeah, I like it and would gladly eat it, but the price is completely absurd. It’s been so long since I’ve had it that I don’t miss it. I remember being in an interestingly authentic diner-type seafood place somewhere in the Massachusetts countryside that put a great big bib on you and brought you giant fresh lobsters with vats of melted butter, and it was fun, but I really don’t like lobster all that much and crab even less. I’m also not fond of eating something that resembles a giant insect, and in fact shares some of the same DNA with cockroaches. Shrimp I can handle, and just about all sushi, even urchin and eel in moderation when beautifully presented. (To be fair, I believe eel served as sushi is always cooked, not raw, and IIRC, anointed with a heavy, deeply flavourful sauce.) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2025, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/116 "2025-09-30T23:27:47Z")
Yeah. One of my rules of thumb is I pay the cook to disassemble the animal and turn it into food. No (or at least not much) self-service disassembly for me. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2025, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/117 "2025-10-01T00:00:42Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > > [@Jasmine](#): > > > > Lobster, for sure. Yeah, I like it and would gladly eat it > > 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. Lobster, and crab, are much better if you get them fresh, close to where they were harvested. I love Atlantic lobster from Maine to Massachusetts. And i adore dungeness crab in Seattle and Vancouver. > [@Tibby](#): > > No offense to New Englanders, but Florida stone crab wipes the ocean floor with lobster, making it look like a chewy sea cockroach in a prom tux. Its meat is naturally sweet and briny—no butter required, That’s also delicious. I don’t eat butter with any of my shellfish, i find it overwhelms the delicious flavor and makes it kinda greasy. Crawfish is pretty bland and mostly tastes like whatever sauce it is in. Rock lobster seems pretty bland, too, but maybe i haven’t eaten it in the right place. > [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > 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. I agree. A friend who likes it tells me the point is the maple syrup on the chicken, fwiw. > [@RealityChuck](#): > > Salted caramel. Two flavors that should be kept far away from each other. Totally with you! I don’t understand the appeal. > [@wolfman](#): > > Tenderness is a ‘nice to have’ but flavor is 100 times better and filet has no fat, and no collagen and no flavor. I have eaten many a t-bone or porterhouse and thought, “ Yes the fillet side is noticeably more tender, but so much worse as thing to eat because there is no real flavor”, and as mentioned I have functioning teeth. Totally agree with this, too. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/118 "2025-10-01T01:25:16Z")
Random thoughts: 1. Most often I’ll order the filet because it’s the smallest cut available. At my age, I neither need nor desire 20 oz. of ribeye. 2. Crab (especially Dungeness) is wonderful. Lobster, not so much. 3. I’ve already mentioned Roscoe’s. 4. Five Guys has better fries. That’s about the only way they beat In-N-Out. 5. Winchell’s beats KK hands-down. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2025, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/119 "2025-10-01T02:14:24Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > All that work cracking the shell, digging the stuff out … I generally enjoy foods that require a bit of effort to consume. Crab, lobster, nuts in the shell, artichokes, etc. The other day I had a linguine in clam sauce with the smallest clams I’ve ever seen. The clam in each one was about the size of a lentil. It was almost silly, but there were tons of them, and the sauce was delicious. The whole experience was a delight. ---
**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:** [October 1, 2025, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414/120 "2025-10-01T02:16:49Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Most often I’ll order the filet because it’s the smallest cut available. At my age, I neither need nor desire 20 oz. of ribeye. I’d much prefer to take half of that ribeye home for leftovers. Cold leftover steak is excellent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-dont-live-up-to-the-hype/1023414.md?page=7)