# What are you a purist (or not) about? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2010, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755 "2010-11-24T07:00:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**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:** [November 26, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/61 "2010-11-26T16:43:21Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > Purist: Beverages - Pepsi, not Coke. Diet Dr. Pepper, no other diet drink. Earl Gray tea, not black or orange pekoe. And, to add to **KittenKat** ’s post, orange pekoe is _not_ a type of tea. It’s a grading of the leaf. In fact, [Wikipedia’s page on Orange Pekoe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_pekoe) has a picture of Earl Grey (Flowery Broken) Orange Pekoe on it. > [@](#): > > The tea industry uses the term Orange Pekoe to describe a basic, medium-grade black tea consisting of many whole tea leaves of a specific size ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/62 "2010-11-26T16:51:12Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Watching movies at home: > > PURIST: Must not be edited or altered from the director’s version (unless approved or done by the director). Aspect ratio should be original (no Pan and Scan or cropping). When applicable, subtitles, not dubbing! I’ll buy you a beer any time you’re in the Toronto area. Pan & Scan is an abomination. Given the price and availability of widescreen TVs, there’s no reason to do it anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/63 "2010-11-26T16:54:40Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > **Purist:** NY Times crosswords AND Suduko, and only Will Shortz. None of that Eugene Maleska crap. Crosswords are to be done in ink with a Pilot extra-fine rolling ball pen. A Bic .7 mm mechanical pencil is used for Suduko. Each are torn neatly from the book or newspaper and done on a clipboard. I’m with you on the NYT and pen, but I have no problem with Maleska, and I just fold up the page. And I don’t do Sudoku. Purist: No rayon. Rayon does not cross my threshold. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/64 "2010-11-26T17:24:27Z")
> [@Mach Tuck](#): > > **Purist:** NY Times crosswords AND Suduko, and only Will Shortz. None of that Eugene Maleska crap. Crosswords are to be done in ink with a Pilot extra-fine rolling ball pen. A Bic .7 mm mechanical pencil is used for Suduko. Each are torn neatly from the book or newspaper and done on a clipboard. The NYT replaced Sudoku with KenKen, which is vastly superior. It requires a touch of math and there’s far more variety in the puzzles. I enjoy the NYT crosswords, but they are very difficult for me (I’m a crossword novice). I can’t solve any besides the Monday and Tuesday puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/65 "2010-11-26T17:53:31Z")
Don’t cook/bake with butter? Why bother? ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/66 "2010-11-26T18:19:39Z")
Purist: if a recipe calls for butter and sugar, then I will make it with goddamn butter and sugar. None of this splenda, I can’t believe it’s not butter bullshit. I will not use “fake” food in my cooking. Related purist: I refuse to make any Thanksgiving or other holiday dishes “healthy.” Trying to make a low-fat stuffing is missing the point entirely. Semi-purist: No skim milk. Whole milk or 2% only. I don’t care what brand it is, but I steadfastly refuse to drink skim. I drank it when I was a kid, but no more. Skim is milk-flavored water, and is therefore vile. Semi-purist: the use of garlic. I’m trying my darndest to use fresh every time, rather than resorting to garlic powder, because it really isn’t the same. I will, however, admit to using a garlic press, which I hear is a cheat. Anti-purist: I really don’t give a flying fuck if something has MSG in it. I won’t seek out MSG to the exclusion of all others, but I’m not going to blow my stack if I find out that something I ate had MSG in it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/67 "2010-11-26T18:36:30Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > Potato chips. No BBQ, no vinegar, no ranch cool or otherwise. They should taste like potatoes and salt. That’s as good a start as any. No, don’t add any motherfucking “flavoring” to my motherfucking chips! Maple Syrup. Has to be real. And for waffles only, not pancakes (see below). Pancakes. No syrup, just butter and lots of it. If I have to add syrup, you’ve failed as a pancake cook. Wine, served at the right temp. Anyone who can’t taste a difference when it’s too cold or too warm doesn’t deserve to be drinking it. ---
**Author:** ![poet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@poet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poet)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/68 "2010-11-26T18:42:25Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > So what are you a purist or an anti-purist, or have changed your mind about? > > Sweetness: PURIST: I’m a purist about sweetners being either according to the original recipe (cane sugar for pop for example) or no added sweetner when it’s silly (fruit juice is plenty sweet already). > > Christmas trees: PURIST turned ANTI-PURIST: I used to be a trees must be real purist when I was younger. But a combination of ecology (seems wasteful to cut down a whole tree for a two week decoration) and conflict and effort avoidance (picking the tree is a big effort and also a potential source of family contention, for which, let’s be honest, there are plenty of sources already during the holidays). > > Gin: ANTI-PURIST: I whole-heartedly support the substitution of vodka instead of gin in any cocktails, including the martini. It’s more of an anti-gin thing than a pro-vodka thing per se. Vodka is of course, inherently unoffensive. Granted, it has no character of it’s own. It’s just pure spirit. But gin’s character offends me. Alcohol tends to amplify the effects of anything that might otherwise tend to make one queasy. And the smell and taste of pine needles just isn’t something humans are meant to consume. > > Hats: ANTI-PURIST: The fatwas against wearing hats indoors has somehow survived long past its usefulness, and long past the thankful death of other custom nonsense. Not that I’m against etiquette - I’m all for etiquette that has a practical effect of kindness or respect, but against arbitrary rules that have no practical effects. Most horribly, it still has track in the legal system! Hats just don’t serve the same purpose now as they used to, and the customs surrounding them likewise no longer make any sense in the modern context. Many people wear hats as head coverings, for religious, medical, or simple modesty reasons. While some people with a super obvious reason for wearing a head covering (Muslim women) might get a pass, it’s a shame that anyone has to be put under an inquisition in the first place. What people wear on their bodies, and what an individual considers appropriate for their own sense of modesty is frankly, no one’s business. Asking someone to remove any article of clothing that is not a clear danger to others is harassment. People entering the courtroom should not be asked to uncover their head, embarrassing or scrutinizing Muslims, Jews, cancer patients, and those with receding hairlines or even just a simple bad hair day. Oh, I’m in full agreement on “gin”. Can’t stand it. Vodka only. I have to disagree on Christmas trees. Have to have one ( a small one…say 4 to 5 feet). Grew up with artificial trees, yet, they have sentimental value…trees. Purist about “ties”. It’s so much a part of who I am. Ties and vests. ---
**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:** [November 26, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/69 "2010-11-26T18:55:36Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > Anti-purist: I really don’t give a flying fuck if something has MSG in it. I won’t seek out MSG to the exclusion of all others, but I’m not going to blow my stack if I find out that something I ate had MSG in it. Hell, I knowingly _add_ MSG to certain dishes (via Accent or powdered stock) if I feel I need to up the umami in a dish and don’t have enough glutamate-containing ingredients in it naturally. MSG can be used as a spice like any other. Nothing wrong with it, in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/70 "2010-11-26T19:06:59Z")
Purist: I hate using food colourings. I keep stumbling across recipes for ‘red velvet cake’ or ‘rainbow cake’ on the web and they sicken me (I can’t help feeling this reaction). Dumping a ton of dye in your cake doesn’t make you a clever or creative cook. Not-so-purist: I don’t mind using vegetable baking fat in cakes. or half that and half butter - or butter alone - it depends on the end result I want. I like real butter, but it isn’t sacred to me, and there is such a thing as too much of it. ---
**Author:** ![FrigidLizard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3bc359/32.png) [@FrigidLizard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrigidLizard)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/71 "2010-11-26T19:09:28Z")
> [@GoodOmens](#): > > Potato chips. No BBQ, no vinegar, no ranch cool or otherwise. They should taste like potatoes and salt. Amen. 🙂 Vanilla extract must be vanilla,water,alcohol. No g\*\*\*\*n corn syrup. It doesn’t need sweetener; I am not drinking it out of the bottle, it gets blended into baked goods. ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/72 "2010-11-26T19:41:24Z")
> [@Electric\_Sky](#): > > **Purist** : Anyone who fries eggs in something other than butter is a monster, a monster I tell you! Sorry but fried eggs are meant to be fried in bacon fat. You first cook the bacon, take it off and then fry the eggs in the same pan. You’re welcome. Anti-purist: I have an artificial christmas tree. If you take away the fact that it is much easier to set up and keep up and the fact that I don’t have to pay for one every year and search and search for the perfect one; I am freaking allergic to trees (a point my MIL seems to dismiss out of hand when sit on the far side of the room while hers is up). Purist: Auto tune should not be an available option. If you can’t actually hold a tune, you should not be paid to do so. Anti-purist: recipes. While you should make it the way they suggest the first time, you need to alter it to your tastes. Three or four times is usually the charm for me. (Small exception made for baking. Altering baking recipes too much can have interesting results.) ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/73 "2010-11-26T20:01:44Z")
Anti purist : Cheese. American Cheese slices cheese food is fine for lots of dishes. I do appreciate other cheeses too, though. Semi purist: Leather and jewelry. I love gold and I long for a hammered gold cuff bracelett and a pair of huge gold hoop earrings. I can’t afford the genuine articals, so I got it in silver.\* Rather have real silver than fake gold. Certain high heel shoes and leather jackets are really cute, but if it is supposed to look like leather but is actually something else…it’s a no go. So many freakin’ hot shoes I have had to bypass because of this. Thank goodness for BCBG, Jessica Simpson and sometimes Guess for making hot heels with real leather. Makes the shoe sooo comfortable, too. - The gold cuff would have been 3000 dollars. In silver, it is 150. The gold hoops would have been 400. In silver, it is 80 bucks. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/74 "2010-11-26T20:28:23Z")
Bacon is made from pork. Not turkey, not tofu. Same with all other things like turkey, burgers, sausages, etc. Stop fucking with nature. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/75 "2010-11-26T22:36:16Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > NON-PURIST: The above when it comes to anime. All anime is dubbed so it’s hard to be a purist on that account. Plus it’s just cartoons anyway. 😉 Actually, all anime is not dubbed. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/76 "2010-11-26T23:20:01Z")
What do you mean? Animated characters aren’t real. They can’t talk. Someone has to provide a voice. ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/77 "2010-11-27T00:05:27Z")
Whipped Cream! You try to serve me Cool-Whip and I’ll never eat in your house again. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/78 "2010-11-27T00:32:41Z")
Purist: Guitar: Guild 12-string acoustic Computer: Macintosh Cheddar: _White_ Vermont Extra-Sharp Anti-purist: Dog: mutt ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/79 "2010-11-27T00:56:44Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Ice Cream: Vanilla Ice Cream should contain Cream, Sugar, and Vanilla beam. No guar gum or carragennan gum or any other kind of gum. I _hate_ that Breyer’s screwed around with their plain recipe, and refuse to eat their stuff any more. No vanillin. No eggs (I don’t want French Vanilla) You have ruined my day! For years I have scoffed at so-called “high end” ice creams and sworn by inexpensive Breyer’s because it contained nothing but cream, milk, sugar, and fruit/natural flavorings. But after reading your post I ran to the refrigerator and checked by Breyer’s and you are right: it now contains guar gum! Is nothing sacred? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755/80 "2010-11-27T01:10:27Z")
Martial arts: Purist. XMA and crap like that is dancing, not martial arts. Martial arts without spirituality and life skills training is just street fighting. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-a-purist-or-not-about/561755.md?page=5)