My "culinary" week in DC or drum me out of ChowHound?

[Sam Fujisaka]

I just came back from eight nights in Washington, DC. and on a trip where I worked long hours everyday except Sunday. Wonderful culinary time or drum me out??? You decide.

On the stopover in Miami (Cali, Colombia to Washington, D.C.) I had two Whoppers with cheese! Yummmm.

When I got to DC and checked into my great suite hotel near the World Bank, I trekked over to Safeway, got a Supersaver card and went shopping: can of Chef Boy R Dee Ravioli, cheap instant ramen, a Colby and a Monterrey Jack cheese, two packs of turkey hotdogs, a big pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, a big can of sauerkraut, pack of bagels, loaf of wheat bread, jar of pickles, relish, hot sauce, rice, peanut butter, corn tortillas, lettuce, onions, tomato, bok choy, jar of sliced jalapenos, frozen orange juice, and a big jug of pure grape juice. Sixty bucks!!!!! Might as well be free!!! Across the street for a jug of Jim Beam and a bottle of Flor de Cana. Not so cheap at all.

Getting home I poached and shredded the chicken. My first dinner was Chef Boy R Dee ravioli with hot sauce! Other dinners and lunches and some breakfasts were rice, sauerkraut, and hot dogs; tacos—with shredded lettuce, cheese, jalapenos, and shredded chicken; chicken sandwiches; decadent hot dogs--with sauerkraut; ramen cooked dry with added chicken and bok choy (and hot sauce). Working day breakfasts were downstairs—pastries, Starbucks coffee, orange juice, and fruit. Breakfast other days was ramen (with additions).

I was able to watch US TV: I’m not prejudiced, but I switched away from RR and some other terrible women, saw and enjoyed Bobby on both a Throwdown and Iron Chef, and caught a marathon Bourdain (had a conflict while watching Fresno State beat Rutgers and the AB shows on Colombia—where I live—and Laos—where I love the food the most!).

On Sunday with an older cousin and his wife, it was suburban Wendy’s (cup of chili and a Caesar salad…not bad!). And get this: I had the $1.50 hot dog and drink at Costco!!!! A great cultural experience. I took them out to their fave Chinese and for the first time I had General Tso’s chicken!!!

Other than helping cook a serious dinner with friends on my last night, this was a great vacation from my usual home cooked healthy no processed food no HFCS world in Colombia.

I would have had two more whoppers on the way back, but that would have meant going out of the departure area and back through security after the Whoppers! Probably should have.

Can I still be a chow dog?

[maplesugar]

Sounds like you fully enjoyed yourself Sam! Definitely an alpha hound in my books :)

[chowser]

LOL, drummed out only because there are plenty of us DC hounds who would have loved a chance to meet you and share a can of Chef Boyardee! Next time you get to a Costco, head inside because you'll get full just from the free samples (amuse bouche) and then you can get the $1.50 hot dog and soda.

[Father Kitchen]

We could even have a formal reception. Do you think Boyardee would cater it? Boyardee was my introduction to pasta back in the late forties or early fifties. I think we had the ravioli on Guam, though my real food memories there go back to condensed milk, canned corn beef hash, and Spam, cooked on a kerosene stove. My nostalgia food is Spam fried with brown sugar and cloves, maccaroni and cheese, and canned spinach. But I'd settle for Chef Boyardee.

[chowser]

I grew up thinking Chef Boyardee and Domino's Pizza were authentic Italian food. Spam fried in brown sugar and cloves--sounds like spam candy! I knew you had connections to the DC area but didn't know you were actually here. Yeah, if Sam lets DC hounds know he's coming, we could put on a spread. He gets so much good fresh cooking from local sources where he is but no one does good processed foods like Americans. The food of my youth...:-)

[Pia]

This post is hilarious.
Next time you are at a U.S. Costco, you have to have the Chicken Bake. Cheese-sprinkled, golden-brown dough on the outside, and a cheesy mixture of chicken, bacon, and green onions on the inside. So delicious, even though you don't want to know the nutritional information. And it costs something like $2.
I think my version on back-in-the-U.S. tacos would have to include ground turkey cooked with a packet of pre-mixed taco seasoning, so the bright orange juice drips out of your tacos. Mmm. Reminds me of the school cafeteria.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Thank you, Pia. The chicken bake it will be...if it comes with a drink.

And what do you mean, "...it costs something like $2"? My cousin, who is almost or is 70 but is still and always my older cousin Dougie who we grew up with, says, "That'l cost you $1.67"! I mean I was embarassed to want a cultural experience, while Dougie had probably done the same, and maybe more than once!!

[Bakersfield Hound]

Sam.... I can tell you have been out of the US far toooooooo long!!!!! Remember what we talked about having Coney Island Hot Dogs in Fresno, well being a Costco member does have it's benefits. Not the same, but what a bargain for a BIG dog and a Coke! I'll will send you pictures from Coney island :)
Danny

[Boccone Dolce]

Oh Sam I thought for sure you'd have picked up the 10 lb. can of peanut butter!?! I'll mail you some.
You remain the #1 Top Chow Dog even though you bought frozen o.j. I forgive you.
No sweet tooth Sam? Your list is mostly salty (not that there's anything wrong with that!!) The $1.50 hotdog combo was a wise decision. Even better if you get the $1.50 fro-yo with berries for dessert.

[Sam Fujisaka]

The breakfast pastries and yogurt downstairs at the hotel on working days were enough sweets for me. Plastic yogurt! Pastries. Starbuck's!

When I saw the big sign after check out in Costco, I remembered people here talking about the hot dog & drink combo on a thread about if it was worth being a Costco member. It was great! "Whoopie, back in America!!" I thought.

[moh]

Sam, sounds like a very yummy week! Change and variety is such a great part of what I love about food. There are times when all that processed food is exactly what hits the spot. My love of Chef boy-ar-dee ravioli is also well-documented.

My one point of contention: Not such a big fan of Whoppers. An A&W teen burger (with that wonderful bacon), a big bag of onion rings and a frosty mug of root beer - now that is high quality American fast food! So perfect on a cold winter's night after a fast game of hockey... Grrrr! woof woof woof! makes me so happy...

[bitsubeats]

Hey I too enjoy chef boyardee and whoppers from time to time...as long as you enjoyed it who cares? (:

your excuse though is that you don't live in the US....I still don't know what mine is

[DiningDiva]

Sam, this is the most original and entertaining post I've read here for a while :-D. Congratulations on indulging and satisfying yourself with no guilt and no shame

[steve h.]

he has guilt. hence the post.
whether he seeks forgiveness, justification or redemption, well, that's up to you to decide.

[Sam Fujisaka]

DD, thank you. I really loved it.

steve h, I come from a shame and not a guilt culture.

But keep the drums rolling me out ....Abrazos!

[steve h.]

no worries.
have too much fun.

[Father Kitchen]

Shame? Sam, I thought you were bragging.

[DiningDiva]

Naw, I think he savored every single illicit bite, and didn't look back...hence the post. He just had the courage to go against the prevailing winds of the trend here on CH. It's often not "what" you eat, but how well you enjoy it.

[Father Kitchen]

Sam, had I known you were coming, I'd have invited you and some USDA plant specialists to dinner at our monastery. But in the final analysis, food is as much about staying alive as anything else. And when you are tired and eating on the cheap, Wendy's chili isn't the worst thing you can do. But do try Hard Times Cafe the next time you are in Virginia. (P.S. I hit a burger joint on my day out, order cheap burgers and throw away the buns and have them with side salads. Again, it isn't about gourmet delights but keeping body and soul together for the least possible amount of money. And as a diabetic, that has to be low carb so I can't pig out on many of the soup and sandwich specials I'd love. Panera, eat your heart out.)

[MakingSense]

Sam. You should have let us KNOW you were coming!!!
Father Kitchen and I could have battled over entertaining you!
We could have hit some roadside ribs, a few carryout fried fish joints in NE DC, the Florida Ave Grill, and the 50th Anniversary of Ben's Chili Bowl. Your cholesterol might not have recovered for weeks!
Even grabbed some steamed crabs down at the Waterfront!
Not a tablecloth in sight!
Glad you enjoyed the Auld Lang Syne of American Junk Food. I used to do the same thing when I lived overseas. The stuff never tasted better!

[Sam Fujisaka]

Seriously? Can I let you two know when I'm coming next?

[MakingSense]

Yeah. Just whistle.
Glad to see you anytime!
Always love a reason to show friends my old favorites and try new ones.

[DiveFan]

I can understand the fast food cravings, but Chef Boyardee?
Recently after seeing it made on Unwrapped and reading about the history of the product http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef_Boy... I tried some - UGH! Disgusting sweetness. Terrible texture. That rumbling you hear is Mr. Boiardi spinning in his grave; no doubt the recipe used today is nothing like the original.
However, it was great aversion therapy!

Why the turkey dogs instead of something good like Vienna beef? Using dark meat turkey (heaven blessed protein) for hot dogs should be a capital offense.

Yes, you can stay, but only if you repent :-).

[Sam Fujisaka]

Chef Boy R Dee is emblematic of what I don't usually eat. It was great with hot sauce and nicely plated, Jim Beam rocks on the side and Bourdain or Iron Chef on the tube.

As to the dogs, I was taking advantage of the stuff on sale at Safeway: two packs for the price of one on the dogs; the chicken at a bit more than $1.00/lb (about four times that here in Colombia), and so on.

No repenting!

[rworange]

I wonder how good Chef Boyardee sauce ever was? It was sweet, bland and soft in the 60's when I was a kid ... which has kid-appeal. The only difference is they make it with HFCS these days instead of sugar.

There was a time when Italian food and garlic were exotic to many. I wonder if it was always meant to appeal to the masses.

What is odd about the sauce is I've been eating food at Hong Kong style cafes and some Brazilian food. The sauce for the Chinese Portuguese chicken and the Brazilian tomato sauces have that sweet Chef Boyardee taste.

[DiveFan]

We'll probably never know more about the Boyardee sauce - Boiardi sold the business after WWII to pursue other interests. Trade secret, meh.
I'm still curious about Sam's tastes in junk food. He was working long hours which might have disturbed his usual good taste; the local Safeway (Vons) is chock full of decent locally prepared convenience foods. The company really took to heart the U.S. military's portable food stuffs: Meals, Ready To Eat.
A good whiskey can certainly improve the palatability of the above listed quick foods, but the turkey dog deal may point to a sadly limited travel budget.

Maybe we should fund a shipment of bierocks to him...

[FoodFuser]

Your weeklong binge at the Beltway hotel reads as an admirable record of restraint. There are no references to stumbling over the floor-discarded empty pizza boxes or slipping on the greasy waxed paper of Popeye's chicken. As long as you showered and shaved (to avoid the Howard Hughes Las Vegas hotel syndrome), I'd say you're still in the club.

As to Whoppers, let us know next time, and perhaps some 2 for 1 coupons can be provided.

Did the new "pay per checked bag" policy prevent the bringing back of goodies?

[Sam Fujisaka]

My hotel is one I request every time--great kitchen, living room, bedroom, big bathroom, guest bathroom, washer and dryer. Five minutes from work. But behind the White House in a zone that empties after 600pm and has no real restaurant scene close by. One would have to go to Dupont Circle, I guess. So, I didn't go out to eat; spent a lot of time at the office on working days and worked over the labor day weekend (except for Sunday off). So it was a cook Safeway foods and watch the Food Network and the other one on which Bourdain appears week. No take out or order-in foods.

Funny you would ask about carry on: I went with just a back-pack with clothes and laptop, hoping to get a new hard case suit case to bring back a ton of food. I couldn't find a single suitable hardcase while shopping on Sunday. So got another carry on with wheels and couldn't bring back a bunch of stuff, including peanut butter, cheap ramen, tortillas, another can of Chef Boy R Dee ravioli, and the like. I had to stick to more needed Asian foods.

I'll let you all know the next time for those Whopper coupons!

[KaimukiMan]

Many years ago i was on a group trip (21 countries in 54 days), halfway through we found ourselves in Vienna. On the way back from Demel's we passed a McDonalds, first one we had seen in Europe. I have no idea what i had at Demel's, but I remember ordering that quarter pounder. I throw myself upon the mercy of the court.

[ML8000]

Sounds like a perfectly logical and reasoned food trip. When you're somewhere that serves or has stuff you like (or would like to try) but you can't get at home, it makes sense to get it while you can. It's sort of like eating what's in season.

Over the past few months I've eaten a bunch of strawberries because it's in season, inexpensive and they're not much good the rest of the year. When I'm in Hawaii I eat plate lunch and/or fish the whole time even though you can get both in Calif...just not as good or cheap.

That said...the Chef Boy-ar-dee and hot sauce, I got a bit ill thinking about that but if you enjoyed it, that's all that matters.

So did you bring any American "specialties" back to Columbia?

[Sam Fujisaka]

I really wanted to bring back a jar of peanut butter but traveled with hand carry only. I had to use the space for Asian foods (and a new pair of running shoes and an external hard drive - 5 gigs per dollar!!!!!).

[tmso]

Oh that's too funny. Last trip to the US, my peanut butter got booted to make room for shoes (how are they so cheap in the US?). The chiles and tequila made it, though.

[applehome]

My last DC trip (Hyatt next to Convention Center) was a few years ago, but I did find some good food - not too much effort, either, being located right next to Chinatown. Decent Texas q at Capital Q BBQ - see pix, you can tell it's right by Chinatown. The boys are from Austin and the brisket is moist, fatty, and tasty.
http://www.capitalqbbq.com/index.html

Around the corner, also in Chinatown, I bought a bag of 6 huge, outstanding char siu bao, which was my midnight snack and breakfast for a few days. The hotel gave a me a complimentary bucket of imported beer (6 bottled beers), which kept me happy. I also went to a very small but good dim sum place for lunch, and the "world famous" Tony Cheng's Mongolian bbq - the mongolian bbq wasn't any big deal, but they also offerred a hot pot in the traditional bundt pan over chimney with coal apparatus - and that was very, very good. (Too many places now think that the small propane burners are the actual tradition for hot pot. I guess they are - for about the last 30 years, anyway.

)

Well... I wouldn't drum you out of CH for indulging in a little nostalgia/comfort, even including the death by American fastfoodicide (I did the very same thing coming home from a year in Turkey). And yet, I can't help but think that you missed out on some deliciousness opportunities. But geez - cheap instant ramen - deep fried, dried noodles... baka da na... you might have made up for the fat calories with the Turkey dogs, but that salt is probably still inside... ;-)

[Sam Fujisaka]

You do make me recall another bit: I bought no oil or salt (or butter). For the 10 days, oil and salt came from the groceries themselves. (Baka tade! Ha, I hear the drum roll).

[mojoeater]

The other day I had a Cheesy Bacon Tenderscrisp from BK, and it was good! 720 calories and way too much sodium, but it tasted better than any fried chicken sandwich I've had in ages. I ate it alone in my basement and hid the wrapper, but I'm not ashamed!

[rworange]

You didn't bring back any boxes of Kraft mac and cheese? How about soda with real HFCS?

As long as you don't go back and tell everyone that's how we eat in the US. That stuff is in the markets just for the tourists ... the whole reason the Whopper exists ... the king is the key ... a British consiperacy ... if the redcoats couldn't defeat us ... the whopper will.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Funny, I got a box of mac & cheese about a year ago, now available here. Just haven't gotten up the courage to try it (with my daughter). I would have had soda, but I don't drink any here where it is all made with sugar. I miss those two Whoppers, however. I know my sojourn is not like what you/we Hounds eat, but it seems to be the way I love to eat when I'm working briefly in the US. That first night with Chef Boy R Dee, Jim Beam, and the Food Network was pure Heaven!

[walker]

About 35 years ago, I truly loved Whoppers. Then, they changed and I never bother with them any more. Next time you're at Wendy's, try the spicy fried chicken breast sandwich. I once read in a San Francisco paper than an Ethiopian immigrant here loved those; it reminded him of the way they cook chicken in his country. I think it's pretty delicious for fast food. I happy you enjoyed yourself. I, also, devour the AB shows.

[rworange]

You are preaching to the choir. I have my epicurean darkside with cravings like McDonald's double cheeseburger and the McRIb ... and almost any new fast food item.

It makes me think what I would crave along those lines if I lived outside the country for an extended amount of time. My only exerience is my East Coast upbringing. I used to bring back jars of Hellman's mayo. I was thrilled when Carvel's opened on the West Coast.

[Sam Fujisaka]

Exactly!! I would eat better than I eat here in Colombia at a tenth of the price and would never eat like I did on my DC trip if I lived in the US, had access to US markets.

[steve h.]

no sam,
that stuff is drek.

i'm sorry you felt a need to punish yourself for all the wonderful meals you cook at home. penance can, and should, take other forms.

just my less than $60 opinion.

[Sam Fujisaka]

steve h., yes, indeed, drek first class. I vote myself out. But I seem to need these, "in the US of A" episodes now and then. They concentrate the stuff I would secretly and shamefully shuffle in and feed myself over a couple of years. But the thing is, no penance - I feel great! Of course, your $60 opinion matches mine. I surprise myself in these occasions - which is why I end up asking all of you, "Am I f*^^$^& nuts?"

[steve h.]

lol.
you're a dangerous man. somehow i get the feeling hunter thompson is nodding approval.

[capeanne]

I nominate Sam as the first recipient of the " Guilty Pleasures" award....well done !

[Gio]

OMG - are you really still alive? What an odd assortment of food you ingested. But the main question is, didja enjoy it...every bit? My guess is that you did. OTOH This is nothing less than you have been doing during all your travels, isn't it? What I want to know is .... How on earth fo you maintain your svelte figure?

[Sam Fujisaka]

I LOVED it!! Every bit of it. Sitting down in the living room with a kraut dog with jalapenos and watching Bobby or Tony!! And finally hearing Zimmern's real voice in English, not his dubbed voice in Spanish--what a surprise!! Now I'm back home working out, but go to Tajikistan for the next adventure on Friday.

[Gio]

Uh boie..... let the vodka drinking commence. Charcoal grilled mutton...samosas... you'll need that gym when you return. Bon Voyage!!!

OH BTW: Did you know that Zimmern comes from Minnesota? Saw his show about Lutefisk tonight. UGH.

[goodhealthgourmet]

Sam, you're more of a Chowhound than many of us could ever hope to be. as long as you enjoyed it, that's really all that matters!

[enbell]

One of the 'alphas' Sam :)