# Most overrated foodstuff **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192 "2015-08-06T21:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/161 "2015-08-10T13:32:53Z")
Kobe beef is over rated. It is expensive and VERY fatty. I have had better, black angus has more flavor. Wild boar is great though-much more flavor than domestic pork. ---
**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 10, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/162 "2015-08-10T13:44:09Z")
> [@Leo\_Krupe](#): > > Exactly. It’s like saying my town is so small the zip code is a decimal. > > Sushi isn’t “trendy” the way sriracha is, because it’s been around, but it just seems to me like it exploded in popularity around 10 years ago. I’m sure it’s very region dependent. Around here, sushi was maybe trendy in the 80s or 90s at the latest, then became mainstream food. The Japanese trend right now (or at least within the last couple years) is ramen. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/163 "2015-08-10T14:07:11Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > … IPA beers. Again, not a fan of IPAs in general, but I know that’s not the point. They’re suddenly so popular that some breweries make almost exclusively IPAs. On top of that, people search out the most IPA IPA they can find. The bitterest of the bitter. > So, that’s my contribution. IPAs. I’m anxiously awaiting a shift in the hipster world to loving dopplebocks or brown ales or wheat beers so the market is flooded with those. Amen, even though this is a “God-it’s-awful” and not a “Meh.” 😛 I once described IPAs as “Everything I dislike in a beer … all in one place.” For the actual subject, I’ll have to go with lobster. Tough meat that you have to dip in garlic butter to give it flavor and richness, all wrapped up in armor-plating. To top it all off, I married a “Mainer” who thinks it’s the best thing ever. Only reason I don’t have to contend with it regularly is that we moved to the Rockies. :rolleyes: I take a certain amount of amusement in the fact that, until it got a good PR agent, lobster was considered peasant food. I understand that some servant contracts in coastal New England put a limit on the number of times a week they were served lobster. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/164 "2015-08-10T14:10:57Z")
> [@Small\_Hen](#): > > Twinkies. I have no idea why people made such a big deal when they were almost “taken off the market” a year or so ago. Dry, plasticky cake filled with sticky, plasticky goop. They taste like a life-sized Ken doll inseminated a sponge. Gee, thanks for that image. :eek: It’s even worse that you’re right. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/165 "2015-08-10T14:45:10Z")
> [@Lubricious\_Integument](#): > > I’ve been aware of Pop-Tarts since the early 80’s. I am willing to bet that I ate a Pop-Tart before anyone on this list Mom was part of a product testing panel, and we got several rounds of trials, as they worked out details. They were strawberry.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/166 "2015-08-10T14:45:47Z")
> [@MacLir](#): > > For the actual subject, I’ll have to go with lobster. Tough meat that you have to dip in garlic butter to give it flavor and richness, all wrapped up in armor-plating. At least lobster has the tails. When it comes to crab legs, I’m pretty sure it’s a net calorie loss between the value of the meat and the struggle to extract it. That’s why you need the melted butter, to make up for the calories 😉 ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/167 "2015-08-10T14:48:28Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > At least lobster has the tails. When it comes to crab legs, I’m pretty sure it’s a net calorie loss between the value of the meat and the struggle to extract it. > > That’s why you need the melted butter, to make up for the calories 😉 And the beer and the potato salad. ---
**Author:** ![MacLir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/168 "2015-08-10T14:54:44Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > I’ll go ahead and say it. Fancy mustard is over rated for me. Sure, it’s fine. But French’s yellow mustard is what you put on a burger or hot dog. I live that one. My wife likes “that yellow stuff” and I prefer Dijon-style. Except when I eat a Pronto Pup (Not a corn dog - that’s a whole separate issue). The acidity of the vinegar sets off the flavor perfectly. Hamburgers and hot dogs, I’ll go either way. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/169 "2015-08-10T15:21:00Z")
I hear what people are saying, chicken wings aren’t all that, they’re just sauce delivery devices. But I don’t think they’re overrrated because they aren’t that highly rated to begin with, it’s simple bar food, everyone has them and I’ve never heard anyone I know even driving out of their way to get particular ones. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/170 "2015-08-10T15:44:11Z")
Bacon. I like it a lot, but way overhyped. A CBC weekly radio series about advertising, _Under the Influence,_ had an episode on the way that pork marketers started to push bacon a few years ago after the pork belly market tanked due to the popularity of low-fat diets. It was shown as an example of a wildly successful campaign due to the innovative way that they promoted bacon for everything, mostly through various forms of Internet viral marketing. ---
**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/171 "2015-08-10T16:37:31Z")
High percentage single source dark chocolate. 74% Peruvian vs 70% Ecuadoran? Who cares? Give me a well-made peanut butter cup any time. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/172 "2015-08-10T16:53:29Z")
> [@Bookkeeper](#): > > I like it a lot, but way overhyped. A CBC weekly radio series about advertising, _Under the Influence,_ had an episode on the way that pork marketers started to push bacon a few years ago after the pork belly market tanked due to the popularity of low-fat diets. It was shown as an example of a wildly successful campaign due to the innovative way that they promoted bacon for everything, mostly through various forms of Internet viral marketing. Bacon: the Grey Goose of Meats 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Haldurson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/51bf81/32.png) [@Haldurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haldurson)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/173 "2015-08-11T14:32:53Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Pizza is not overrated in the slightest. But if you go into chains and buy it that’s your own fault. Don’t blame the foodstuff. > > Next thread is “Most guilty food” My point wasn’t that pizza is overrated – it was a response to other people who claimed that. My issue was that I’ve lived in a few different cities and states over the years, and visited many others, and unless you are in the North East, it’s very difficult to find decent pizza. So, for example, while living in Columbus, Ohio, it took me years to find a good pizza place. Since I moved back to suburban NY, I have decent pizza about a mile away, and great pizza, about a 20 minutes drive away. Oddly, when I visited Chicago, another pizza haven, I could not find a good pizza (the recommended ones were all extremely greasy). I’m betting I just had bad luck… unless that’s how Chicagoans like their pizza. (to me, Cinci chilli is an obscenity, but someone must like it). I’ve had much better Chicago-style pizza in NY than in Chicago. My LAST YEAR in Pasadena, I quite accidentally found an excellent Pizza, and immediately regretted all the trashy pizza I’d been eating (granted, when I was there, I decided that a good burrito was more than a great substitute for trashy pizza, so I didn’t try a lot of places there). ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/174 "2015-08-11T14:37:40Z")
Chipotle. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/175 "2015-08-11T16:53:36Z")
To me, too much of anything is a bad thing. “you should try their steaks they are massive” maybe, but size is not a selling point to me in and of itself. A moderately decent meal does not become a good one just because there is loads of it. In fact, a massive plateful that I know I can’t finish is a turn-off if anything. One of the best meals I ever had was a half-dozen gratine’d oysters in the south of France. Every morsel was munched, every oily, garlicy drop of juice was mopped up and savoured. It wouldn’t have been enhanced by giving me more than I could manage. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/176 "2015-08-11T17:28:08Z")
I don’t particularly like kale. I can mix a bunch of stuff with it and create a really good kale salad, but by itself kale is dry, pokey, and bitter. ---
**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:** [August 11, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/177 "2015-08-11T17:32:36Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I don’t particularly like kale. I can mix a bunch of stuff with it and create a really good kale salad, but by itself kale is dry, pokey, and bitter. We planted a ton of kale in the garden, but usually cook the heck out of it. Beans and greens type dishes, or collards and kale are great in the crock-pot all day. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/178 "2015-08-12T01:46:23Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I don’t particularly like kale. I can mix a bunch of stuff with it and create a really good kale salad, but by itself kale is dry, pokey, and bitter. I’ve heard fresh kale isn’t bitter but it quickly becomes bitter. Dad’s rabbit won’t eat it after a few days, either. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/179 "2015-08-12T06:22:28Z")
I detest tofu, regardless of all its reputed “health” benefits. Flavorless, watery, slimy glop that enhances no dish whatsoever. When I was in college, you could always tell when “tofu bake” was on the menu even before you reached the head of the serving line because the entire cafeteria stank like burning rubber. My last girlfirend and I would always go to a Chinese restaurant on Valentine’s Day, and she would invariably order tofu swimming in pepper oil. Yeccccch! I prefered the braised frog’s legs she would order along with it, even if they did taste like a weird cross between chicken and fish. And no, tofu does NOT “take on the flavor of whatever dish it’s served in.” It remains the same flavorless glop it is when you take it out of the packet! ---
**Author:** ![Lacunae\_Matata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lacunae\_Matata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lacunae_Matata)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2015, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192/180 "2015-08-12T07:15:35Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Escargot. Had it for the first time last summer. It was very good but in retrospect, I couldn’t tell you what the meat tasted like. The seasonings were fantastic, but it was not like the difference between a beef steak and a venison steak. If I’m missing a salient point here, feel free to clue me in. > > I would definitely have it again. If for no other reason, just as comparison to the first sample. I recently described escargot to my daughter as “a really great way to eat lots of butter and garlic and bread.” I like escargot, but really - add enough butter and garlic to 'most anything, and it’s likely to be pretty good. Also, wine. I’ve tried to develop a taste, but the only halfway respectable wine I’ve found that I can drink is Riesling, because it’s a little sweet. Mostly, wine tastes too much like vinegar to me. And really hoppy beers. I’d rather have a Bud Light than the latest microbrew ultra-hoppy thing. I don’t need to be challenged by my adult beverage, I just want something relaxing and refreshing. Pumpkin spice everything. No. I want one thing to taste like pumpkin spice: Pie. At Thanksgiving. I want my coffee to taste like coffee. I want my doughnuts to taste like fat and sugar. Please quit adulterating everything with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and allspice, just because the calendar ticked over to September. “Health food” trends just tire me. Quinoa? Kale? Greek yogurt? Chia? 140% cacao organic chocolate bars, sourced from a plantation owned by Buddhist monks who rescue three kittens per day? Who cares? Really. Eat what tastes good, in moderation. There is no food that will magically unclog your arteries, lower your blood pressure, improve your metabolism, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-overrated-foodstuff/727192.md?page=10)