I once heard a craft brewer say the same thing about American beer. “They make a light-colored, light-flavored beer. It’s not my personal preference. But they maintain a consistent product over many decades and many millions of gallons, and that’s not easy to do.”
Black Russian caviar. It was a a white tie affair, real high society stuff. One of the pre-dinner offerings was black Russian caviar. I thought, “Wow, I finally have a chance to try this stuff!” It was salty, and I really didn’t like it.
I remember buying a 12-pack of Budweiser in the US once. The cashier said, “Bud? When we have so many nice craft beers to choose from?”
I replied, “It’s the McDonald’s of beers. It’s going to be the same everywhere. I know what I’m getting, and there will be no surprises.”
To quote my father: “You don’t go to McDonald’s for hamburgers, you go to McDonald’s for McDonald’s.”
Frosted flakes?!? Didn’t you see the Cheerios?
Scuba diving. The idea of swimming under water and being able to breath sounded like a whole new world opening up while you peacefully glide over the ocean floor. So took lessons and got certified. Between the weight and bulk of the equipment I didn’t find it much fun. Moving underwater felt like you were always hauling a bunch of crap around that was strapped to you. Buying/renting equipment was pricey. The further down you went the water got colder, colors dimmed, light and visibility got worse.
I much, much more enjoyed snorkeling. More freedom of movement, no pre-planning, just float across the surface and take a dive down for a closer look if needed.
Snooba sounds perfect for you (]
https://www.sandals.co.uk/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-snuba-diving/
RE Mc Donalds. The reason McDonalds is successful is that there is NEVER any variance. Yes the product is bland. But you know for certain it will not be bad. Then there is a certain nostalgia going for them My wife and I dated in H.S. and we both could have a burger coke and a french fry for $1.04, My pay (washing dishes at a Big Boy) was $1.60 per hour
I was going to suggest snuba too. Gets you just deep enough and just far enough away from the support stuff that it’s the easy nearly effortless freedom promise of scuba without the claustrophobia of quite that much gear.
We have some decent reefs around here and very clear water on a good day, but at ~30 feet they’re just deep enough that snorkel leaves you chained to the surface, or surface minus 10 feet briefly, that means the reef details are just too far away to fully enjoy.
Maybe you should try licking the cinnamon candy off before you bite into the apple? I haven’t had one of those since I was in primary school, but that’s what I always did.
Now I’ve got a hankering for one after all these years…
Oh I beg to differ!
That’s exactly why I avoid Bud. It’s awful.
Hmmm maybe I’m just a snob 
Yes maybe Christian Moerlien or Amstel light
A cronut. Half croissant, half donut. With the virtues of neither.
Wise words! The “new, improved” Quarter Pounder is quite edible now that they’re using fresh instead of frozen patties and it’s not so ridiculously greasy, but it’s not really a hamburger – it’s a McDonald’s thing. The basic “cheeseburger” is the ultimate exemplar of this phenomenon – it has no pretensions to being a burger at all, it’s just a “McDonald’s Thing” that kids and many adults love (and also dogs!).
And why we love it (and I’m not kidding about dogs) is that it’s been finely tuned by commercial interests to appeal to our innate taste for fat and salt. Both of those things are bad for us in excess, but both were so rare on the African savannas that humans evolved an instinct to value them – even though it will kill them from heart disease or diabetes or other related diseases – so much so that McDonald’s corporation reported gross revenue of $26.9 billion in 2025.
Beyond the consistency part, they’re brewing a (relatively) low gravity, low color, low hop beer. Doing that well is also difficult.
Doing it well and consistently is kind of the brewing big leagues in terms of actual brewing skill. Any doofus can load up on hops and chocolate malt and make a stout, but making a solid light lager like that takes real brewing chops.
Chicken and waffles. I heard it hyped up, here and elsewhere. Recently we were at a brunch type restaurant that had it on the menu, but it was just a small Belgian waffle and some deep-fried chicken breast strips. After the first bite of the two together, all I wanted to do was to eat the two parts, but separately. The waffle and syrup was just too sweet to be eaten alongside the chicken.
Yes on the chicken & waffles! I love fried chicken. I love waffles. Some things don’t need to go together. I’ve been to Roscoe’s a couple of times - other people in my group wanted to go - and every time, I eat the chicken separate from the waffles.
Hard agree on that. I’m big on both but combining them was just a disappointing ‘less than the sum of its parts’ experience.
I know a place where you can substitute a homemade red-eye gravy for syrup. But I suppose that might bother some people in the opposite direction by making the waffle too savory.
On Turkish Delight: I’ve liked Turkish Delight since I was a child, but I’m still often disappointed by it. The quality just seems to be widely variable – the texture, in particular, can range from unpleasantly rubbery to something resembling chilled Vaseline. But the good stuff’s really good.
On Pop Tarts: I first became aware of these through Bloom County, wherein there was some debate about whether they ought to be buttered or not. It doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t matter what flavour the box says – they all taste of Added Vitamins.
On Twinkies: @Mangetout did an excellent job of describing the experience, but what struck me when I tried one was that – while I genuinely thought I’d lowered my expectations as far as they could go – it still tasted worse than I’d imagined it could.
I’ll also add Twizzlers/Red Vines to the list. I’ve seen that some people prefer one to the other, but I genuinely can’t differentiate one brand of coloured wax from another.
IMO / IME the whole point of the dish is a sweetness overload. You’re supposed to pour syrup all over the chicken so the fried chicken breading absorbs syrup just like the waffle does. Then eat the whole thing with syrup dripping off about like Pooh Bear attacking a honey pot.
For the folks with runaway sugar addictions, that is pure ambrosia. For the rest of us, it’s a bit much crazy amount too much.