# Silliest Foodie Item, Idea, or Trend? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533 "2013-02-16T20:04:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**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:** [February 21, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/221 "2013-02-21T18:41:05Z")
> [@MrSquishy](#): > > They exist on this board for sure. Just do a search for “hotdogs and ketchup” or “well done steak”. Like I said above, I guess I was wrong… And, hey! I think my first thread here in 2000 was about hot dogs and ketchup! It wasn’t meant to be serious, and I really doubt anybody really gives a shit if you put ketchup on your hot dog. I certainly don’t. You can put fingernail clippings on your hot dog for all I care. 😉 I really think some people take that kind of playful bombast way too seriously. Like all the chili and barbecue discussions here. Few people are _that_ serious about it. After all, it’s only food. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/222 "2013-02-21T18:41:53Z")
[Plastic junk whose sole purpose is to preserve half an avacado.](http://www.amazon.com/Harold-Import-Company-Avo-Saver/dp/B001IWONL6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_2) ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/223 "2013-02-21T19:03:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You can put fingernail clippings on your hot dog for all I care. 😉 They add a pop of flavor and echo the delicate suggestion of the pig/cow/horse toenails inside the hotdog. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/224 "2013-02-21T21:15:25Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > [Plastic junk whose sole purpose is to preserve half an avacado.](http://www.amazon.com/Harold-Import-Company-Avo-Saver/dp/B001IWONL6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_2) No, this doesn’t follow for me, sorry. Half an avocado? How can you have half an avocado? ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/225 "2013-02-21T21:26:19Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I have tasted a variety of these so-called specialty sea salts, and I do detect a minerality in some of them that isn’t present in regular old table salt, but for the most part, yeah…it’s an overblown trend and mostly these salts are used by serious chefs because of their texture, or as a color additive. This is pretty much the way I feel. Most are finishing salts used to add a certain crunch or texture to finished food. No chef or baker is likely using Fleur de Sel to make their stock or as an ingredient in most foods. Why? Because whatever extremely subtle taste differences or texture differences there are between the Fleur de Sel and plain old Morton’s Kosher are blown away in the finished dish. Sprinkle the same stuff on top, and you get a different sensory experience due to the texture and shape of the grains. Think what a soft pretzel with table salt on it would be like vs. the coarse salt that’s typically used, if you want a more concrete example. I’m personally not convinced that the various boutique salts really taste any different when used on food; you’d have to have an awfully subtle dish to be able to pick out the finishing salt flavor consistently. And hey… LJS is a now and then guilty pleasure of mine. I’ve had the real thing in the UK, and LJS isn’t the same thing (although it does look pretty close), but it’s still tasty. It’s like wanting a 3 Musketeers bar every now and then, even if you do typically get your chocolates from [these guys](http://www.sublimechocolate.com/), or [these other guys.](http://www.recchiuti.com/index.html?gclid=CLn4priryLUCFUWd4AodhBEAFg) ---
**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:** [February 21, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/226 "2013-02-21T21:33:00Z")
What’s there to feel guilty about with LJS? It even seems to be a favorite on “foodie” message boards as far as national chains go. My brother recently was at Next (one of Grant Achatz’s acclaimed restaurants) and their current theme is The Hunt. One of the dishes he was served both he and his wife said tasted _exactly_ like Long John Silver’s. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/227 "2013-02-21T21:35:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You can put fingernail clippings on your hot dog for all I care. 😉 I’d love to, but I never have enough clippings! And when I ask other people for theirs, they give me this weird look and usually stop talking to me. And to Mr. Highly Refined **Lukeinva** , go suck an egg (cage-free, locally grown and heritage breed, of course). ---
**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:** [February 21, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/228 "2013-02-21T21:48:17Z")
The funny thing I find about the post about the “hating” on “food trends” like “sriracha” and our collective “unrefined palates” is that my statement on sriracha said that I loved it, just that it’s being a bit overused, like chipotle and bacon have been. I haven’t seen anybody hating on it in this thread. If I truly wanted to get “foodier than thou,” I could complain that, pfft, that Huy Fong sriracha everybody loves isn’t even _real_ sriracha ([like this one](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Sriraja_Panich_red_chilli_sauce.jpg)), just some one-diminesional red pepper & garlic powder simulacrum of The Real Thing, and that anybody who likes it obviously has an unrefined palate that needs to be bludgeoned with hot pepper and garlic, because they can’t taste anything else. But that’s only if I’m playing “foodier than thou.” 😉 I love Huy Fong Sriracha and eat it several times a week. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/229 "2013-02-21T22:03:15Z")
I had no _idea_ that there was sriracha that wasn’t Huy Fong! _ska-BLOOSH_ - is the sound of my head exploding as I race to the internet to buy a different sriracha! Thanks **puly**! (P.S. -got any extra nail clippings? 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/230 "2013-02-21T22:11:56Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I participate in what some here may call “music hipster” message boards, and there’s as much love for Top 40 pop as there is obscure indie rock. How do they stand on James Otto? 😃 ---
**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:** [February 21, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/231 "2013-02-21T22:23:06Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > I had no _idea_ that there was sriracha that wasn’t Huy Fong! > > _ska-BLOOSH_ - is the sound of my head exploding as I race to the internet to buy a different sriracha! Yeah, the taste is a bit different–it’s a good bit more sweet and sour to my tastes , and perhaps not quite as “sharp” as the Huy Fong sriracha. I’m not going to say better or worse, just different. I use the Huy Fong stuff the most, but Sriraja Panich has a little bit more going on with it flavorwise. There’s a couple other Thai brands out there, but Sriraja Panich is the one I’m familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/232 "2013-02-21T22:50:57Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > [Plastic junk whose sole purpose is to preserve half an avacado.](http://www.amazon.com/Harold-Import-Company-Avo-Saver/dp/B001IWONL6/ref=pd_sim_sbs_hg_2) I have one of th[SIZE=1]ose, also the onion keeper[SIZE=1], the garlic keeper and the onion keeper. The a[SIZE=1]vocado on[SIZE=1]e is great if you are wanting to take your half avocado in to work for lunch.[/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE][/SIZE] ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/233 "2013-02-21T23:37:36Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, the taste is a bit different–it’s a good bit more sweet and sour to my tastes , and perhaps not quite as “sharp” as the Huy Fong sriracha. I’m not going to say better or worse, just different. I use the Huy Fong stuff the most, but Sriraja Panich has a little bit more going on with it flavorwise. There’s a couple other Thai brands out there, but Sriraja Panich is the one I’m familiar with. I am honestly not a fan of the imported real Sriracha. It’s usually to sweet for me. I make a similar sauce that’s Chinese in origin and really suits my taste. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/234 "2013-02-22T00:10:14Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > No, this doesn’t follow for me, sorry. Half an avocado? How can you have half an avocado? It’s like half a carton of ice cream or half a beer…it just doesn’t compute. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/235 "2013-02-22T00:18:48Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I am honestly not a fan of the imported real Sriracha. It’s usually to sweet for me. I make a similar sauce that’s Chinese in origin and really suits my taste. Yeah, it works best as a dipping sauce. It’s not something that I would mix in with mayo on sandwiches. But I really do like it a lot. I agree that it is a tad on the sweet side, but I just end up using less of it. There is also [Shark Brand](http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww177/jimswside/-2/-2001.jpg) sriracha that I forgot about. The ingredients are (according to the bottle): 35% chile, 25% water, 20% sugar, 10% garlic, 5% salt, 5% vinegar. What’s the sauce you make? Got a recipe? ---
**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:** [February 22, 2013, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/236 "2013-02-22T00:23:56Z")
Oh, and for those interested in the varieties of sriracha, I finally found a nice [round-up and taste test here](http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2009/07/sriracha-chile-hot-sauce-taste-off.html). ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/237 "2013-02-22T00:44:41Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Yeah, it works best as a dipping sauce. It’s not something that I would mix in with mayo on sandwiches. But I really do like it a lot. I agree that it is a tad on the sweet side, but I just end up using less of it. There is also [Shark Brand](http://i717.photobucket.com/albums/ww177/jimswside/-2/-2001.jpg) sriracha that I forgot about. The ingredients are (according to the bottle): 35% chile, 25% water, 20% sugar, 10% garlic, 5% salt, 5% vinegar. > > What’s the sauce you make? Got a recipe? [This](http://m.foodandwine.com/recipes/spicy-red-chile-sauce) is very close, I think. I made a big batch with the extra red jalapeños from my garden, so it’s been 4 or 5 months. My memory is hazy. It says it’s adapted from the recipe I used, but I could have sworn it contained garlic. It freezes well, for what it’s worth. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/238 "2013-02-22T00:49:55Z")
That sounds very similar to a sauce I make with each year’s crop of serranos. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/239 "2013-02-22T00:52:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > That sounds very similar to a sauce I make with each year’s crop of serranos. It would be excellent with serranos. Lucky for me, my jalapeños have come in very, very hot the last few years. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2013, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533/240 "2013-02-22T01:36:24Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Says who? Unless you live somewhere that’s totally not conducive to farming and ranching, you can probably get a large part of your vegetables locally grown. Granted, you’ll have to get them in season, but what’s wrong with that? Because “out of season” is most of the year? I live outside Chicago and what’s being grown at this time of year is grown indoors, and that’s mostly dope. And don’t none of you hemp fans tell me how nutritious hemp seeds are because I may have to take a pee test at work at any time. What’s grown during the growing season is almost entirely corn and beans. Maybe I’m old, but I remember when fresh produce was pretty much seasonal and we had to rely on canned and a very limited selection of frozen fruits and vegetables. Getting an almost-edible tomato from the supermarket in February still strikes me as a wonderful luxury. It could only be worse in 1924, and in 1874, when everybody was a locavore, deficiency diseases were common. > [@](#): > > And, thank you, **Max the Immortal**! I appreciate the gourmand label vs. “foodie”- it’s both more accurate, and just sounds cooler to boot! And about 100 times more pretentious. 😃 > [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Because these “Gourmet” Cup cake stores sell substandard cake with four inches of frosting. > > I’m not five. There is more to cake than frosting. This. > [@pulykamell](#): > > sriracha Oh, THAT shit! IIRC I started a thread the day I discovered it. Good stuff. Frito-Lay is making chicken and waffles chips for you anti-foodie types. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silliest-foodie-item-idea-or-trend/650533.md?page=13)