# Foods You Prefer The "Plain" Version Of **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612 "2010-07-30T18:35:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/1 "2010-07-30T18:35:30Z")
I was wondering how many of you perfer the “plain” version of a type of food. For instance, if you look at potato chips in the grocers you see about 20 varities or more. In this case how many of you would perfer the plain version of chips. Not the barbeque version or the cheese version or the sour cream and chive version but the plain old kind of potato chips. Or lets say oatmeal. There are a lot of different kinds. How many of you would perfer the plain old version of oatmeal, not the apples and spice version or any other flavoured kind. Or it could be that you’d like plain old macaroni, without cheese or butter or whatever It doesn’t matter what food it is, but it has to be just plain (with salt or somethig is still OK as that is sort of plain :)) ---
**Author:** ![cuberdon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/45deac/32.png) [@cuberdon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuberdon)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/2 "2010-07-30T18:36:57Z")
Yogurt. Oatmeal. Soy milk (unsweetened! no sugar! NO SUGAR!) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/3 "2010-07-30T18:37:36Z")
Peanut butter. Crunchy/Chunky makes me feel like I’m eating bugs. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/4 "2010-07-30T18:38:28Z")
I like plain pretzels without the salt. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/5 "2010-07-30T18:50:16Z")
I love coffee, and, as a better man than I put it, it has to be “black as midnight on a moonless night.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/6 "2010-07-30T18:51:10Z")
Burgers. I maintain that nothing should be added to the meat before–or during–cooking. No salt, no spices, no (shudder) onion soup mix. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/7 "2010-07-30T18:55:36Z")
Potato Chips should be plain. If you flavor them they destroy and conquer the chip taste and you are eating a bowl of onion. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/8 "2010-07-30T18:56:35Z")
French Toast butter and maple syrup no globs of cinnamon swirls, whipped cream, sliced fruit or other junk. I’ve seen french toast decorated like a painting. that’s just so wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/9 "2010-07-30T19:01:11Z")
Plain M&M’s Vanilla ice cream Shredded Wheat Original Fritos Plain Hershey’s chocolate bars and kisses Steak – no sauces or seasonings beyond salt and pepper Steamed veggies – especially onions ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/10 "2010-07-30T19:02:33Z")
Not only potato chips, but also mashed potatoes. It’s getting damn hard to find a restaurant (other than basic diners) that has plain mashed taters instead of garlic ones. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/11 "2010-07-30T19:05:04Z")
French fries. Those “seasoned” fries are awful. ---
**Author:** ![misling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@misling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misling)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/12 "2010-07-30T19:05:45Z")
Brownies, ice cream, most desserts. Don’t pile six layers of whatever on top of them. No, I don’t want caramel syrup, fudge sauce, whipped cream, cherries and crumbled cookies on top of my brownie. All that convinces me that you make a crappy brownie and want to disguise it. ---
**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:** [July 30, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/13 "2010-07-30T19:06:56Z")
Seconding the french fries and Fritos. Any “seasoning” is usually terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/14 "2010-07-30T19:11:50Z")
I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of minutes and I can’t come up with anything where I prefer the plain version of. There are some things that I enjoy both versions of like peanut butter and Fritos but I don’t prefer the plain version over the other. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/15 "2010-07-30T19:13:16Z")
Canned tuna. I’m having some for lunch straight out of the can right now. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/16 "2010-07-30T19:28:01Z")
Steak. Thick, grilled perfectly, blood rare inside, exterior nicely browned, fat rim crispy and delicious [trim any excess off, you just need a tiny bit. Fat marbling is good if not outragously dense] Once it gets to the table a bit of sea salt, a bit of pepper. All it needs. Occasionally, I have had someone tell me to shake a couple drops of truffle oil on, but I think truffle oil is over rated, though truffle shavings in butter is ok on baked potato - though I deplore the habit of some high end steak shops to add butter to a steak. I prefer plain oatmeal, I sweeten it by adding raisins and cinnamon when I cook it. Plain potatoes and chips - I am a minimalist - salt, butter for plain bakes, malt vinegar for chips. Crisps/potato chips just plain salt. I do like chips with dips, and you can’t have extra flavors interfering with the dips. No cheesey sauces on my veggies, thanks. Salt and lemon juice on asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower; butter and salt and balsamic vinegar on brussels sprouts; light vinaigrette or drawn butter [or mayo for misguided californians] for artichokes. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/17 "2010-07-30T19:40:28Z")
Mashed potatoes. No, I don’t want garlic or bacon or herbs mashed in. I just wanna taste the butter, half-and-half, salt and pepper. I love garlic, but I garlic mashed potatoes are just kind of meh all around. Cream cheese. Flavors are not for me. Ditto bagels. The ONE exception is cucumber cream cheese on a rye bagel, but generally, I’m a plain-on-plain/egg girl. Also steak. Please to not be putting sauce on it, thank you. Sushi. Rice, fish, veggies, nori. I’d rather not have cream cheese. I’d really rather not have any kind of sauce or masago. And I’ll gag on mayo. No soy sauce, no wasabi. I like my vegetables without extensive seasoning or the introduction of bits of red bell pepper, too. ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/18 "2010-07-30T20:33:10Z")
As mentioned by others, plain oatmeal, French toast, waffles & pancakes just wit butter & syrup. Not sure if this one counts, but: Pop Tarts. I don’t eat them often, but when I do I want the unfrosted ones, and the old school flavors like strawberry and blueberry. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/19 "2010-07-30T20:49:01Z")
Tea and coffee. In the land of Sweet Tea and Starbucks’ conglomerations, I prefer the plain beverage, hot or iced, without additives. Rice. Steamed. Nothing added. Toast. Lightly browned. No butter. No frosting. No eggs. (Think Dan Aykroyd in _The Blues Brothers_). ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612/20 "2010-07-30T20:53:29Z")
Pie–no ice or whipped cream to make it all goopy [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-prefer-the-plain-version-of/548612.md?page=2)