# "When someone mentions \[Food\], my mental image is usually totally different from theirs." **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2011, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922 "2011-03-25T03:11:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/21 "2011-03-25T20:50:49Z")
So what would you say distinguishes them from _being_ spaetzle? Or is that the point here… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/22 "2011-03-25T21:49:05Z")
Pigs in a blanket. I think hotdog wrapped in a biscuit-like wrapping. But a lot of people are talking about a breakfast sausage wrapped in a pancake. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/23 "2011-03-25T22:10:10Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Pigs in a blanket. I think hotdog wrapped in a biscuit-like wrapping. But a lot of people are talking about a breakfast sausage wrapped in a pancake. Heh. My vision is way off. It’s cabbage leaves stuffed with a sausage mixture. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2011, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/24 "2011-03-26T12:03:12Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > So what would you say distinguishes them from _being_ spaetzle? > > Or is that the point here… Primarily size & shape. Spaetzle are noodle- shaped; my dumplings are just big poofy clouds. ---
**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:** [March 26, 2011, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/25 "2011-03-26T12:10:15Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Pigs in a blanket. I think hotdog wrapped in a biscuit-like wrapping. But a lot of people are talking about a breakfast sausage wrapped in a pancake. Wheee. Pigs in blankets are (to me) pork sausages wrapped in bacon, roasted in the oven (usually with the roast potatoes for a Sunday - or especially - Christmas dinner) ---
**Author:** ![Leiko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Leiko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leiko)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/26 "2011-03-28T04:45:37Z")
None of the recipes I’ve ever read for chicken and dumplings have been correct. Chicken and dumplings is celery and onion and leftover roast chicken in chicken broth thickened with a little flour, with lots of black pepper and sage, and then you mix Bisquick with an egg and a bit of milk on the top until there are big puffy steamed biscuity things all over the whole top. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/27 "2011-03-28T12:26:39Z")
> [@Leiko](#): > > None of the recipes I’ve ever read for chicken and dumplings have been correct. Chicken and dumplings is celery and onion and leftover roast chicken in chicken broth thickened with a little flour, with lots of black pepper and sage, and then you mix Bisquick with an egg and a bit of milk on the top until there are big puffy steamed biscuity things all over the whole top. Heh. In my house, that’s called “chicken pot pie.” ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/28 "2011-03-28T13:22:57Z")
Chicken & waffles. Ever since I was a kid, chicken & waffles meant roast chicken and gravy over plain waffles. Someone on here once posted that chicken & waffles meant chicken on the same plate with waffles, with butter and syrup and whatever else you put on breakfast waffles. 😛 Eurgh… ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/29 "2011-03-29T02:27:34Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > Pancakes. > > My mom and gramma both used to open a can of corn niblets and mix it into the pancake batter. When I picture pancakes, they have corn in them. So far, I have not met anyone or heard of anyone else who does this. Come to my house some Saturday morning. My mother doesn’t particularly care for pancakes, but if she’s going to eat them, they must contain corn. Preferably corn that’s been pre-sauteed in butter. I enjoy it, but I’m not wed to it. > [@spark240](#): > > I’m familiar with both concepts. The dumplings in chicken-and-dumplings, sometimes called biscuit dumplings, don’t have fillings. That’s my regional cuisine. But I think most people would understand filled “dumplings” in other contexts. There are filled dumplings, and puffy biscuit style dumplings, then there’s a third style, which are rolled out dough and would be noodles except that they’re far too thick to be. I’ve heard that type referred to as “slip dumplings.” I find them repulsive, because they’re so thick they seem to always be gummy in the middle. > [@Athena](#): > > Heh. In my house, that’s called “chicken pot pie.” See, the difference always seemed, to me, to be that with dumplings, the dough is cooked with the steam from the broth and isn’t browned. In pot pie, the dough is cooked when you slide the whole thing into the oven and is definitely browned. My weird food thing is broccoli. I don’t cook it with water, I cook it with milk. Preferably with onion and garlic. It transforms broccoli into a sweet, savory fabulousness. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/30 "2011-03-29T02:42:51Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Pigs in a blanket. I think hotdog wrapped in a biscuit-like wrapping. But a lot of people are talking about a breakfast sausage wrapped in a pancake. I think of cabbage rolls. I have no idea why they’re called that in my family. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/31 "2011-03-29T05:32:21Z")
> [@Hades](#): > > I think of cabbage rolls. I have no idea why they’re called that in my family. Yep. Previously mentioned by me. Glad I’m not the only one! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/32 "2011-03-29T06:48:19Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > VOMIT!! Creamed corn is an abomination, and thankfully my mother hated it too so she never made me eat it. The canned kind…well, okay, I actually kinda like that stuff, but I can see where you’re coming from. Homemade creamed corn with whole corn and a white sauce made of real butter and cream? Vomit?? Crazy talk. And when I think of outdoor grilling, I think of grilling in all weather except rain. And yes, I mean JUST rain–thigh-deep snow is perfectly workable grillin’ weather. 😃 I also think charcoal. No gas grills for me, please. (Though admittedly I have not tried anything from a wood-burning grill, so perhaps that’s something I’ll have to consider in my future mental associations.) As for BBQ meat: anything and everything you can fit on a grill. ---
**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 29, 2011, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/33 "2011-03-29T19:24:33Z")
“Tuna Salad” is a chilled macaroni, tuna and mayonaise dish with generous amounts of lemon pepper and green onion stems. In my experience, other people see “tuna salad” as more what you’d put on a tuna sandwich - tuna, mayo and maybe celery. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/34 "2011-03-29T19:29:54Z")
> [@Push\_You\_Down](#): > > “Tuna Salad” is a chilled macaroni, tuna and mayonaise dish with generous amounts of lemon pepper and green onion stems. > > In my experience, other people see “tuna salad” as more what you’d put on a tuna sandwich - tuna, mayo and maybe celery. In my house, it’s both. And yes, it gets confusing, especially in the summer when it’s common to have both in the fridge. Me: “Hey honey, I made some tuna salad, feel free to have some for lunch.” Mr. Athena: “Yum! Wait, aren’t we out of bread?” Me: 😕 “Why do you need bread with your tuna salad?” Mr. A: “Um, it’s kinda boring without…” Me: “Whutever. Yeah, we’re outta bread. I’m just gonna get a bowl of this tuna salad and go upstairs.” Mr. A: 😕 “A bowl…? Why would you put tuna salad in a bow… Wait, you mean tuna salad with macaroni?” Me: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/35 "2011-03-29T19:46:49Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > Come to my house some Saturday morning. My mother doesn’t particularly care for pancakes, but if she’s going to eat them, they must contain corn. Preferably corn that’s been pre-sauteed in butter. I enjoy it, but I’m not wed to it. Where are you from, please? I’m trying to find out if this is a regional thing, a heritage thing, or if my campaign to include corn niblets in all pancakes is beginning to be successful. Just the general state or region is enough. All this time, I thought I was a complete freak… Unless you are my niece or nephew and your mom is my sister. :dubious: (Because your words would be accurate when applied to my sister, “…doesn’t particularly care for pancakes, but if she’s going to eat them…” ---
**Author:** ![CT\_Damsel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CT\_Damsel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CT_Damsel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/36 "2011-03-29T20:42:14Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Heh. My vision is way off. It’s cabbage leaves stuffed with a sausage mixture. cabbage leaves stuffed with a sausage mixture = Gołąbki ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/37 "2011-03-30T03:14:07Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > But I suspect that by “non-white” **Leaper** meant polished rice, possibly basmati, that has been tinted with saffron or turmeric. Not actual brown rice. Or something really fancy like the Kashmiri Pulao rice at my fav Tandoori place (flavoured saffron rice with nuts and fruits). > [@Dogzilla](#): > > I’m trying to find out if this is a regional thing, a heritage thing, or if my campaign to include corn niblets in all pancakes is beginning to be successful. Aren’t pancakes a bit thin for corn? Or perhaps pancakes means something different regionally. 🙂 While I don’t put corn in pancakes I do make corn fritters – and the basic mix is pretty much the same – with grated potato and sweetcorn (and grated cheese and sometimes green beans). ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/38 "2011-03-30T05:29:43Z")
Nobody from Cincinnati to mention their chili? ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/39 "2011-03-30T16:07:29Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > Aren’t pancakes a bit thin for corn? Or perhaps pancakes means something different regionally. 🙂 > > While I don’t put corn in pancakes I do make corn fritters – and the basic mix is pretty much the same – with grated potato and sweetcorn (and grated cheese and sometimes green beans). Um, no. :dubious: Not my Bisquick pancakes. Mine are at least 1/4" to 1/2" thick. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922/40 "2011-03-30T16:12:21Z")
My Old New England Mother made a dish of macaroni, hamburg and tomato sauce that she called “chop suey.” I later dfscovered it’s short for Italian chop suey, a New England regionism and dish. She also made red flannel hash, colored with beets. To me, hash isn’t hash without them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-someone-mentions-food-my-mental-image-is-usually-totally-different-from-theirs/575922.md?page=3)