Corona? Expensive? Pretentious? Bite? What planet are you people on?
I guess I have been living in Dominican/Mexican/Puerto Rican neighborhoods for too long.
If liking what I like makes me a poseur/pretender, then fine. So be it. 
I don’t care for Crapplebys, OutSaltback, Sizzzzzzzzler, the OliveSaltGarden, Taco Hell, MacSalt&Greasealds, Burger Crap, and so on. Granted, I don’t frequent these places often, but the few times I have, the food was not all that good. It was too salty, sometimes too tough to chew, and sometimes I did not feel well after eating this stuff. [shudder] But if folks like food from these places, that’s fine by me. I hope they enjoy it, and I’m not being snobby if I say I don’t like it. I just can’t stomach the taste of the food. [shrug]
I like fresh ingredients in food that is prepared simply. I don’t want bland food, but I don’t want the integrity of the main ingredients to be overwhelmed with salt or spicy peppers. That’s just right suspicious to me. I’m not too keen on using that much salt because that just masks the natural flavors that one should be tasting from food that should be fresh. Of course, I’m spoiled too. I’d much rather stay home and eat my mom’s cooking. Yum. She’s a master cook, and she loves to cook. 
Or, I’ll try my hand at cooking something. That’s not to say that I don’t go out and find local restaurants where the food does meet my taste buds. I do. And they are moderately priced. I’ve not personally frequented expensive restaurants, but I have friends who have and who have complained when they’ve spent a small fortune on a meal that was substandard.
I don’t care if sushi’s out or in or on the moon. I still like it and will continue to eat it.
I don’t care if it’s expensive or cheap, I ain’t eating any lobster. I think it’s just awful how folks cook those poor creatures. 
Oddly, Corona with lime will do in a pinch, and Pacifico wasn’t too bad IIRC. Still, I don’t like Budweiser, and Rolling Rock tastes like bitter I-don’t-know-what. Oh god, one time I tried Miller Genuine Light Draft or some shit like that–I can’t recall the name, but I know it was Miller–and I really thought I was going to toss my cookies after one sip of that stuff. Whoo, I really don’t understand how my friends, who can and do appreciate beers with substance (e.g. Guiness), can tolerate that stuff. But okay. I know I can’t do so. I’m not being snobby. I just don’t like how these beers taste. I drink imports/foreign beers and wines, but I also drink beers and wines made in the US by US companies. [shrug] One of the best bottles of wine I’ve had so far cost me $4-5 dollars. Maybe the reason I enjoyed it so much was because I didn’t pay that much for it, but it really was delicious. But I’ve had $50 wines before and enjoyed those immensely too; they were just a different tasting experience. I still don’t understand how folks go pricing these wines, though. I’ll see a wine that costs $50 dollars, but it’s rated low, but then I’ll see a wine that’s rated high, and it costs $10, and vice versa. It’s the same grape ain’t it? 
I don’t care for musicals. They just get on my last nerve. Are you going to sing and dance, or just act? Make up your damn mind already!
When I’m thirsty, I just want some water. Whether it’s from the tap or in bottle doesn’t really matter. I want it to taste good and quench my thirst.
Likewise, I want a car that will be reliable. I don’t care what it’s called or what it looks like.
I haven’t been able to figure out watches yet. Friend of mine swears by his $3000 Rodo (Spelling?). One of the best ones I had was a cheapo $4 quartz thing out of the Kmart. That thing lasted me for years. I’ve since had Fossil and some of them other designer watches, and after the initial battery quit, that was it. But, Scylla, you mean to tell me you ain’t going to get your little girl one of them befandangled watches you said you was going to get for your son? I think she and Mrs. Scylla might have something to say about that. 
Well, I’ve probably rambled enough. [giggle] I sure had fun rantin’ though.
Celestina:
Who do you think your fooling?
Who are you trying to impress with all those smilies?
I know you don’t really mean them. You’re just using them so that other people will think you’re with it, aren’t you?
Scylla, hon, don’t you worry none. I ain’t trying to fool nobody. I am with it. I just gots it like that. You know? 
[giggle] I hadn’t used that smilie yet. 
Of course real self-confidence, poise and taste is not having to preach to others about self-confidence, poise and taste.
N’est-ce pas, Scylla?
pan
Rado, probably?
[ul]
[li]A good manager and fresh produce can mean the difference between good and really really bad at a chain restaurant.[/li]
[li]Was there ever a cat so clever as Magical Mister Mistoffelees? Sorry. Cats sucked.[/li]
[li]You spent close to three grand on a watch? :eek: [/li]
[li]Hi Opal![/li]
[li]What about the idiots who’ll spend $15 on a bottle of shampoo because it’s sold at their salon? I laugh at those people. Sodium laurel sulfate by any other name is still… sodium laurel sulfate. [/li]
[/ul]
I get my shampoo for pretty close to free.
How?
Well, I buy the stuff that’s always on the 2 for the price of 1 sale if you have your little card at the grocery store (which I always do), and I cut the coupons out of the Sunday paper.
So I go to the grocery store, I pick up two bottles of shampoo for 1.99. The grocery store doubles my 99 cent coupon and I take home my two bottles of shampoo for a net price of .005/bottle.
It smells good, and it causes my hair to be clean. As opposed to buying a $30 bottle of shampoo at the salon that smells like a chemical waste dump, it’s a wonderful deal.
Did somebody just speak? I can’t see anything though all this damn tangled hair.
I think this may be the most important point of your rant. Your cooking will improve 100% if you learn how to cook in season and learn how to use fresh ingredients.
Disagree. Actually, goose liver is pretty cheap (relatively speaking) here in Hungary and, with France, produces the world’s best quality goose livers. Actually, if there is a problem with foie gras, it’s how the geese are handled to achieve gigantic livers (read: force-fed.) But as for taste, I love foie gras, and regularly prepare it myself.
I would substitute “Bud” or “Miller” for your choices. I have (honestly) never been able to finish a can of Busch or Coors lite, and I have tried many, many times in college. Bleh…
Re: Heineken. The Heineken you get in the States is crap beer. I think the same of Becks. I think Sam Adams has the best lager, period. (Heineken in Holland is vastly different. Really, I would swear it’s not the same beer. It comes in a brown bottle to start with, and actually has flavor.)
I’m sure it is, but I just can’t get the hang of sushi. I’ve had it half a dozen times, and just think that it’s OK. I don’t mind the concept at all; it just doesn’t do it for me.
Great rant overall, Scylla!
Coldfire, thank you, darlin’. It probably is Rado. I know he said it’s a Swiss watch. I just can’t keep track of all fancy-shmancy gadgets and things that are out nowadays.
Pundit Lisa, oh heavens no! I can’t afford to buy a $3K watch. My friend’s the one who has it. I think he got it as a gift.
catsix, I bow before you.
The former Coupon Queen,
Lisa
OK, now you’re talking crazy…
Esprix
Yeah, how come every reggae song starts with the same stupid drum roll? I mean, using it for a few songs is okay, but EVERY SONG? Come on.
Yeah, why is that book considered such a great work of literature? The whole thing consists basically of, “Catherine! I love you so much I hate you!”/“Heathcliff! I hate you so much I love you!” And I’m sick of these tall, dark, grouchy Romantic heroes. Heathcliff, Darby, Rochester… in every one of those stupid books from that era there’s one. Where are all the skinny, medium height, Scandinavian heroes, huh? I feel underrepresented.
Hm, my thoughts on the good cheap and the bad expensive… where to start?
Hm, food. Love the cheapest (tuna in a can) and the most expensive (extremely fiendishly expensive smoked salmon), but not many middle fish. Weird vegetarian stuff is good, yes, im a hypocritical fish eating veggie. Pizza Hut and Red Lobster were god back when i ate cheese [Homer] mmmmm, Chedder Bay Biscuits… [/Homer]. I live on peanut butter.
Drink: On the one hand, mostly water (Atlanta has great water, too), but then there are the 3 dollar Odwalla chocolate soy-shakes.
So, kinda a dichotomy between expensive and cheap. Mostly cheap.
I’m with Scylla on the mixing of good liquor. Our drink of choice is, usually, gin. When we make gin & tonics, we use Seagram’s Lime Twisted. It’s the cheapest decent brand, and we use a lot of it (we live in the desert - gin & tonics are necessary to maintaining life!) When we make martinis, though, we use GOOD gin: Tanqueray #10, Bombay Sapphire - something like that. Mixing good stuff like that is silly - you can’t taste the difference.
And I loved Cats. If that makes me a cretin, I don’t care.
I hate McDonald’s as much as any other whiny, socialist, anti-imperialism type but in some parts of the world, it’s exactly what you need. The horror of the squat toilet is just one more thing I can’t be bothered with when I’m tired, hungry and in need of a crap. In these desperate hours, I’ve often turned to Ronald and knew he’d have a clean, plastic seat and toilet paper for me. When I’m done (and washed my hands! ), I can then go and stock up on salt, sugar and teabags.
It’s also kind of funny playing McMonopoly in France or buying a McBeer in Spain.
.
Count me as another convert in the Church of Yuengling. Absolutely unbelieveable that a beer can be this damn good.
Bad News - I’m in Ohio and there are no distributors.
Good News - My bachelor party is this weekend and my brother-in-law from PA is bringing 2 cases. It’ll be a good old fashioned Come to Yuengling Tent Revival!!
Oh, and to whomever mentioned Tastykakes… burn in hell you smarmy bastard for putting into my mind the thought of Tastykakes at 3:00 a.m. EST!!! :wally
Mmmmmm… tastykakes… delicious chocolate covered cake with layers of peanut buttery goodness… (Another PA delight that you cannot find in Columbus, Ohio).
Let’s see… 3:00 a.m., I could be in Pittsburgh by 6:30 a.m. for tastykakes and yuengling… nah, back to bed instead.
MeanJoe
Ha!
MeanJoe:
If you decide to show up in Pittsburgh, maybe we go have a sammitch at Primanti’s n’at.