# Restaurant Authenticity FAILS **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 8, 2019, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348 "2019-08-08T14:37:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**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 13, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/101 "2019-08-13T15:36:18Z")
My wife was outraged at one Mexican restaurant when she received a margarita that was fizzy. She asked what was in it and they had (a) made it with Sprite and (b) insisted that this was how you make a margarita. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/102 "2019-08-13T15:36:58Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > tuna on a seafood pizza would be ok, I think, but not canned tuna. šŸ˜• Iā€™m hard-pressed to think of a seafood item that can survive the temperature in a pizza oven for the length of time the crust would need to bake. One might think to challenge that by mentioning anchovies, but I hasten to remind one that I wrote ā€œseaFOOD,ā€ implying that itā€™s made out of FOOD (which anchovies decidedly are not). ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/103 "2019-08-13T18:11:25Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > šŸ˜• > > Iā€™m hard-pressed to think of a seafood item that can survive the temperature in a pizza oven for the length of time the crust would need to bake. Iā€™ve only had it on New Haven style pizza, which I donā€™t think has to bake very long. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/104 "2019-08-13T20:03:21Z")
Regarding that, Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (the oldest and best-known of the New Haven pizzerias) is famous for its white clam pizza, which features freshly shucked littleneck clams along with olive oil, grated cheese, fresh garlic and oregano. It may not sound particularly appetizing but itā€™s great and has won multiple awards. ---
**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 13, 2019, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/105 "2019-08-13T22:31:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I had perhaps the worst burger of my life in 1996 from some kiosk in Wolverhamptonā€™s city center. I have no idea what this weirdly pink, mushy/mealy sandwich was, but it was not a hamburger as advertised. Probably one of these: [![](https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494) ](https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494) Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl. ---
**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 13, 2019, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/106 "2019-08-13T22:54:11Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Mr Sizzle. > > We live in Wolverhampton. Mr Sizzle is a trap set late at night, and around the football matches, to catch the unwary and drunk. It is almost like a soberness machine, you never forget your first and only Mr Sizzle burger, because youā€™ll remember it forever. > > Horrible. Would they have been around in 1996? And theyā€™re _still_ around? If so, that does seem about right. ---
**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 13, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/107 "2019-08-13T22:55:33Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Probably one of these: > > [https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img\_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494](https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494) > > Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl. On the other hand, this also conjures up similar memories of that burger. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/108 "2019-08-13T23:33:28Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > This is a big part of why I think ā€œauthenticā€ is a weird thing to pursue. That reviewer clearly didnā€™t like this kind of pizza, and thatā€™s totally fine. Instead of complaining about how it wasnā€™t real, she shouldā€™ve complained about how there wasnā€™t enough sauce for her tastes. > > And if youā€™re more looking for adventurous eating, not something you know youā€™ll like, authenticity still isnā€™t much help: instead, you should look for places with interesting menus. > > Authenticity seems both reductive and beside the point. ā€œauthenticityā€ is something people talk about because they think it makes them look smart and ā€œcultured.ā€ Itā€™s even more amusing when they donā€™t even know what ā€œauthenticā€ is going in. Kind of like people who use big words incorrectly in an attempt to sound intelligent. ---
**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 13, 2019, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/109 "2019-08-13T23:44:05Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > ā€œauthenticityā€ is something people talk about because they think it makes them look smart and ā€œcultured.ā€ Itā€™s even more amusing when they donā€™t even know what ā€œauthenticā€ is going in. Kind of like people who use big words incorrectly in an attempt to sound intelligent. Yeah, thatā€™s the thing ā€“ you do have to be very careful about using the word ā€œauthenticā€ and knowing just what in the hell youā€™re talking about. Like some people say that flour tortillas are not ā€œauthentic.ā€ Well, yes they are in parts of Mexico. Or that crispy tacos are not authentic. Well, yes they are, see: tacos dorados. (But the pre-formed crispy taco shell is an American thing, so there is some truth to that, but I have been in a place that made genuine tacos dorados and the person I was with suggested that it was ā€œinauthenticā€ because of the fried preparation.) Now, whether being ā€œauthenticā€ or not is important, thatā€™s up to the eater. I like searching for places that remain true to their traditions and keep it as similar to the way a food may be served in their home country, because, to me, thatā€™s whatā€™s fun about eating and exploring different cultures through food. This is not to say I donā€™t enjoy food that caters to the tastes of the local population ā€“ I absolutely do. But I like food that transports me to a different place, with different flavor combinations as well, and that gives me a baseline for how food of that culture is supposed to taste. Now is this good business sense? Probably not. Cater to the local tastes. But, for me, as an eater, when I eat ethnic foods, I really am curious about what flavor profiles are favored in their regions. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/110 "2019-08-13T23:55:01Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Now, whether being ā€œauthenticā€ or not is important, thatā€™s up to the eater. Iā€™m not ashamed to admit that I like Taco Bell. Itā€™s good grub. When I go to a Mexican restaurant, though, itā€™s not because Iā€™m trying to satisfy the word ā€œauthenticā€; Iā€™m trying to get the food that I know and love that Iā€™ve had in Mexico. If I go into an ā€œauthenticā€ Mexican restaurant and theyā€™re pushing chimichangas and fajitas, well, then, I feel defrauded of my time. Itā€™s not that Iā€™m trying to check of the ā€œauthenticā€ box, but I really just want some good antojitos mexicanos, and not Taco Bell. Taco Bell isnā€™t just a bad version of Mexican food; itā€™s something different (Iā€™m using Taco Bell as an example; as I said, I enjoy it). When I lived in China, I went to my fair share of western restaurants. You know what? Most of them were authentic. They were _bad_ and didnā€™t really know what they were doing, but they were authentic. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2019, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/111 "2019-08-13T23:59:51Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > The version sold under that name at the Brat House in Kenosha, for instance, [isnā€™t really that much different](http://gwiv.com/BratStop20.jpg). Datā€™s da Brat Stop, ya FIB! ---
**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 14, 2019, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/112 "2019-08-14T01:22:43Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Datā€™s da Brat Stop, ya FIB! :smack: I cannot believe I wrote ā€œBrat Houseā€ and did not notice it. What the fuck is wrong with me? ---
**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 14, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/113 "2019-08-14T01:31:36Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Iā€™m not ashamed to admit that I like Taco Bell. Itā€™s good grub. When I go to a Mexican restaurant, though, itā€™s not because Iā€™m trying to satisfy the word ā€œauthenticā€; Iā€™m trying to get the food that I know and love that Iā€™ve had in Mexico. If I go into an ā€œauthenticā€ Mexican restaurant and theyā€™re pushing chimichangas and fajitas, well, then, I feel defrauded of my time. Itā€™s not that Iā€™m trying to check of the ā€œauthenticā€ box, but I really just want some good antojitos mexicanos, and not Taco Bell. > > Taco Bell isnā€™t just a bad version of Mexican food; itā€™s something different (Iā€™m using Taco Bell as an example; as I said, I enjoy it). When I lived in China, I went to my fair share of western restaurants. You know what? Most of them were authentic. They were _bad_ and didnā€™t really know what they were doing, but they were authentic. Taco Bell is a good example. I live in a neighborhood that is 85% Hispanic. A Taco Bell just opened up. A bunch of comments on Facebook mentioned, why in the hell would a Taco Bell open up there where there are a million taco places in the neighborhood. Well, because itā€™s its own category of food. Itā€™s not competition for authentic Mexican, and comments from the Hispanic community that also liked Taco Bell for what it is confirmed that. I happen not to like Taco Bell, even judging it understanding itā€™s not supposed to be ā€œauthenticā€ Tex-Mex or Mexican or what not, but I get it. A lot of people think White Castle is total trash. I love it. And I love a McDā€™s quarter pounder with cheese, knowing its not a may not be a good example of a fast food hamburger. ---
**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 14, 2019, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/114 "2019-08-14T01:38:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > :smack: I cannot believe I wrote ā€œBrat Houseā€ and did not notice it. What the fuck is wrong with me? Actually, I know. My brother just came back from Wisconsin Dells with his family and was talking about dinner at the Brat House Grill up there. Thatā€™s my story and Iā€™m sticking to it! (Seriously, I should know better. Not only have I been to that Brat Stop in Kenosha many times, Iā€™ve been to the small one in the town (which doesnā€™t seem to exist anymore? I canā€™t find it. Did I hallucinate this? I swear c. 2008 I went to another location that was well east of the one on 75th Street, somewhere in town. Really small place, maybe 5-10 tables at the most?) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/115 "2019-08-14T02:09:57Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > šŸ˜• > > Iā€™m hard-pressed to think of a seafood item that can survive the temperature in a pizza oven for the length of time the crust would need to bake. Well-cooked seafood is underrated. Slow cooked fish, clams, calamari etc can be very good. (Calamari is like pork, it gets tough and then becomes tender after longer cooking.) Japan is famous for raw fish, but there is also a long tradition of well cooked seafood. Salmon is traditionally preserved in salt, then cooked until most of the fat has dripped away, which concentrates the flavor. ---
**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 14, 2019, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/116 "2019-08-14T03:12:24Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > (Calamari is like pork, it gets tough and then becomes tender after longer cooking.) That is only true of some cuts of pork (shoulder/Boston Butt in particular). The same happens to beef if you use analogous cuts (like chuck.) Itā€™s not the animal, but the part and whether itā€™s a well-exercised part with lots of fat, collagen/connective tissue or a lean part with minimal connective tissue that is not exercised much. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/117 "2019-08-14T07:35:15Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Probably one of these: > > [https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img\_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494](https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494) > > Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl. Nope. The tinned gravy burger is much more palatable that Mr Sizzle. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/118 "2019-08-14T07:38:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Would they have been around in 1996? And theyā€™re _still_ around? If so, that does seem about right. Definitely around in 1996 (I think thatā€™s about when I had the ONE and proceeded to be an official harbinger of Mr Sizzle. ā€œNo, donā€™t, really donā€™t, youā€™ll regret it.ā€ ā€œTold you.ā€) Still around today I think, but Iā€™m not sure if theyā€™re in the city centre or something to catch away fans on the way to a match on a Saturday afternoon. To be fair, thereā€™s far more choice in the city centre now of that time of night. The secret of the city/town is that you headed down Chapel Ash to get your takeaways. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/119 "2019-08-14T07:52:27Z")
> [@Smid](#): > > Mr Wimpyā€™s Quarter Pounder and Cheese is still my favourite burger. Over Five Guys and the Ilk. > > The chain was bought out by Burger King in the early 90s, half of the restaurants got converted to BK, and I think the brand was sold off. They exist in the south of London still and some weird spots (disappeared from Service stations), but I live 100 miles from any of them. > > Still miss 'em. The remaining Wimpy outlets been bought out by Wimpy (South Africa), I gather, and brought in line with their branding and menus. Not the best fast food burger here (thatā€™d be Steers), but definitely not the worst. But here, Wimpy are probably more popular for their breakfast menu. And are still at a range of service stations. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2019, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348/120 "2019-08-14T09:34:31Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Iā€™m not ashamed to admit that I like Taco Bell. Itā€™s good grubā€¦ Oh! Me too. Iā€™m way to ignorant to know how (in)authentic it is, though. Anything even plausibly Mexican is quite a recent thing round these parts. > [@terentii](#): > > Probably one of these: > > [https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img\_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494](https://jamesvsburger.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/img_0575we.jpg?w=740&h=494) > > Horrid as they are, I actually developed a taste for them when I lived in Cambridge. I can still see myself standing in the rain after midnight, buying one from a street vendor on my way home from a pub crawl. God, this brings back student memories. These ā€œburgersā€ were reviled and avoided, but the night Fiff fell through a jukebox (donā€™t ask) and I was the only one with enough wit to take him to A&E/ER to be stitched back togetherā€¦ at some point in the ravenous early morning, when it was still difficult to say which of us was more pissed, we stopped off and had one of these out of desperation. Poor bastard - cut to ribbons and then reduced to eating thatā€¦ j [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurant-authenticity-fails/838348.md?page=7)