# Maple syrup **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 26, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400 "2012-06-26T23:16:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/21 "2012-06-27T03:08:06Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I’m truly confused how anyone could feel this way. I can understand preferring the taste of the fake stuff, but to describe the real thing as “amazingly bad”? > > Are you quite certain that the ‘real stuff’ you tasted was in fact actual maple syrup? Quite sure. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/22 "2012-06-27T03:16:14Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I’m truly confused how anyone could feel this way. I can understand preferring the taste of the fake stuff, but to describe the real thing as “amazingly bad”? > > Are you quite certain that the ‘real stuff’ you tasted was in fact actual maple syrup? That’s the literal (and original) meaning of _There’s no accounting for taste._ ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/23 "2012-06-27T03:19:18Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > That’s the literal (and original) meaning of _There’s no accounting for taste._ Apparently not, seeing all the shlubs who like that awful real stuff. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/24 "2012-06-27T03:20:05Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > I grew up on the fake stuff, too, to the point that when I first tasted the real stuff, I didn’t like it. Since moving to Vermont, I’ve become a convert. I don’t have to worry about price, though, because we have some neighbors that make their own and provide us with far more than we could ever use. I asked them one time if I could buy a few pints for visiting family to take home, and came home with three gallons of liquid gold and my money still in my pocket. I buy it by the quart, and it’s usually $20-$25. Where’s the jealousy smiley? ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/25 "2012-06-27T03:31:51Z")
Real maple syrup or nothing! . ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/26 "2012-06-27T03:50:07Z")
Because of my diet parameters, I rarely eat anything that requires syrup. But when I do, it’s gotta be the real thing. I’ve even got a rarely-used Costco jug on hand. And yes, I’d pay extra for the stuff when dining out. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/27 "2012-06-27T03:51:36Z")
When I was a kid, we didn’t even have Log Cabin, we had store-brand Log Cabin knock-off. A friend of my mom’s went up north, and bought us a half-gallon container of maple syrup, when I was about 9. I went through a few phases: 1. What the fuck’s wrong with this stuff? It’s nasty! 2. Huh. Okay, I’ll eat it, but only on corn muffins. 3. MAPLE SYRUP ON CORN MUFFINS NOM NOM NOM 4. Drizzling it on my tongue when I was depressed for an instantaneous retreat into a world of delight. I’m still in phase 4. We have a reversible waffle iron/pancake griddle at home (my wife thought it was the stupidest present ever until I got it and showed her how amazing it is). Once in awhile we make waffles or pancakes. Here are the rules: 1. Homemade with buttermilk. Makes them perfectly light, fluffy, and tangy. 2. Real maple syrup and real butter. 3. High-quality sausage or bacon. If we’re going to eat something so incredibly unhealthy, it better taste incredibly good. ---
**Author:** ![kmshrader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b782af/32.png) [@kmshrader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kmshrader)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/28 "2012-06-27T05:24:49Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > I don’t use the fake stuff because I’ve never tried one I didn’t find repulsive. I’d rather have my pancakes with jam or fruit compote or just about anything else on them than fake maple syrup. Ditto. Pancakes with raspberry preserves - delicious. Pancakes with Aunt Jemima - disgusting, not worth the flour and egg they’re made of. And they’d damn well better be made from flour and egg. Bisquick is a crime against humanity, and its inventors deserve to be shot. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2012, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/29 "2012-06-27T05:34:10Z")
Maple syrup is over-rated. Yes, I’ve had both. In fact, there is some real stuff in the pantry as I type. It is useful for certain recipes. But if I am having cheap-ass pancakes or waffles at a basic restaurant (and there is no other kind) then Aunt Jemima is just fine. Why spit-shine Keds? ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/30 "2012-06-27T05:40:22Z")
I can remember having maple syrup as a child that was so good it’d make my eyes water. Years later as an adult I bought some “real” maple syrup at the store … and it didn’t taste nearly as good as the stuff I’d had as a kid. Still on a quest to find the stuff from my childhood – no idea what brand it was but OMG … amazing. 'Til then, the fake stuff will do. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/31 "2012-06-27T05:45:01Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > I can remember having maple syrup as a child that was so good it’d make my eyes water. > > Years later as an adult I bought some “real” maple syrup at the store … and it didn’t taste nearly as good as the stuff I’d had as a kid. > > Still on a quest to find the stuff from my childhood – no idea what brand it was but OMG … amazing. I hate to point this out to you - but maple syrup is a natural product like oranges or tomatoes. It’s great that you encountered a really good one but maple syrup isn’t a “brand” that you can buy at the store and expect it to taste identical each time. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/32 "2012-06-27T07:06:27Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Love the fake stuff. Was disappointed at how amazingly bad the real stuff turned out to be once I’d tried it. Did you only try it the one time? Maybe you got hold of a bad batch. It is possible for it to be processed poorly. Most of the world’s maple syrup comes from Canada and the US with Canada producing the bulk of it, so in Thailand you likely had imported syrup. It may have been from a shady importer who adulterated it or stored it improperly, or a shady producer may have disposed of a bad batch by selling it to an exporter. Or maybe you just don’t like it. I’m just pointing out other possibilities. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/33 "2012-06-27T07:24:56Z")
I like real maple syrup, but it isn’t a common breakfast item where I live (in England) - I’d occasionally have it on ice cream or waffles as a dessert after a non-breakfast meal. But I like other similar things too. Not sure I’ve ever encountered mock maple syrup as such, but I equally well enjoy caramel syrups, honey and occasionally golden syrup (a sugar-based syrup more commonly used as an ingredient in cooking than a dessert condiment) ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/34 "2012-06-27T08:49:10Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > 100% pure maple syrup – Grade B, thankyouverymuch. This is the correct answer. ---
**Author:** ![highrollinwooded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@highrollinwooded](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/highrollinwooded)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/35 "2012-06-27T10:32:26Z")
I also tried the “real” stuff years ago and was not impressed! Reminds me of Karo syrup…thickened sugar…tasteless…I vote for “over-rated”. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/36 "2012-06-27T10:52:52Z")
So it would seem that a majority of people prefer maple syrup over the fake stuff, and would be happy to pay a premium for it at a restaurant (assuming the pancakes/waffles are of acceptable quality\*). Then why aren’t more places offering the upgrade-for-money option? Are we a statistical anomaly, unrepresentative of reality? I use real stuff exclusively at home and I’m tempted to start bringing a syrup flask with me to restaurants, because it’s almost impossible for me to find a real syrup option at any of the breakfast spots around here. Eggspectation is the only one I’ve encountered that uses the good stuff, and I reward them by breakfasting there more often that anywhere else. \*I agree with those posters who say that crappy breakfast foods don’t really _deserve_ maple syrup, but I vastly prefer shitty pancakes covered in maple syrup to shitty pancakes covered in fake syrup. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/37 "2012-06-27T11:03:13Z")
> [@highrollinwooded](#): > > I also tried the “real” stuff years ago and was not impressed! Reminds me of Karo syrup…thickened sugar…tasteless…I vote for “over-rated”. Like I said to **Siam Sam** , it sounds like you may have gotten hold of some inferior syrup. Good maple syrup is not tasteless, at least not to most people. Although it’s possible that you’re an exception. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/38 "2012-06-27T11:04:23Z")
My gf has a brother living in Vermont. Each year he gives us maple syrup. We do not eat pancakes/french toast/waffles often, but when we do we use the real stuff. When he gives us our yearly tin 'o syrup we throw the old one away, usually still 3/4 full. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/39 "2012-06-27T11:15:03Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > So it would seem that a majority of people prefer maple syrup over the fake stuff, and would be happy to pay a premium for it at a restaurant (assuming the pancakes/waffles are of acceptable quality\*). > > Then why aren’t more places offering the upgrade-for-money option? Are we a statistical anomaly, unrepresentative of reality? So you’re saying that the lack of a market response invalidates this poll? I’m not going to claim that a poll on this (or any other) board is statistically significant, but the lack of a market response is hardly evidence that it’s not. I’m skeptical that markets are always that perfectly responsive to public opinion. The real world just doesn’t work like that, regardless of what some may believe. Maybe the premium people would be willing to pay wouldn’t be high enough to make it worthwhile for the restaurants to do this. Or maybe they simply don’t realize that there’s a high enough demand. Or maybe it simply hasn’t even crossed the minds of most restaurant owners. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2012, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400/40 "2012-06-27T11:20:23Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Like I said to **Siam Sam** , it sounds like you may have gotten hold of some inferior syrup. Good maple syrup is not tasteless, at least not to most people. Although it’s possible that you’re an exception. If he (she?) thought it was tasteless, it may have been Grade A, which is bizarrely the inferior stuff; as I understand it, Grade A is more highly refined and therefore less maply than Grade B. It’s definitely worthwhile to find Grade B if you can. Or maybe he’s a smoker. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/maple-syrup/626400.md?page=3)