# My Mom & the all you can eat shrimp fest **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 18, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923 "2004-10-18T22:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thursday\_next](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@thursday\_next](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thursday_next)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/1 "2004-10-18T22:26:37Z")
Mom had been wanting to go to the all you can eat shrimp fest for a while now. Various snafus and other hooha had kept anyone from going with her. After an especially nasty episode of drama, my dad gallantly agreed to a family dinner. We didn’t know the extent of Mom’s plan. She knew that she could get a salad any time she wanted, while the cheddar bay biscuits would have been a treat, she had a goal! As for her side dish, Dad’s family is Irish, trust me we eat enough potatoes. Our order was placed: three all you can eat shrimps and my food (I went with some pre planned meal gig since I wasn’t particularly hungry, but wanted to be all family like). The poor server, he never knew what hit him. She had the scampi and the pasta alfredo, wisely only eating the shrimp and not the pasta part. Then she moved onto the fried and battered shrimp. Finally, she asked our nice server if she could just have alfredo shrimp without the pasta. While her all you can eat chums fell by the wayside, foolishly eating their biscuits and salads, she kept going. It wasn’t some kind of nasty looking, gluttonous Monty Python skit; it was a well thought out plan of attack. In the end, I had to salute her (and wonder about the iodine and mercury levels in her blood). Now I just need to teach her what _veni vidi vici_ means (I’d go for I came, I saw, I ate, but I bet it wouldn’t have the same ring, and I couldn’t find a translation for ate.) ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/2 "2004-10-18T23:02:07Z")
There’s a very nice Chinese buffet brunch around these parts where the quality of food at the buffet is equal too or greater than most restaurant’s entrees and I always see the locals stocking up on the crab and shrimp. They also force their kids to eat until their tears run blue with iodine poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/3 "2004-10-18T23:21:27Z")
A few weeks ago I took my wife and stepson to IHOP for an all you could cram in your piehole shrimpfest. They seemed to be really lo hadoking forward to it but only had two servings each. I had a sandwich. Chinese buffets are a different matter for me. My favorite greasy choptick place burned down but it was due to be condemned anyway because of the light rail coming in on that street. I may talk myself into dinner at a different one tonight. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/4 "2004-10-18T23:56:47Z")
> [@thursday next](#): > > Now I just need to teach her what _veni vidi vici_ means (I’d go for I came, I saw, I ate, but I bet it wouldn’t have the same ring, and I couldn’t find a translation for ate.) My guess, with no research whatsoever, would be _veni, vici, vori_, (same root as voracious) which actually has very much the same ring. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/5 "2004-10-19T02:40:12Z")
Hmm, is shrimp particularly expensive? But I agree with the principle. Ha ha! New plan! I’ll walk around the buffet exclaiming, “Have you tried the soup? Its fantastic.” or “Mmm, that bread and potato dish was superb.” And while those fools stuff themselves with water and starch, I grab all the seafood. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/6 "2004-10-19T18:21:14Z")
> [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > Hmm, is shrimp particularly expensive? Yup. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/7 "2004-10-19T18:35:15Z")
> [@thursday next](#): > > Various snafus and other hooha had kept anyone from going with her. Thank goodness this wasn’t a jarbabyj thread. Domestically caught shrimp have traditionally been expensive but I believe those flooding the market from Asia are much cheaper. Can someone verify this? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/8 "2004-10-19T18:40:32Z")
[Shrimp](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3361187.stm) [dumping.](http://www.enaca.org/modules/news/article.php?storyid=259) ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/9 "2004-10-19T19:55:05Z")
What the hell is a cheddar bay biscuit? ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/10 "2004-10-19T20:19:49Z")
They are those addictive cheesy biscuits they serve at Red Lobster. ---
**Author:** ![legion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/838e76/32.png) [@legion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/legion)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/11 "2004-10-19T20:28:26Z")
Ah shrimp! Wasn’t it Bubba that said: “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich… that’s uh, that’s about it.” ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2004, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/12 "2004-10-19T20:41:40Z")
Come see “Bottomless Peg”, nature’s cruelest trick! Arrgh! [/Simpons] ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/13 "2004-10-20T00:04:11Z")
Lightweights. My brother and I just got back from an all you can eat pizza buffet. I (naturally) had a buy one get one free coupon. This was for a different place if anyone remembers. I ate 14-16 slices of pizza (I can’t remember exactly, but I counted at least 12 crusts not including the 2 I ate), my brother ate about 15 slices himself, we each had 2 breadsticks and about 3/4 of a gallon of pepsi total between us. Of course neither of us ate anything today and probably wont eat anything else today and this was at 5pm. All for $5.29. Yay us. ---
**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:** [October 20, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/14 "2004-10-20T01:10:42Z")
There needs to be a Jewish deli with an all-you-can-eat buffet around here. I could do with unlimited Reubens, corned beef on rye, pastrami on rye, chopped liver, knishes, stuffed cabbage, matzo ball soup. That would officially be the best thing ever. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/15 "2004-10-20T12:48:02Z")
This reminds me of when Chevy Chase’s brother-in-law takes him to the $2.99, all-you-can eat buffet! Chase: “ismthat the ckicken ala king”? Attendent (plops sign into tub of yello glop): “No Sir, this is the chicken”! Honestly, those buffets are horrible! You get top see WHY people are sooverweight! ---
**Author:** ![DogMom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@DogMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DogMom)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/16 "2004-10-20T14:34:14Z")
> [@](#): > > My guess, with no research whatsoever, would be _veni, vici, vori_ Yep, good call. _Voro_ is the base word and means “to eat greedily, swallow up, consume, or devour.” So basically it translates to “I came, I saw, I snarfed.” ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/17 "2004-10-20T14:40:58Z")
I can’t remember if it’s in Colorado Springs, CO or Columbus, GA, but we used to go to this restaurant called Williams where, instead of a basket of bread, they bring you a humongous bowl of shrimp on ice…free of charge. If you finish it, they will refill it. If you all get up from the table to go to the salad bar, they remove the shrimp, so we learned pretty quickly to keep at least one person sitting at the table at all times. This is where I learned just how good unlimited shrimp could be. I can’t believe we didn’t eat there more often. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/18 "2004-10-20T15:22:52Z")
> [@legion](#): > > Ah shrimp! Wasn’t it Bubba that said: > > “Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, sautee it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich… that’s uh, that’s about it.” You forgot the shrimp “ay-too-fay!” 😃 I loves me some shrimp! I would have gone with your Mom in a heartbeat. (I just made some gumbo on Monday. Shrimp, crawfish, chicken and andouille sausage. Mmm, mmm, mmm!) Mu husband asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday. Denis’ Seafood, here we come. Gonna have me a stuffed lobster. Just an overgrown shrimp, really. Damn, I’m hungry now. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/19 "2004-10-20T21:21:15Z")
I always avoid the sides as well. No since filling up on well filler. In fact, I don’t like the cheddar bay biscuits anyway… But for me, it’s shrimp scampi all the way. Just keep bringing out the scampi… more scampi… and more scampi… mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923/20 "2004-10-20T21:52:24Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#): > > There’s a very nice Chinese buffet brunch around these parts where the quality of food at the buffet is equal too or greater than most restaurant’s entrees and I always see the locals stocking up on the crab and shrimp. There’s a place like that around here, too, only this one has crab and mussels. Gotta be quick to get the mussels. > [@Big Bad Voodoo Lou](#): > > There needs to be a Jewish deli with an all-you-can-eat buffet around here. I could do with unlimited Reubens… Reminds me of when I saw a Food Network show on the [Carnegie Deli](http://www.carnegiedeli.com/). Their Reubens are _huge_! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mom-the-all-you-can-eat-shrimp-fest/269923.md?page=2)