I’ve had Hot Pockets before and I regretted it almost every time. I was prepared to regret this one but I was really hungry. This wasn’t your typical Hot Pocket but a pretzel with cheesy jalapeno inside. It just seemed so wrong to actually enjoy something with Hot Pockets printed on the box.
https://www.hotpockets.com/en/products/hot-pockets/stuffed-pretzel-cheesy-jalapeno
Welp, guess I’m not a foodie. Takes off a lot of pressure and saves me time to roast my own coffee beans while I’m caring for my cast iron pans.
ABSOLUTELY!!! This with cheap bottled salsa–nothing else. Looks like dog food wrapped in a McDonald’s pie crust, but damn are they good. My college used to sell these for 50 cents. Now, I air fry them because I don’t want to bother pulling out the fryer and oil. ALMOST as good.
Ya know, I keep reading this, but I grew up on the northwest side and the little dive hot dog stands (several different independently owned) I went to always put ketchup on their hotdogs. No celery salt. No sport peppers–hell, didn’t even know what those were until I was an adult and moved. Ketchup wasn’t a problem until Chicago dogs became “trendy”. Hell, fluorescent green relish was used not for trendyness, but because it was cheap.
I LOVE Spam! :eek: Winner! 
I was craving pizza the other day and too lazy to pickup or have it delivered. Took some Totinos pizza rolls, covered them with tomato sauce, sprinkled some Italian herbs, added some pepperoni slices and four cheese blend (not mozzarella), nuked for five minutes. DELICIOUS!
Edit: Gonna try this with some Hot Pockets I have next time.
I grew up and still live on the Southwest Side, and no dog here ever had ketchup as part of an “everything on it” order. I can only think of one place I’ve been to in the city limits where I’ve had to say “everything, no ketchup” and it was some little joint just west of the literal Loop (el tracks). Can’t remember the name off-hand, but it threw me off guard, as that was the first and only time I’ve had to say “no ketchup” within the city.
I don’t know anything about Chicago dogs being “trendy.”
That said, sport peppers are optional – you usually have to ask for them, in my experience. My local hot dog place did a pared-down style of the Chicago dog (like the kind you see at Gene’s and Jude’s, and Jimmy’s Red Hots.) No poppy seed bun; no tomato. This neon green relish crap? No idea where the hell that came from, but I didn’t realize that was an actual thing until well into my teens. Around here, relish was the normal muted darkish green color.
And “no ketchup” isn’t really just a Chicago thing. I’ve found a lot of New Yorkers to be no-ketchup people as well.
That said, I don’t like ketchup on an all-beef dog, but for some reason, I like it on a pork-beef dog. Just enough to cut through some of the vinegariness.
Miracle Whip: Dunk rolled up Bar-S baloney slices into it, while standing in front of your trailer trash refrigerator, at 2 a.m. Wash it down with Pepsi, then put on your dirty red MAGA cap and go back and watch Fox News. That’s the best use of Miracle Whip.
Chili without beans is just some kind of fucked up Sloppy Joe shit.
Ketchup on hotdogs is fine; it’s mustard that fucks everything up.
Chips & salsa is a perfectly cromulent meal.
I only like chili with beans. Chili without beans makes no sense. Yes to ketchup on hotdogs, yes to White Castle. Miracle Whip? Haven’t had it in over 50 years. I’ve never had a Hot Pocket and don’t intend to.
Ah but Cool Whip is a key ingredient in Watergate salad. Watergate salad is a delicious treat but when you have it, you have to watch out for bugs.
I shall again defend Miracle Whip. See the label where it says “salad dressing”? That’s referring to egg salad, chicken salad, ham salad, potato salad, etc. MW isn’t supposed to taste like mayonnaise, it’s supposed to taste like mayonnaise after sweet pickle relish and other accoutrements have been added, making Miracle Whip sort of a short cut in making said mayonnaisey salads. Personally, I like it on bacon and tomato sandwiches, tenderloins (Hoosiers will know what I mean here), and turkey thigh meat sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving.
The one foodie-trendy ingredient that has no redeeming qualities whatsoever is cilantro.
Yup. Chili without beans could be good on a bun I suppose. Sort of like a sloppy joe or pulled port sandwich. But it sure can’t be a meal by itself. Without the beans and all the rest it becomes a side dish or something.
I admit, I’ve only had it once. A co-worker made it and it won second place in a chili fest. Was supposed to be a big deal. It was… ok in a sort of pointless way I suppose.
I like all kinds of stuff on hot dogs. Love me a drag it through the garden Chicago dog. Ketchup is fine.
Miracle whip is fine, and I prefer it to mayo since it has some flavor. Generally I use mustard and or horseradish sauce on sandwiches.
Never had a White Castle. Wouldn’t even be able to find one, though I suppose they exist in Colorado. Sounds fine for a quick bit.
White Castle burgers are available frozen. They’re not cheap ($6 for 6 here in Hawaii) and I’m certain nowhere near a fresh one, but at least I can say I had one!
IMO not up the hype (especially frozen), but whenever I see them in the freezer case, I stop and consider getting a box.
I’ve tried those, but I don’t really consider it a ‘real’ White Castle burger.
I would say they’re fairly close, or as close as a frozen hamburger can come to its freshly made counterpart. (The reason mainly being because White Castles are “steam griddled” so the microwaving actually does a reasonable approximation of steaming them. It depends, though, on your microwave and timing. I’ve sometimes had the edge of a bun come out hard instead of steamy soft because I overcooked it in an unfamiliar microwave oven.)
And 6 for $6 is about right. I think the regular slider is something like $0.80 and a cheesburger $1 around here. I’d have to double check, but they’re close to a buck a piece. (Looke like 0.79 and .95 according to Doordash.) So that’s not a bad price on a convenient frozen product.
It’s weird to me to think they have any sort of “hype,” as they’re just kind of seen as after-drinking alcohol absorption food items around here. 
I only kid a little bit. I love the damned things, and always have. And it’s not just a matter of growing up with them. My parents, Polish-born, enjoy them and introduced me to them, and when I had my Hungarian girlfriend visit me in the States a couple decades ago, she fell in love with them, too. They are a niche style of hamburger that not everyone is going to like, but they really shouldn’t be compared to a griddled quarter pounder or grilled pub burger. They are their own thing. You can compare them to Krystal if you want (WC is without question better, IMHO), or one of a myriad New Jersey sliders joints, but, make no mistake, “sliders” are not just mini hamburgers–they need to be cooked on a bed of onions, and the bun needs to steam with it as part of the cooking process. A slider is not just any mini-burger, at least not to me.
Jim Gaffigan says the instructions should simply read “Remove from wrapper and place directly in toilet.” 
I had the “pleasure” of eating at White Castle on a trip to Vegas a few years back.
Take the frozen version, heat it up, and slap on a dill pickle chip and a tease of ketchup and mustard, and you can’t tell the difference from the genuine article.
Ya know, I’ve never actually tried Miracle Whip, so my opinion isn’t the best-informed, but it’s similar to mayonnaise which in my opinion is best avoided at all costs, except in tuna salad or devilled eggs. My mother used to make my grade school lunches, which always included a cheese sandwich (those presliced singles) with somewhat more mayo than cheese. I’ve gagged on the stuff ever since. Given that MW is similar to mayo, I’d have to shout a loud and emphatic HARRUMPH to anyone saying it’s edible.
Ketchup on hot dogs = perfection - assuming we can’t get chili (and hopefully cheese as well) on them. Mustard is just so… so… vilely YELLOW tasting. Those of you who like mustard on their hot dogs need to visit this restaurant, where you’ll be able to get so many, many more options. Finally, ketchup is pretty nearly the perfect condiment,in terms of blends of all the different flavor components (specifically Heinz, in fact).
Re the Hot Pocket: Well, they may not be gourmet, but they wouldn’t have that kind of market share if they hadn’t pretty well perfected the combination of sodium, MSG, natural and artificial colors and flavors, and preservatives.
Oh, and I happen to like beans in my chili. Otherwise you’re just eating a bowl of seasoned meat. Not that his is, in itself, a bad thing, but the beans do a fine job of filling out that bowl and turning it into something as healthy as it is delicious.
Oysters are disgusting, in any preparation (or no preparation).
Sushi tastes delicious with a piece of pickled cabbage in the same bite.