# Unique versions of relatively ordinary dishes that you have encountered **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 27, 2015, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787 "2015-02-27T18:35:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/41 "2015-03-01T19:00:24Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > There was a Chinese place in the Denver area, years ago, that did something…odd…(but good) to it’s Sweet and Sour–instead of it being a weird translucent neon-red sauce, it was semi-opaque and made with peaches (and, I think some pineapple). It was also sweet AND sour, not “SWEET with maybe a drop or two of vinegar in it”. It was this really weirdly pleasant, complex flavor, not just fried meat with sugar sauce you normally get. The place lasted a year or two but I really loved that dish. Reminds me of a Thai place on Clark near Highland Ave in Chicago that seemed to be literally a little old grandmother in the kitchen cooking and her grandkids serving out front. She made the most amazing Pad Thai, utterly unlike any other Pad Thai I’ve ever had. There was hardly a thing in it but noodles (wider than Pad Thai noodles, but narrower than Lad Nar noodles) and sauce. The sauce was some sort of tamarind sauce, with a sweet/sour/spicy/salty combination that simply nailed it. It was much “wetter” than other Pad Thais, thanks to this awesome sauce, but not in the least bit oily. They’ve closed. I live near some of the best Thai places in the city, but I miss that Pad Thai. It may not have been “correct”, but it was delicious. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/42 "2015-03-01T20:31:24Z")
> [@Kropotkin](#): > > Not exactly on topic, but I’m reminded of the saying, “Raisin cookies that look like chocolate chip cookies are why I have trust issues.”:mad: 😛 My husband got a big tin of Charles Chips, potato chips, that he adored when young. Opened it up a day or two later and was devastated to find it was full of Charles Chips pretzels! WTF??? Like getting a little blue box from Tiffany and finding a hemp bracelet inside, lol. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/43 "2015-03-01T20:50:02Z")
Remember,Chicken Fried Steak is beef,not chicken. ---
**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:** [March 1, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/44 "2015-03-01T21:12:57Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > After looking at those pics, If I lived nearby I’d be headed there right now but (no offense) if I’m making that drive I’m going to Zaragoza 😉 I was going to suggest to WhyNot to check them out, even if it’s just taking something to go. If I had to pick one place in my brith irbid to go to, Zaragoza would be my vote. Their homemade tortillas are the best, not to mention the goat. They also serve quesadillas, but I’ve yet to try them. I assume they’d be awesome, given their tortillas. ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2015, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/45 "2015-03-01T21:28:40Z")
Not my story, but my parents’: While traveling in Sweden, they ordered hot dogs. They requested them “med brod” (sp?), assuming that would get them hot dogs on buns. It did not. It got them hot dogs on bread - topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/46 "2015-03-02T00:40:21Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I was going to suggest to WhyNot to check them out, even if it’s just taking something to go. If I had to pick one place in my brith irbid to go to, Zaragoza would be my vote. Their homemade tortillas are the best, not to mention the goat. They also serve quesadillas, but I’ve yet to try them. I assume they’d be awesome, given their tortillas. Good god, that’s what I get for typing on my phone and not proofreading. **WhyNot** should be bolded and “birth irbid” is some weird autocorrect of “neighborhood.” The place is known mostly as a goat place, but their tortillas are just as much as star, in my mind. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/47 "2015-03-02T00:59:17Z")
I’ve seen a few Chinese buffets that had a kind of “chicken soup” that was slices of luncheon meat floating in yellow water. I guess it’s a Hong Kong thing, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/48 "2015-03-02T01:14:07Z")
> [@cwthree](#): > > Not my story, but my parents’: While traveling in Sweden, they ordered hot dogs. They requested them “med brod” (sp?), assuming that would get them hot dogs on buns. It did not. It got them hot dogs on bread - topped with a scoop of mashed potatoes. That reminds me of a time I was in a hamburger place and I saw they had a two cheeseburger platter. I thought that sounded good so I ordered it. I figured when you order a cheeseburger, the bun comes with it automatically. But apparently this was some kind of no carbs special. It was two grilled hamburger patties with cheese on top - and no buns. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/49 "2015-03-02T06:00:58Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Think Sheldon Cooper’s spaghetti with little hot dogs cut up in it - that’s real I-talian! > > Back in the early 80s, I was stationed at the Pentagon and when I wasn’t motivated enough to pack my lunch, I’d find something at one of the various food vendors in the building. One day, I decided to try the lasagna - at least that’s what they called it. What I was given was a square consisting of a stack of 6 or 7 noodles with sauce poured over top, garnished with a sprinkle of parmesan. 😕 While I’d heard about Andalusians believing that “chicken is not meat”, I was very surprised when that spinach lasagna, specifically marked “vegetarian” in the menu, turned out to have more bacon than either spinach or pasta. How the flying bologna in a 747-sized baguette sandwich is bacon vegetarian? And what the hell is such an industrial amount of it doing in spinach lasagna? OTOH Sheldon’s recipe is just a variation on what I’ve known all my life as _fideos a la cazuela_: noodles with cut up bits of fried sausage. Maybe his sources were Espanish? ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/50 "2015-03-02T11:07:59Z")
There’s already a thread that’s allowed lots of Australians to vent about food [Question for those who don’t eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=749915) but one thing that scarred me on my travels through the US was offerings of ‘Steak and chips’, and out would come a steak of some sort and potato crisps, rather than fries. It left a metaphorically bitter taste in my mouth. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/51 "2015-03-02T11:34:02Z")
We lived in Florida for a lot of years, and one of the few things I really liked there was the BBQ. In fact, our last house was about a mile from one of my favorite BBQ places where they had the best smoked turkey you could ever hope to find. Imagine my delight when we decided to try out a BBQ place here in our county and I saw turkey on the menu! Imagine my utter disappointment when it turned out the turkey sandwich was sliced lunch meat with some BBQ sauce on it. And it wasn’t even warmed up!!! ---
**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:** [March 2, 2015, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/52 "2015-03-02T15:27:48Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > We lived in Florida for a lot of years, and one of the few things I really liked there was the BBQ. In fact, our last house was about a mile from one of my favorite BBQ places where they had the best smoked turkey you could ever hope to find. > > Imagine my delight when we decided to try out a BBQ place here in our county and I saw turkey on the menu! Imagine my utter disappointment when it turned out the turkey sandwich was sliced lunch meat with some BBQ sauce on it. And it wasn’t even warmed up!!! Yeah, “BBQ” is one of those things that can range from a sloppy joe to any meat slathered in barbecue sauce to something that actually has seen fire and smoke that may not even be sauced at all. It’s a very loose term, as I’ve discovered, and one that you really have to research or ask questions if you’re visiting a restaurant you’ve never been to before to know what their interpretation of what “barbecue” is. ---
**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/53 "2015-03-02T16:50:16Z")
Twenty years ago, while vacationing in Montreal, my wife and I noticed several luncheonettes with signs proclaiming, “American-style lunch served here.” One day, we got hungry at a point where nothing else was nearby, so we decided to stop in to one of them and have an “American-style lunch.” We discovered that an “American-style lunch” was a slice of pepperoni pizza and a side of fries with mayonnaise. That’s two dishes I’d never seen served together before, one of which I consider Italian rather than American, and the other served in a way I’d never seen in an American restaurant. In the past decade or so, though, it’s become common for restaurants to serve toppings or dipping sauces with fries, something that was almost unthinkable in the twentieth century (except for ketchup, which I never liked much). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/54 "2015-03-02T17:24:49Z")
As much as the Pacific Northwest is a haven for international cuisine these days, some of our regional chains (especially the older ones) have a _curious_ understanding of some of these foods. Taco Time has got to be the winner here. My theory is that when they started out, its founders had never actually _seen_ Mexican food before and were relying on word of mouth, because they use words in ways that nobody else does. Order a “soft taco”, for instance, and [this is what you’ll get](http://www.tacotimenw.com/Images/menuitems/beef-soft-taco.png) (yes, that’s _ranch dressing_ on there, and they’ll also offer you _ketchup packets_ with it.) If you order a burrito, on the other hand, you’ll be given the choice between a “soft burrito” (the same thing I’ve just shown you, but without the veggies and sauce) or a “crisp burrito” ([basically a foot-long taquito](http://www.tacotimenw.com/Images/menuitems/crispburrito.png)). The fish taco, if you’re so bold as to try it, at least comes with white sauce and cabbage like you’d expect, but for some reason they also sneak in julienned carrots and jicama. Of lesser note is Casa Mia, an Italian chain where I once ordered an “Italian salad” on the side with my lasagna (no complaints about the lasagna) and was served about half a head of chopped iceberg lettuce, about half a can of sliced olives, and a handful of shredded mozzarella swimming in Italian dressing. There’s a well-renowned drive-up burger place here in Olympia that serves an unorthodox but delicious chili burger - double patty served open-face in a paper boat and completely covered in chili, then topped with a generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese and chopped onions. Imagine my surprise last week when I went to their sister location on the other side of town and ordered the chili burger - and received a closed-face burger with a slice of American cheese and nothing else, in a paper boat, _adjacent to_ a scoop of chili with onions sprinkled over it. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/55 "2015-03-02T18:41:45Z")
I love and adore grilled salmon and as a northerner we tend to use BBQ salmon to refer to that. Once on a business trip I spent a couple weeks in Alaska. Out for dinner the first night in Anchorage and I ordered BBQ Salmon. It was baked salmon with BBQ sauce on it. I have, from that moment forward been a lot more specific in my ordering style in restaurants. ---
**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:** [March 2, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/56 "2015-03-02T18:43:51Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > There’s a well-renowned drive-up burger place here in Olympia that serves an unorthodox but delicious chili burger - double patty served open-face in a paper boat and completely covered in chili, then topped with a generous sprinkle of cheddar cheese and chopped onions. That sounds to me like a [chili size](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chili_burger) or also simply as a “chili burger,” minus the paper boat part. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/57 "2015-03-02T19:19:51Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Taco Time has got to be the winner here. My theory is that when they started out, its founders had never actually _seen_ Mexican food before and were relying on word of mouth, because they use words in ways that nobody else does. Order a “soft taco”, for instance, and [this is what you’ll get](http://www.tacotimenw.com/Images/menuitems/beef-soft-taco.png) (yes, that’s _ranch dressing_ on there, and they’ll also offer you _ketchup packets_ with it.) If you order a burrito, on the other hand, you’ll be given the choice between a “soft burrito” (the same thing I’ve just shown you, but without the veggies and sauce) or a “crisp burrito” ([basically a foot-long taquito](http://www.tacotimenw.com/Images/menuitems/crispburrito.png)). The fish taco, if you’re so bold as to try it, at least comes with white sauce and cabbage like you’d expect, but for some reason they also sneak in julienned carrots and jicama. I haven’t thought about Taco Time in ages. The crisp burrito is closer to a Chimichanga than a Taquito I think. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/58 "2015-03-02T21:26:07Z")
Whilst travelling I encountered a few weird items: In Taiwan - a Mexican place had burritos and fajitas which were basically kung pao beef or chicken wrapped in a tortilla without cheese. In Hong Kong - They had a lot of bun type pastries with hot dogs sticking straight up out of them like some obscene flagpole. The fancier ones would cut the tops into flower shapes ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/59 "2015-03-02T21:31:10Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > I haven’t thought about Taco Time in ages. The crisp burrito is closer to a Chimichanga than a Taquito I think. Nah. A chimichanga is [folded](http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/ww351/Specialmadedesigns/Kick/BeefBeanChimichanga.jpg). A taquito is [rolled](http://www.foodpeoplewant.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Taquitos.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2015, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787/60 "2015-03-02T22:59:29Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > I haven’t thought about Taco Time in ages. The crisp burrito is closer to a Chimichanga than a Taquito I think. Me either. Not saying they’re authentic Mexican food, but I they must have changed in 25 years, since I don’t remember ranch dressing on the tacos. Of course, that was back before ranch dressing was everywhere. You sure that’s not supposed to be sour cream? I thought they had a chimichanga way back when–I remember the slogan, “Gimme a chimi!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unique-versions-of-relatively-ordinary-dishes-that-you-have-encountered/713787.md?page=4)