# Help settle a massive debate regarding what the best meal of all time is. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 17, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128 "2016-08-17T22:18:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/21 "2016-08-17T23:16:42Z")
Haleem. Or nihari. Or Korean spicy pork (jeyuk). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/22 "2016-08-17T23:19:41Z")
Out of those choices it’s ribeye far and away. I’d rather have a porterhouse if we’re talking steak. Best dish out of all possible choices? There just isn’t one single dish with that status. A clam bake is up there but so are a lot of others. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/23 "2016-08-17T23:23:18Z")
Porterhouse lost to Glazed Donuts in round 2. Quoth some of the reasons people gave (no, really): “Eh, there are more and better steaks still in this [like ribeye and NY Strip at the time], so goodbye Porterhouse.” ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/24 "2016-08-17T23:30:06Z")
Kimchi Soondubu Jigae I’m going to guess that it didn’t lose to anything in your original poll. Ergo, it wins. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/25 "2016-08-17T23:31:17Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Kimchi Soondubu Jigae > > I’m going to guess that it didn’t lose to anything in your original poll. Ergo, it wins. That’s up there for me too. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/26 "2016-08-17T23:31:50Z")
Kimchi was in the original poll, actually, and it lost to oven roasted chicken in the very first round. Sorry. Argue all you want how what you said and Kimchi isn’t the same thing, but I doubt it can be too far off. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/27 "2016-08-17T23:34:43Z")
Oven roasted chicken then went on to lose to Belgian Waffles in round two (which, by the way–as I said above–beat NY Style pizza in round 3, although BW eventually lost to Pizza Margherita in round four. PM then went on to beat Mac and Cheese in round five and Lasagna in round six PM remains in the best recipe foods of all time tournament currently, but may lose to one of the three others in THIS VERY POLL in the next round (round seven)). ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/28 "2016-08-17T23:40:20Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Name one…or two. 🙂 See if it was in the tourny as a whole and, if so, what it lost to. > > Me, I was disappointed over Pork Chops and Fried Chicken. I was hoping FC would go all the way, but alas, it lost the last round (to tacos). Still hard. I enjoy a lot of different things. My wife and I have family staying with us. They have limited palates and we’re doing most of the cooking. They commented that it’s too bad Antarctica doesn’t have a native cuisine - if it did, we wouldn’t be forced to eat food from the same continent twice in one week. 🙂 So, anyway, top contenders: sushi, egg rolls, chile rellenos, BBQ ribs, fried chicken, pierogi, pizza (any kind), insalata caprese and French bread. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/29 "2016-08-17T23:46:22Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Still hard. I enjoy a lot of different things. My wife and I have family staying with us. They have limited palates and we’re doing most of the cooking. They commented that it’s too bad Antarctica doesn’t have a native cuisine - if it did, we wouldn’t be forced to eat food from the same continent twice in one week. 🙂 > > So, anyway, top contenders: sushi, egg rolls, chile rellenos, BBQ ribs, fried chicken, pierogi, pizza (any kind), insalata caprese and French bread. What kind of sushi? There were three kinds in the tournament. The one that went the farthest was California Rolls, but then it lost to Beef Bourguignon in round two. Nigiri Sushi lost to BLT in round one and also losing in round one was Unagi Sushi, which lost to a Rachel Sandwich. Chile Rellenos lost to Belgian Waffles in round one. BBQ Ribs lost to Supreme Pizza in round three (although there were a few other BBQ things in the tournament, BBQ Beef Brisket went the farthest–round six–before losing to tacos) Fried Chicken lost to Tacos in round five. Pierogi’s lost to Beef Stroganoff in round two. What kind of pizza? There were many kinds in this tournament…the one that went the farthest (and is still in it) is Pizza Margherita. There wasn’t French Bread, but there were other types of bread in the poll. Nobody thought to nominate egg rolls, though. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/30 "2016-08-17T23:58:40Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > What kind of sushi? There were three kinds in the tournament. The one that went the farthest was California Rolls, but then it lost to Beef Bourguignon in round two. Nigiri Sushi lost to BLT in round one and also losing in round one was Unagi Sushi, which lost to a Rachel Sandwich. Those results among others show that there was something wrong with this type of bracketing approach. There is nothing wrong with California rolls but they are one of the most bland forms of sushi in existence (and food overall for that matter). I think what this contest really showed wasn’t the best meal ever at all. Instead, it identified restaurant type foods that most people find to be reasonably uncommon for some definitions but also comfortable and inoffensive to the vast majority of people. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/31 "2016-08-18T00:05:37Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Argue all you want how what you said and Kimchi isn’t the same thing, but I doubt it can be too far off. 😛 It’s like comparing tomatoes to pizza. The equivalence is pretty remote. ---
**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:** [August 18, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/32 "2016-08-18T00:08:16Z")
I picked taco, because of the wide range of possible tacos available to me. Including rib eye taco. 🙂 That said, a perfect pizza Margherita is damned near orgasmic to me. I’m only half joking. There are few foods that can actually make me euphoric, and that’s one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/33 "2016-08-18T02:24:39Z")
Out of those answers, tacos. And I say that as a huge fan of steak. But your qualifying it as “made medium rare” makes me want to punch you in the mouth for having shitty taste buds. Steak is best medium-well to well done. That’s it. Period. End of thread. So, tacos. Because fried chicken isn’t listed. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/34 "2016-08-18T02:33:07Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > NY Style Pizza lost to Belgian Waffles in round 3. > > I thought that was nuts too. Yeah right! Next thing you’ll tell me that Britain will leave Europe and Donald Trump will be a presidential finalist. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/35 "2016-08-18T02:33:36Z")
Lobster. Where, pray tell, is lobster ? How is it not on the list? Like, at the top! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/36 "2016-08-18T03:53:26Z")
I had a Beef Burgundy once, and it was better than anything on the OP’s poll. Really good sweet-and-sour pork is also better than anything on that list, as is a really good slab of salmon. Actually, I don’t believe there can actually be “the best” meal or cuisine. Variation is the key. If you choose X as “the best” and then eat it and only it for ten years, then something that isn’t X is going to be preferable. Only circumstances make any given meal “the best you ever had.” ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/37 "2016-08-18T04:27:11Z")
Where is this list? Also: Cincinnati chili should be in the finals. Best food ever. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/38 "2016-08-18T04:35:32Z")
None. Where the hell is macaroni and cheese, made with Colby jack? ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/39 "2016-08-18T05:08:29Z")
I have yet to see anyone put forth Alaskan King Crab Legs, my personal favorite. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2016, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128/40 "2016-08-18T08:08:49Z")
That’s because we’re not savages, stillowned [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-settle-a-massive-debate-regarding-what-the-best-meal-of-all-time-is/763128.md?page=3)