# Minor Culinary Gripes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 24, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971 "2006-09-24T19:19:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/1 "2006-09-24T19:19:34Z")
1. Cole Slaw in restaurants Coleslaw is a great comfort food of mine. I often order it in place of the mounds of fried potatoes that I really don’t need. There are two, and only two, ways to prepare it. One is with a mayonaisse base, and the other is a vinegary base with celery seeds (as perfected by the Avenue Bar in Madison, WI). Both are great. Lately, restaurants have taken it upon themselves to “get creative” with the standard, and bring you something resembling, but definately not, cole slaw. Get your sliced green and red bell peppers out of there, Old Chicago! Boston Market, quit trying to blend the two bases together! Just give my old cole slaw back. When you order french fries, you know you are going to get sliced potatoes, fried. They may be different sizes and shapes, but they taste the same. When you order a dry martini, they’ll ask you if you want gin or vodka, they don’t don’t serve you up an appletini without you requesting it. When you order a burger, it is beef on a bun, not a gardenburger with arugula. If you are going to mess with a standard, please describe how you decided to make it suck before serving it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/2 "2006-09-24T20:20:32Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] If you are going to mess with a standard, please describe how you decided to make it suck before serving it to me. [/QUOTE] Great line. I give it 4 gold stars. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2006, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/3 "2006-09-24T20:33:55Z")
Hear, hear! Well-ranted. “Fancy” coleslaw is like “fancy” mac & cheese…not the same thing at all. I like both of the basic styles, and will tolerate the inclusion of golden raisins if the rest of the dinner excels. But other than that, the classic recipe became a classic for a reason. 86.5: It has a good beat and I can dance to it. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/4 "2006-09-24T20:35:59Z")
Actually, I love the cole slaw variant that comes with the delicious Baja fish tacos at Cheesecake Factory. It is either called “island slaw” or “citrus slaw,” I forget which, but it has little mandarin orange sections mixed in, and a dash of something tangier too. It goes perfectly with the fish tacos, to the point where when I buy a bag of dry broccoli slaw to prepare at home with Miracle Whip Light, I also add mandarin orange sections now! ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/5 "2006-09-24T20:39:59Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] Hear, hear! Well-ranted. “Fancy” coleslaw is like “fancy” mac & cheese…not the same thing at all. I like both of the basic styles, and will tolerate the inclusion of golden raisins if the rest of the dinner excels. But other than that, the classic recipe became a classic for a reason. 86.5: It has a good beat and I can dance to it. [/QUOTE] Whoa whoa whoa… I love me some mac and cheese, but I’ve NEVER heard of adding golden raisins! Where did you have it this way? And by two styles, do you mean the “box” kind with the orange neon powder-based cheese and the “real” kind with shredded cheese and bread crumbs on top, and then baked as a casserole? I love both styles, but I tend to add things like diced onions, tomatos, or jalapeno peppers, or canned tuna to make it a little more nutritious. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2006, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/6 "2006-09-24T20:47:49Z")
No, no…you misunderstand my reference. I was speaking of coleslaw, not the creamy goodness of mac & cheese (to which I usually 4 kings of cheese, onions, peppers, and various meats. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/7 "2006-09-24T21:11:45Z")
**KFC** has the world’s best coleslaw IMO. 9 times out of 10, when I order coleslaw anywhere else, I end up thinking to myself: why don’t they just copy KFC’s recipe? ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/8 "2006-09-24T21:25:49Z")
KFC had really damn good barbecue baked beans, too. They were just the right blend of sweet, tangy, tomatoey, and smoky, with actual little pieces of bacon – none of that nasty white fat cube from canned beans. I loved those beans more than their actual chicken, so of course they pulled the dish off the menu. Now I get my rare fried chicken fix from Albertson’s (cheaper, fresher, and juicier), so I don’t even go to KFC anymore. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/9 "2006-09-24T21:28:58Z")
Cheap Oil. I’ve been noticing more and more places are using cheap oil; it has a peculiar wang to it that I cannot stand. Unfortunately, it’s becoming more widespread. Tostitos now use it, and they have that cheap oil wang, rendering them inedible. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/10 "2006-09-24T21:31:03Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] it has a peculiar wang to it [/QUOTE] Peculiar how? ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/11 "2006-09-24T21:36:53Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Peculiar how? [/QUOTE] I’d think finding a wang in your oil would be peculiar enough. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/12 "2006-09-24T21:38:20Z")
[QUOTE=Harborwolf] I’d think finding a wang in your oil would be peculiar enough. [/QUOTE] My point. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/13 "2006-09-24T21:54:38Z")
Oh, such dirty minds! It’s really hard to describe, but I’ve been tasting it in more and more things over the past couple of years. I seem to recall oil not having this (or any) taste in the past. I taste it in Tostitos now, where I didn’t before. It’s even worse in store-brand tortilla chips; hence my cheap oil theory. Could it be Canola or something? ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/14 "2006-09-24T23:34:27Z")
[QUOTE=Key Lime Guy] **KFC** has the world’s best coleslaw IMO. 9 times out of 10, when I order coleslaw anywhere else, I end up thinking to myself: why don’t they just copy KFC’s recipe? [/QUOTE] It’s too bad this isn’t a poll, because, wow, I couldn’t possibly agree more! Their cole slaw RuLeZ 🙂 Blue Ridge, found in stores around here, is also pretty good, but damn, that KFC stuff is just incredible 🙂 As to the OP, I also agree. Leave perfectly good cole slaw ALONE! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2006, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/15 "2006-09-24T23:46:28Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] Could it be Canola or something? [/QUOTE] I avoid canola and cottonseed oil when it is used for purposes other than cooking. Salad dressing, if I must have it from a bottle, should be made with olive oil. The taste you mention seems to me to be stale or bitter. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2006, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/16 "2006-09-24T23:53:36Z")
For those of us jonesing for some KFC slaw right now: **KFC Coleslaw** Recipe By : Copy Cat Web Site Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:20 Categories : Coleslaw Amount Measure Ingredient – Preparation Method * * * ``` 1 head cabbage -- finely chopped 1 medium carrot -- shredded 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/8 tablespoon pepper 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 1/2 tablespoons white vinegar 2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice ``` Be sure the cabbage and carrots are chopped up into very fine pieces about the size of rice kernels. Combine the sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, butte rmilk, vinegar and lemon juice and beat until smooth. Add the cabbage and carr ots and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/17 "2006-09-25T00:25:49Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] For those of us jonesing for some KFC slaw right now: **KFC Coleslaw** … 1/3 cup granulated sugar … [/quote] That right there is 100% pure, unadulterated HERESY. I can’t eat it untill I’ve added about as much salt, for one little tub o’ slaw. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/18 "2006-09-25T00:29:51Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] Oh, such dirty minds! [/QUOTE] I’m still trying to figure out who the 4 kings of cheese are. ---
**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:** [September 25, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/19 "2006-09-25T00:43:01Z")
Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby and Jerry Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971/20 "2006-09-25T00:52:25Z")
[QUOTE=Biffy the Elephant Shrew] I’m still trying to figure out who the 4 kings of cheese are. [/QUOTE] Feta, edam, romano, Groucho. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-culinary-gripes/373971.md?page=2)