what do you prefer that most foodies would scoff at?

[vandan]

for me as much as i'm told i'm supposed to prefer fresh herbs, i always prefer the dried variety

[4X4]

I would rather eat a steak and cheese sandwich (with provolone, lettuce, onions and hot eppers) than a Philly cheese steak. I don't think Cheez Whiz belongs on any sandwich!

[Heatherb]

My cousin's husband makes something he calls "Chili Mac" - a can of hormel chili mixed with a prepared box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. I can't stomach it sober, but when I'm drunk I think it's awesome:)

[4X4]

Sometimes when I don't feel like chopping garlic, I use a garlic press. Bourdain wouldn't approve, but I don't care.

[cait98]

I know pasta is supposed to be al dente, but I prefer it overcooked. I don't want it to be really mushy either, but I would take it too-soft over too-hard.

[mattstolz]

when i am cooking them only for myself and not specifically making a fritatta, i microwave my eggs every time.

[Cremon]

Eating caviar or pate on Triscuits instead of water biscuits. I love eating foods most people consider delicacies on Triscuits - brie or Danish blue Castello cheese goes great on a Triscuit. The aristocrats can keep their styrofoam wafers. If I win the lottery, I'll celebrate with some Sevruga, Malossol or even the incomparable Beluga caviar, get some Creme Fraiche - and then run to Publix for a box of Triscuits to enjoy it with.

[Parigi]

There are famous caviar recipes using it in an omelette, and also combining it with potato.

[TheDewster]

The term Malossol comes from the Russian language and literally means 'little salt' or 'lightly salted'. Alternate spellings for this term are: Malosol and Malossal.

The term Malossol does not refer to a variety of caviar (e.g. Beluga or Sevruga), rather it refers to the actual treatment of the caviar. The caviar has had minimal salt added to it and, therefore, has a more delicate and truer flavour.

Malossol caviars are the only ones labelled as 'fresh' and must be kept under constant refrigeration.

I totally agree that Triscuit's rock! I would also recommend Carr's Cheese melts.

[Cremon]

See - if I could afford that kind of caviar (the best I have ever had is paddlefish, which is an American variety) I'd have known what malossol meant. But I have seen it coupled with sevruga on the same product so what you say makes perfect sense - thanks for educating me there. But I am sure a lot of people would look down their noses on my caviar and triscuits, hehe!

[lobsterchurch]

I like to think I'm a fan of high and low. Not to be postmodern but good food is good food it's just a matter of difference. A taste different than B which taste different than foie gras which tastes different than a whataburger with bacon cheese and jalapenos with that greasy shiny bun, love those things.

[Shooley]

A hotdog speared on a kitchen fork cooked over the stove's gas flame then served on a slice of white bread with mayo. yum.

[Parigi]

Throw me to the wolves.
I like duck foie gras and goose foie gras equally.
I prefer tarama in France to tarama in Greece.

[Passadumkeg]

Sounds good to me.
How do you cook the wolves?

[Parigi]

Uh, you mean you're not scoffing?...

[Passadumkeg]

Shit no, I even make a chicken liver foi gras. Tarama is is goodness. I was joking about the wolves.

[GraydonCarter]

Taramosalata with the bread crumbs and lemon... sounds wonderful. How is it prepared in France? Just a pile of roe, with an attitude?

[linguafood]

As a tarama lover, I'm curious, too. How is it different in France?

[Parigi]

The taramasalata that I had in Greece was uniformly much more sour in taste. It seems the recipe in Greece uses a great deal more lemon juice (am not sure; am only analyzing not even a taste but a taste memory). The tarama in France uses a lot of crème fraîche, which is probably what balances the lemon juice. Allez-y, go ahead and scoff. :-)

[linguafood]

No scoffing from me, tho I do like the lemon tang in Greek tarama -- cuts through the saltiness off the roe and the richness of the bread & oil mixture.

I'll have to try some French stuff next time I get the chance. Do they call it the same or is there a French name for it?

[Parigi]

It's called Tarama.
I recommend the Greek delicatessen called Pelops, with 2 shops, one on 11 rue des Martyrs , another on 44 rue des Abbesses, in Paris,
http://www.qype.co.uk/place/301726-Pe...

[Passadumkeg]

"Just a pile of roe, with an attitude?" GC, that's Beluga caviar on black rye bread, w/ shots of iced vodka, tovarisch!

[buttertart]

Na zdroviye.

[Cremon]

I like the way you think!

[Parigi]

What a red neck.

[hill food]

Parigi: I'm starting to think you and GC know each other IRL and we're just seeing the joshing...

(no complaints, I'm amused despite peoples deleted comments)

[jessiefie87]

Instant mashed potatoes. It's the only pre-made food I buy in the grocery store.

I also tend to prefer cheaper cuts of meat... fatty, sinewy cuts. The kind often found in Asian restaurants. I make a "carpaccio" out of minute steak, not tenderloin, defrosted quickly under cold running water, and doused in vodka or citrus. I love the variety in texture. I ate game sometimes growing up, so that may be why.

I also prefer non-delicacy seafoods. Like clams over oysters, crab over lobster, or "fishy" fish over delicate fishes.

[debs20]

Velveeta on Triscuits,and boxed wine.

[pine time]

<hiding my head in shame...> Jiffy yellow cake mix. Not the baked cake, mind you, but the raw batter. Used to scarf down 1/2 the batter as a kid. It's not available where I live now, though, but had someone bring me a box when they visited, and it was awful. Glad to know one food fetish is off my list!

[Harleyquin]

POP TARTS! I know they are horrible, but if I get them I eat them all day long. It's sad but true.

[onceadaylily]

Just before the Y2K thing, where people were being advised to withdraw cash, and stock up on groceries and bottled water, my sister bought six boxes of Pop Tarts. She said that was all she needed to get through a disaster.

[Harleyquin]

haha, omg! I would probly be knocking on her door for fix!

[LeoLioness]

Mrs Butterworth's on my pancakes as opposed to real maple syrup.I'm often in Vermont visiting family and it never occurs to me to get maple syrup when I'm there.

[EmJayC]

tasty tots (otherwise knowns as tater tots in the states), Knor Sidekicks noodle dishes in an envelope (subject to endless variation of protein and vegetables to make main dishes), Popeye Chicken's red beans and rice and I don't know if they sell them anymore, but the tiny appetizer type tacos that came in a box, frozen and were sort of chewy crisp and filled with a gloppy beef(?) filling.

Something I am going to try, that I think is in this line, is an Indian dish call Pav Bhaji. Basically its various vegetables mashed together with too much butter and served in a toasted white bun. Mmmm, the fast food of India.

[mariacarmen]

you just reminded me of Knorr's Hollandaise! I still love it for Eggs Benedict. especially since i'm incapable of making an emulsion with eggs.

[nooooomblog]

hmm on the same note: Ego Waffles with "fake" maple syrup....I prefer the real deal on everything but that...

or Caviar and goat cheese on a saltine....shameful but the best way I've ever had the stuff

[GraydonCarter]

IHOP "blueberry" syrup

[mamachef]

OMG Graydon - I LOVE IHOP's "boysenberry."

[rizzo0904]

Those mini powdered sugar donuts that come about 30 in a box. They are sooo freaking good. I could eat the whole thing in one sitting...that's why I don't buy them.

[mamachef]

Frosted pop 'ems. And I do not buy those either, rizzo, because I would eat them. Privately. With a great deal of milk. Oy.

[emu48]

Banana ketchup, from the Philippines. Except that in America, Corporate Food got a law passed that says you can't call anything ketchup unless it is tomatoes. So in America, look for bottles of Filipino "banana sauce." It is a ketchup, red, sweet, fruity and tangy, not too unlike American tomato ketchup. It does not taste like bananas at all. It's truly wonderful stuff, I think. There are regular and spicy versions. In olden times, there were all kinds of ketchup, some with no tomatoes at all, such as mushroom ketchup. The name comes from the Indonesian word kecap. Means soy sauce.

[Parigi]

Garlic bread

[velvetdc1]

I prefer Dunkin Donuts bagels to New York Bagel & Bialy here in Chicago. I always get what people think is the over the top combo of garlic bagel and chive cream cheese. I just like how much garlic they put on there. I am literally afraid to say this to anyone who grew up with me on the North Shore :)

[onceadaylily]

That is a very brave admission (says a girl on the North Shore). But I have done things to a NY B&B everything bagel that would horrify purists. It first involved a toaster, then cream cheese, salami, cheddar, kosher salt, and then a microwave.

[bulavinaka]

What? No capers or anchovies?

[onceadaylily]

Depends on how dark the room is.

[bulavinaka]

I'm not the shy type - I don't think you are either. :)

[almansa]

Having spent ample time here and in Chicago, I recommend Sam's Deli's bagels on Broadway, East Side, just south of Addison.

[velvetdc1]

Ok I know this thread is really old, but I have a guilty conscience and I want to rescind my statement... my dad just dropped off a bag of NY Bagel & Bialy bagels over to me and I much prefer them. Maybe it had just been too long and I forgot what they tasted like!

[Floridagirl]

I buy whatever turkey is on sale for Thanksgiving, I can't afford some $100.00 turkey snd I know it's popular to buy heritage turkeys and all that, I just can't afford it. My turkeys come out great, always.and I have done Thanksgiving for 35 years.

I started cooking a long time ago, when I was young and I was dumb and filled with energy. I had a goat farm and made cheese and various goat products long before it was popular so I used that plus I had a one acre garden. So, my reply is to eat what you like and cook with wild abandon. Eating and cooking are supposed to be fun, who cares what foodies think.

When I was learning to cook there were no foodies, just people who liked to cook and eat. So, relax and have fun cooking and eating

[monavano]

I sometimes put A-1 on my steak, especially if it's not a really expensive cut. I grew up eating well-done meat, which of course, has all the flavor cooked out of it! So, the sauce was needed for flavor and moisture. But I still love it, although I'm a med. rare gal now.
When I eat local beef from the farmers market, which costs $18 a pound- NO A-1!
I still put it on my baked potatoe tho!

[hamptonmeadow]

I am loathe to admit this but sometimes I crave White Castle sliders. As well as white bread sandwiches with butter, mustard and Spam.

Ducking now..or maybe a nice White Castle dinner instead.

[whynokey]

Checkers fries. I don't know why

[newhavener07]

Oh, and I just don't get the concept of shallots. Yes, they're a bit sweeter but SO not worth the extra effort to peel them, much less find fresh ones in your average market.
Just say no to shallots!

[mariacarmen]

whaaa? i have to say my jaw dropped at this one..... but, to each his/her own!

[EmJayC]

I have to agree with this one. Unless I want just a bit of onion in the dish chopped very finely and frankly I could just use a small onion or half of a larger one. There is no big flavor difference that I can discern like that between onion and garlic. And I have been told that I have a discerning tounge. The big difference between onion and shallot is the price difference. Don't get me started about ginger beer, though. I'm very picky about that! Only Reeds will do!

[linguafood]

Fentiman's is pretty nice, too. Not as 'spicy' as some of the Jamaican ones. But expensive, and hard to find.

[gaffk]

I actually find shallots to be a bit sweeter and less "oniony." And very available in my local markets. No more effort than fresh garlic.

Just say yes to shallots!

[yfunk3]

Yup, they're sweeter and less "biting", which is great for sauces (esp. white wine sauces) and for scrambled egg dishes that I like to just whip up with leftover stuff in the fridge.

If I could find a cheap source of shallots (meaning cheaper than Whole Foods, which is my main grocery store due to lack of a car), I wouldn't think twice to caramelize them. Would be perfect, really!

[buttertart]

Do you have a Chinatown near you? A 1 lb net bag is $1.00-1.50.

[yfunk3]

Gah! I wish! All the Asian grocery stores near me are also only car-accessible. Will have to keep that in mind during my next "stocking up" car rental day, though. Thanks!

[erikschwarz]

Reeds will not do for Dark and Stormy's. Too weak and sugary to stand up to dark rum. Even their "Extra Ginger Brew" is too sweet, though it is gingery. Barritt's is the standard but has become hard to find. Gosling's now markets a substitute, to mixed reviews. Some advocate for Desnoes and Geddes's "Old Jamaica," while purists insist that a Bermudan rum should be paired with a Bermudan ginger beer. I would take any of the aforementioned in preference to Reed's.

[erikschwarz]

Reeds will not do for Dark and Stormy's. Too weak and sugary to stand up to dark rum. Even their "Extra Ginger Brew" is too sweet, though it is gingery. Barritt's is the standard but has become hard to find. Gosling's now markets a substitute, to mixed reviews. Some advocate for Desnoes and Geddes's "Old Jamaica," while purists insist that a Bermudan rum should be paired with a Bermudan ginger beer. I would take any of the aforementioned in preference to Reed's.

[ZenSojourner]

I've never had enough shallots to be able to tell - they run like $2 or $3 for a tiny little bag with 2 or 3 itty bitty shallots in them in every grocery store I've ever been in.

Parsley now - I don't get the appeal. Tastes like grass to me. Somebody told me the flat type would be better. Tried it. Still tastes like grass. LOL!

[EmJayC]

But it looks nice!!!! LOL

[newhavener07]

Starbucks sandwiches--they're pretty good and not too huge.
Supermarket sushi--usually quite fresh, minimally handled, kept at the right temperature and priced for what it's worth. I'll take it over a manhandled slab of past-its-prime sashimi at your average "Fusion" hellhole any day.

[mucho gordo]

sweetbreads
liver and onions with bacon and mushrooms

[linguafood]

most foodies would scoff at sweetbreads and liver?

you're kidding, right?

[mucho gordo]

I didn't think I was kidding. Maybe I underestimate foodies.

[linguafood]

seriously, dude. sweetbreads and liver are some of my favorite things!

[mucho gordo]

You obviously know what's good.

[Passadumkeg]

Pig, beef, calf, sheep, chicken, deer and elk liver; love 'em all, love 'em all, the long, and the short and the tall; loooove 'em aaaalllllll!

[mucho gordo]

To paraphrase the Johhy Ray tune: Well, you can fry me a liver..........

[ZenSojourner]

*I* wouldn't want to eat it, but I wouldn't scoff at you for doing so.

My dad LOVED liver and onions. I never scoffed at him for it. Not even for scrapple and souse! Not even for SPAM! LOL!

[mucho gordo]

No, you wouldn't scoff at me ( or anyone) but you would at the mere thought of eating those delectible morsels.

[ZenSojourner]

Ah, but there's a difference between being irreverent about food and scoffing at people for their likes and dislikes.

I've been scoffed at quite a bit for everything from eating Chef Boyardee, preferring my meat well done, and allegedly "inauthentic" Indian recipes taught to me by my South Indian mother-in-law. I may poke fun at Spam and Pork Brains in Milk Gravy, but I've nothing bad to say about people who eat it. My dad ate most of that stuff (things in a can, not the 6 Most Terrifying Foods in the World). I probably ate a good bit of it as a child. Wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole now myself, but I don't care if YOU do.

As long as you don't expect me to share in it, LOL!

[mucho gordo]

That;s exactly what I'm saying, ZS; there IS a difference.

[ZenSojourner]

And I'm pretty clear on that difference.

[Passadumkeg]

Are you? A little Zen meditation in order.....

[ZenSojourner]

*eye roll

[Passadumkeg]

In the lotus position?

[mariacarmen]

2nd, 3rd and 4th on sweetbreads and liver...

[silkenpaw]

I adore sweetbreads and liver. Yummy.

[lucymom]

A1 steak sauce.
I've gotten better where on a nice juicy rib- eye i won't put the A1 but for most steak cuts I prefer to have A1 on the side.

[csdiego]

I prefer sandwich bread--ideally the "wheat" kind, but not too firm--to a crusty artisan loaf. All that crust hurts my mouth and makes the bread a poor vehicle for butter and other toppings.

I get stubborn cravings (I first typed "crazings") for McD's sausage biscuit (no egg or cheese--THAT would be an abomination!), although I only rarely indulge because I'm supposed to be a vegetarian. I know it's made of pig snouts and floor sweepings, but somehow nothing else tastes as good.

I like eggs and steak well-done. I think the egg thing is an actual physical intolerance for runny yolks. The steaks (not that I've eaten one in years) are from growing up in South America. The beef there is tough and flavorful and always well-done. A thick, rare American steak just tastes to me like eating a sponge.

I love the super-salty ramen blocks, although I find that I'm happier if I go with a slightly higher-end imported ramen because the noodles are thicker.

Oh, and also Popeye's red beans and rice.

And flan made with sweetened condensed milk. Anything with SCM really.

[newhavener07]

Popeye's dirty rice, yes! Rubio's for anything!

[TheDewster]

try Zatarans really good for a box rice

[jhopp217]

I had soured on Zataran's until they came out with the low-sodium version. The regular is way too salty

[CheekyPeach]

Spam
Instant coffee (can't be bothered to brew, might as well run to starbucks)
ramen blocks (I added sliced spam, and rice to the noodles; man I was a gross kid)
canned liver pate
canned corned beef

I'm sure there's more somewhere.

[bulavinaka]

Has anyone mentioned Cheez-It crackers? I can easily finish off a box in one sitting. And Costco has huge boxes of the stuff!

[csdiego]

Cheez-Its, OMG. Serious yum. There's a lot I would do for Cheez-Its.

[Babyducks]

I prefer supermarket pancake syrup (lite) above pure maple syrup.

[jhopp217]

Scoff, hahah!

[ZenSojourner]

What do I like that foodies would scoff at? Oh, so many things from which to choose!

3 buck Chuck
Kraft Mac 'n Cheese
Chef BoyArDee Spaghetti with Meatballs
WELL DONE steak (filet mignon only, suck it up carnivores, YOU don't have to eat it, LOL!)
Crispy eggs fried in bacon fat, over hard, broken, salted and peppered in the pan
Dean's French Onion Dip
Lender's Onion Bagels
Fritos with applesauce as a dip
milk toast made with cheap marshmallow bread
Long John Silver's onion chips and chicken planks (but only rarely, it takes WEEKS for the grease to wear off of the inside of my mouth)
Arby's roast beef, also once in a great long while
I'm anti-parsley. It tastes like grass to me.

I'm sure there's other stuff but I have bread baking and me thinks it once again is not coming out up to snuff.

*sniffle* It looked so good this time, BEFORE it went into the oven.

[EmJayC]

canned Parmesan cheese,
hard boiled eggs with dabs of Diane sauce (the western sweet/smoky kind) put on the egg each time I bite it,
stove top mac and cheese with Velveeta,
Macdonald's breakfast burrito,
poufy cheese puffs (any brand will do),
A&W poutine and Bacon Cheddar Uncle Burgers and
pickle sandwiches (one dill pickle, whole with white buttered toast wrapped around it.
That's as low-brow as I get. :-)

[jhopp217]

I went to make a sandwich one day and found that my cold cuts were a little past their prime. Got some potato bread hot dog rolls, slathered some mayo on it and lined the inside with the bread and butter snackers. Realized the cold cuts just got in the way of a yummy sandwich. And who needs the sulfites?

[weewah]

The best eggs I ever ate were deep-fried in more than 3 inches of bacon grease. We had a crowd for breakfast & I made GOBS of bacon, the acumulating grease was cooking the bacon a lot faster than in a relatively dry pan, so I didn't pour it off.
The deep-fried eggs were shaped more like poached eggs, but were just phenomenal.
Don't do this unless you like that lacy crispiness on the outside of your eggs - So Good!

[jhopp217]

my mouth is watering right now thinking of the crispy edges

[KailuaGirl]

So is mine!

[erikschwarz]

Kraft Singles. Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product. "White American" is preferable. (Please, no racial/ethnic jokes.) Can be grilled for a change of pace but is best served cold. Just reach into the refrigerator, peel and eat. No affinage required.

[yfunk3]

Man, that reminds me of when Homer Simpson ate 64 slices of American cheese in one night. :o)

I do like American cheese. Especially the deli kind, but the Kraft 2% singles melt so wonderfully. It's definitely what I always need to have on hand in my fridge. The fact that it lasts FOREVER (that magical combo of chemicals and salt) helps, too. If I get lazy and want to make a hearty, unhealthy breakfast/quick lunch/dinner... Eggs and American cheese are usually the magical ingredients.

My list of stuff I eat that would give other Chowhounders a heart attack from sheer offense is too long to list or recall off the top of my head. LOL

[jhopp217]

This is so funny, because recently I needed a late night snack and all I had for a quickie snakc was Kraft singles. I peeled and ate. Despite having done this thousands of times over the last 40 years, I had an epiphany. It is lousy and has absolutely no taste. Sure, when you melt it for grilled cheese it's good, but cld it has nothing. I have since converted and refuse to buy it. I now only make grilled cheeses with cheddar, mozzarella or some other "real" cheese.

[erikschwarz]

"Absolutely no taste...nothing." Precisely. That is why we love it so. What a high degree of civilization is required to produce foodstuffs that have absolutely no taste.

[stevie pierson]

the kind of brisket that uses Lipton Onion Soup mix. I know it is cheating and full of chemicals and lacks soul and is a quick fix but it always turns out (along with more traditional ingredients) better than just about any other. I always wonder if it is wrong to lie about the fact that I have added a packet of Lipton Onion Soup to my brisket - will I still be in the Book of Life? Thoughts? Talmudic brisket wisdom?

[racer x]

Reminds me of Anthony Bourdain's revelation in Kitchen Confidential that he used to slip Minor's chicken or lobster base into his stocks when he was in culinary school. No one could ever figure out why his stocks were so much more flavorful than those of his classmates.

[livetocook]

OMG, hilarous! haha

[csdiego]

Mmm, yeah. Even better with the addition of some canned cranberry sauce to the mix. [This from somebody who is fanatical about making her own jellied cranberries from scratch at Thanksgiving.]

[culturedmeow]

Lipton Pasta Sides, Alfredo!!!! It carried me through college and now feeds my kids...nothing better.

[Perilagu Khan]

Judging by that picture it obviously didn't hurt you one bit. ;)

[weewah]

Ok. Since you admitted that, I can admit... Suddenly Salad, Bacon/Ranch flavor.
I caved, got a box for my kids and was hooked. Creamy, salty, BACON.

[Parigi]

Actually I would scoff at the term "foodie".

[Paulustrious]

Foodies are known for their scoffing

[buttertart]

You slay me, sir.

[Carolinamountaingirl]

Pimiento cheese. Preferably on white bread.

[GraydonCarter]

I prefer fully cooked pasta, rice, and risotto. Not gummy or goopy, just cooked through.

This was mentioned upthread and I really wanted to bring it up again. I hate biting into rice that is "al dente" and getting it stuck on my teeth, that floury taste in my mouth.

I just don't get this fascination with undercooking pasta. Why is it so bad if it just cooked through? Again, NOT mushy, sticky or goopy - overcooked - I mean just cook it through.

True, the less it is cooked–al dente–the lower the glycemic index, but I know that isn't your reasoning.

[Perilagu Khan]

I prefer pasta cooked al dente, but cannot stand rice that is even remotely undercooked.

[weewah]

I can't stand "mushy' rice and for twenty years have left out the last 1/4 to 1/3 C of water to every pot of rice I have made. The rice cooks through with less water, but it isn't that too soft, textureless rice that has no 'body' to it.
I can rarely eat rice served in a restaurant because it's far too *pappy* it seems that spanish style rice suffers the worst from this.

[macaroniandcheese]

I completely adore Velveeta's broccoli variety instant microwave mac n' cheese. It's salty, creamy, and the reconstituted broccoli, while small, inerts a bit of my favorite veggie into my all-time favorite dish. And, it's easy! I bought three cups just today. I'm just waiting till midnight, when it's prime snacking time for me to have one.

And I have pre-made frozen dinners for breakfast on most days. I've never been a fan of breakfast foods, and throw that with my vegetarianism and limited time for food preparation, I don't have much of a choice. Whenever I can though, I'll prepare something myself the night before and refrigerate it until I can microwave it in the morning.

[a.bot]

i really like the chicken/broccoli/cheddar Hot Pocket. *hangs head*

[Perilagu Khan]

Now that's just beyond the pale!

;)

[a.bot]

ha ha! It's a beautiful blend of technology and treachery. They get crisp in the microwave!

[TexSquared]

Do I hear a Jim Gaffigan fan in the house???

(take hot pocket out of wrapper... place directly into toilet....)

[jhopp217]

I will have the caesar salad and the hot pocket

[chicgail]

Sorry, a.bot, you've totally lost me. It may be technological wizardry, but it bears no relationship to "food."

[newhavener07]

Ha! You are so bad, I love it.

[Glam Foodie]

Ohhh, I could go on and on! I'll try to restrain myself:

- Holy Guacamole. My fiance added a molcajete to our wedding registry and has all these plans to make fresh, homemade guacamole. But I will still run down to Costco and buy a big pack, even if I'm the only one eating it, all by myself, very slowly.
- Any ice cream that ISN'T Haagen-Dazs. I know it's the foodie ice cream of choice, but seriously, ice cream is ice cream to me - all of it is equally delicious. And if I can get my fix at a low price? All the better!
- Round Table Pizza. YUM. I can't remember the last time I ate this.
- In N' Out Burger. I haven't had it in forever either, but maybe I need to make a burger run soon.
- A sourdough chicken club sandwich from Jack in the Box, with a side of onion rings
- Raw cookie dough from a mix

Yeah, so, basically, all junk food tastes best if it's REALLY junk.

[Humbucker]

Foodies scoff at In N Out? In N Out has been practically anointed the official foodie fast food chain.

[Passadumkeg]

In the east, the same for 5 Guys.

[Perilagu Khan]

5 Guys has invaded West Texas. Color me unimpressed, although they seem to be doing pretty good bidniss.

[Passadumkeg]

I've never been to either, gimme a Lottaburger w/ double green chile....

[Glam Foodie]

Really?! Where have I been, huh?

Well, good to know; now I can brag about how I adore a cheeseburger, strawberry shake, and well done fry at the classiest joint in CA. ;D

[Passadumkeg]

A Frito Pie, in the bag or bowl.

[Perilagu Khan]

Hear, hear!

[Passadumkeg]

A green chile cheeseburger!

[foodarts56]

Here in New Mexico we an abundance of great green chile cheeseburgers. Flay lost a green chile burger cookoff to a hole in the wall called the Buckhorn in southern New Mexico.MMMMgreenchile and cheese!

[Passadumkeg]

My wife used to work at The Buckhorn Saloon in Pinos Altos in '72! A place in Grants won one year too. To hell w/ The Yellow Brick Road, follow The Green Chile Cheeseburger Trail!
http://www.newmexico.org/greenchilech...

[Perilagu Khan]

Crazy as it sounds--and is--I've never had a green chile cheeseburger despite all the time I've spent in New Mexico. I intend to remedy this oversight directly.

[Passadumkeg]

As simple as, A Lottaburger w/ double green chile, hold the ketchup & mustard, and with mayo, please". Memorize this phrase and repeat at order desk.

[Perilagu Khan]

I've seen lotsa Lottaburgers but have never stopped in.

No way in hell I'd want ketchup on one of those puppies, but not sure I'd prefer mayo over mustard either. I'm pretty dashed loyal to mustard.

[Passadumkeg]

I just find mayo complements green chile sooo well. I just finished a green chile, turkey breast, blue cheese and red onion sandwich w/ mayo. Yum.

[Perilagu Khan]

Well, there's only one solution: one GCB with mustard and one GCB with mayo. May the best condiment win.

[James Cristinian]

Gotta be mustard. Everytime I think the Kegger has a clue, he rears his ugly Yankee head.

[Passadumkeg]

Lobos eat Long Horns! Go UNM! James, I bet you put beans in your chile and roll your enchiladas!

[James Cristinian]

I put no beans in my chili, but I do roll my Tex Mex enchiladas. Your "Wolves" can eat all the Long Horns they want, but they will be devoured by my mighty Houston Cougars, and please, pass the lobster my way. We're paying 10.99 per lb. unless they're on sale, and they haven't been in a 'coons age. What do you give for a lobster up yonder? No, nobody speaks that way down here, only in movies.

[Passadumkeg]

My birthday was the 11th, I got a 5 gallon bucket full for free. But about 3-350/lb right now. I'm moving back to NM in 6 weeks and returning to Maine, summers.

[Perilagu Khan]

My birthday is Friday the 25th and I'm gonna get a 5 gallon bucket o' carnitas if I'm lucky.

[Perilagu Khan]

Heh heh heh.

[FoodFuser]

Put some dried turmeric powder, horseradish powder, and a splash of vinegar to slurry it, into your mayo.

[stuck in Hartford County]

Last nite I made my first soft shell crab, as those delicious live blues are not available here in CT.

Yuck! Nowhere NEAR as yummy as boiled crab. And it was really creepy eating the whole thing. I can't wait to get to Ocean City (MD) for some REAL crabs this summer! Pass the hammers and beer- only 3 more weeks... Yay!

[Passadumkeg]

I got a good case of the crabs in Juarez.

[bulavinaka]

I can't imagine how one harvests those - or are they baked right where they crawl and slather on the butter? ;)

[Perilagu Khan]

Bloody hell.

[Passadumkeg]

Stuck, now for some unasked for fatherly advise. I was nursed on soft shell crab, love 'em, but can't get 'em up here. I make purty damn good crab cakes w/ Maine rock crab (I REFUSE TO USE THE TOURIST TERM PEEKY TOES, GAG!), I also grew up on blue crab cakes. I used to catch bushels of blue crabs as a kid. The point is, I have lived a long fine, fun life all over the world. If I pined my whole life for Mid-Atlantic food, I'd have been very unhappy, but I wasn't. I reveled in all the new foods I was exposed to. If I were in Hartford Co., I'd take advantage of all the foods and activities that were available to me and travel to NYC, Bean Town, the Berkshires, Cape Cod (but we got too damn many tourists in Maine, so don't come here.). Enjoy what you have and don't pine for what you don't and you will really enjoy life. That is my Father's Day gift to you, my daughter.
I am about to move from Maine, back to New Mexico where I began teaching 39 years ago. I need 5 years in the NM system to increase my retirement portfolio. I will return to Maine for the summers. I am very much looking forward to all the new foods, and adventures in my '67 VW camper. Seafood, will not be on the agenda and I accept it. Carpe Diem et Chowum. Vini, Vidi, Edo!
ps Soft shell crabs are blue crabs. You can get live blue crabs in Hartford, Ct. hounds, help her out.

[stuck in Hartford County]

Enjoy your "retirement" from teaching, and thank you for the fatherly advice. I actually do quite a bit of traveling and enjoy all of the foods I miss from my youth. My family owns homes on the Cape, in Chautauqua, NY, on the Eastern Shore (MD) and in Florida- so I have most of my food/seafood cravings met. I do miss New Orleans (Tulane!) and their cuisine. I don't get up to Maine much, but I bought my first car (a Subaru) form a guy in Ellsworth. So no worry 'bout "overcrowding" the state! (We always laugh at the Welcome to Mass. sign and add "Now Get Out!" to the end whenever we drive by).

I am expecting reports on the local New Mexican cuisines! AND NO PEEKEYTOE CRABS. EVER!

[onceadaylily]

I still have my bumper sticker from when I lived on the Cheasapeake. It says, Welcome to Calvert County . . . Now Leave.

[nooyawka]

tons of ketchup on my steak

[Paulustrious]

The guilt kicks in as I reach for the can-opener. But let's take them one at a time, and my justification..

Spam - makes the best breakfast fritters. Walks all over that American-style Pringle bacon and copralitic sausages.

Heinz beanz. (UK) My only justification is childhood brainwashing.

Tinned beans of various types. Softer, and they are ready in 5 minutes.

Packets of Shah Indian curry mixes. (Not that keen on Patak's)

Mint sauce (= mint jam)

[Jemon]

I heartily second the Spam. Spam musubi is an awesome snack, and a Spam BLT is a nice change of pace.

[nooyawka]

Oh, yes, spam and eggs over rice. mmmm.....

[MandalayVA]

Oscar Meyer beef bologna. I've had "artisan" bologna but the OM just hits the spot.
Iceberg lettuce
Ketchup on scrambled eggs
Kroger potato chips
Squishy Wonder "Italian" bread (when I could eat it and be able to move my fingers the next day)
Heinz 57 sauce on just about anything

[Passadumkeg]

Damn! NJ/Pennsy Ring Baloney, Taylor Pork Roll and scrapple! Childhood comfort foods I no longer have.

[MandalayVA]

I can buy Taylor pork roll and scrapple here in VA when I need a fix.

And may I interest you in this website?

http://www.jerseyporkroll.com/

[Passadumkeg]

Thanks, but can you get a Kaiser roll too? My brother eats TPR, uncooked by the slice, while shopping in Las Vegas and we can't buy it here in Maine???
I was just talking about TPR this morning w/ a colleague from Long Branch. We bring it back for each other.

[MandalayVA]

I can get kaiser rolls but not hard rolls, which seem to be an only-in-NJ thing. How I remember my high school breakfasts of a hard roll with butter ...

[Passadumkeg]

AKA a butter roll, the real breakfast of champions. Ask for one up here and meet a stunned silence.
I'm sooo far north, we are about equidistant to Boston!!!

[marcreichman]

Buttered roll is my quick chek special.

[jbsiegel]

Eggs are really good when scrambled with either mustard or Miracle Whip mixed in...

[cosmogrrl]

Thought of another when ordering chinese take out tonight. Sweet and sour pork with pineapple, and with the dyed red sauce. Love it.... I don't even tell my boyfriend this!

[Perilagu Khan]

Sweet and sour pork is one of the culinary nightmares from my boyhood. My mom made it frequently. Alas, once was more than enough.

[cosmogrrl]

It's not a dish I inflict upon anyone outside myself. Actually I think it can be made pretty well, or horribly, as the case may be.

[Perilagu Khan]

I'm sure that's true. But in general, I'm a fan of neither pineapple nor too much sweetness in basically savory dishes. My mom's sweet and sour pork got on my bad side in both of those ways. Otherwise, she was an excellent cook.

[chicgail]

Cheetos -- the fried kind
Kraft Mac & Cheese from the blue box -- right out of the pot
Ramen noodle soup from a plastic package with an egg and veggies mixed in
Traditional green bean casserole: frozen French-style green beans with cream of mushroom soup and canned fried onions
Potato chip dip made from sour cream and Lipton onion soup mix
While I'm at it, Lipton Noodle Soup

[CarmenR]

i realized today that I sort of like crunchy, undercooked rice. I made beans and rice with lots of raw veggies tossed in after chilling and the crunchyness of the undercooked rice was a great texture for me.

DONT JUDGE ME

[stuck in Hartford County]

OMG! I don't like rice due to an unfortunate "encounter" w/maggots (years ago). Now adding the crunchiness factor makes me even more ill...

But no judging here. I can appreciate undercooked starches. Except rice :(

[Passadumkeg]

Maggots are a good source of protein, don't knock it.

[Perilagu Khan]

And I don't think he's joking, Hartford County.

[Passadumkeg]

And even more wonderful for eating away infected, gangrenous flesh. The much maligned magnificent maggot. Now excuse me while I go get his distant cousin, a dozen of a different species of bug for tonight's supper; the lobster.

[whs]

Lobster: mushy texture, devoid of flavor. Give me a soft shell crab any day. (I anticipate being thrown out of New England for this comment.)

[chicgail]

If the lobsters you've had have been mushy and devoid of flavor, I assert that you've never had a fresh, properly prepared lobster. Don't give up. I love soft shell crab, but lobster is truly food of the gods.

[Passadumkeg]

I grew up nursed on soft shell crab, but in my downeast world, lobster is never of mushy texture or devoid of flavor. Sorry for you.
ps try the lobster quesdillas at The Mexican Restaurant in Hancock.

[whs]

I dunno, I have had it steamed on the Schoodic Peninsula and had Jasper White's pan-roasted lobster flamed in cognac, and I always end up feeling like Peggy Lee singing "Is that all there is?" Like snails, an excuse to eat a lot of butter.

[Passadumkeg]

We just polished of a dozen free lobbers and 10 lbs of clams at Tunk Lk for my b-day. They ain't no big deal up here. Lobster omelets too. I hated it. I just use lime juice on the bugs.

[Passadumkeg]

Forgot.

[buttertart]

I never thought of lime juice on them, just use lemon, but lime would be perfect.

[whs]

Yah, my friend who grew up in Blue Hill and now lives in West Gouldsboro said when they were kids, lobster was kinda like hot dogs. They were cheap and served with potato chips. How those children suffered.

[Passadumkeg]

I teach in the Gouldsboro area (And used to teach in Blue Hill). Email who they are, if you will. I'll delete this tomorrow.

[whs]

She's in London now; will be back soon. Lives in a great old house next to the church in W Gouldsboro--friends with Kathy and Carl who have the Sunset House B&B and resto in Winter Harbor. BTW, Carl makes a nice Thai style lobster.

[raleighboy]

Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and mostly any other vegetable cooked to death- well beyond any reasonable amount. Roasted with a little olive oil, its perfection.

Subway- I actually like the abysmally small meat and cheese portions. It gives me just enough room to satisfy my banana pepper, jalepeno, and red pepper relish needs. Needless to say, my subs from subway are never lacking in flavor.

Overdone scallops and shrimp- the chewier the better (I can still appreciate them if they're cooked as they were meant to, its just that my acceptable range is very very big)

[Sal Vanilla]

I like burnt food. I often wonder if there is a chemical imbalance going on in ol' Sal Vanilla. Speaking of myself in the third person is a chemical imbalance. I am sure of it.

[Emme]

can't get behind the overcooked seafood, but yes please on the veggies!

[raleighboy]

oh, cmon! Calamari looks like rubber bands, the next logical progression is for it to feel like rubber bands in your mouth.

[Passadumkeg]

Only when frozen and over cooked; think Seafood asparagus.

[Sal Vanilla]

Did anyone mention French's onions? Cuz if not, that has to be given a shout out. Woot Woot!!

[Perilagu Khan]

I don't think anybody mentioned French's onions, but I'll mention French onion dip. Wonderful stuff.

[Sal Vanilla]

Nacho cheese dip with pickled jalapenos. Manwiches. Pimento cheese spread on Wonder bread. Heinz 57 sauce on chicken.

There are no substitutions for these things. Period. I eat them - I feel better.

[barryg]

Heinz Ketchup. I think it's the only thing in my house with corn syrup in it except maybe some bbq sauce. A lot of restaurants are making their own ketchup, and it is NEVER as good as Heinz.

MSG. A tiny sprinkle goes a really long way in soups and sauces. It is truly a flavor enhancer. Just use in moderation.

[missmar79]

kraft easy mac

chopped, canned clams (over fresh clams) in my linguini with clam sauce

canned sauce (over making home made)- i actually love the bertolli vodka sauce- its awesome!!

[jhopp217]

Do you prefer the tastes or the ease? I will admit, the simplicity of popping open a can and making a clam sauce adds to the likability, but there is a definite difference in taste. As for the sauce thing, I agree with the ease again, but c'mon....a homemade sauce, if done right, is a taste that no jar can compare with. That being said, I actually like the Paul Newman's vodka sauce more than Bertolli (although I like to add proscuitto to it). I find the funniest is Rao's? World famout restaurant and the jar sauces are almost inedible!

[missmar79]

clams -totally out of ease of making and also ease of eating

as for making home made sauce- once again for ease..i am too lazy to spend my sunday making sauce..in addition, i find some homemade sauces to be too sweet.. if that makes sense.

too funny about raos! i glad i didnt splurge the 9.00 to buy it, have you tried patsys? im wondereing how her jar sauce is

[jhopp217]

I'm kind of on a no pasta kick. Mostly because after all these years of shoveling it down, I realized I don't really love it. That, coupled with the fact, I don't really like tomato sauces in general. I do like a good vodka sauce, but can live without it for the most part. I haven't had pasta in almost a year (other than mac and cheese & pasta salad a handful of times), so haven't tried any jar sauces.

[sisterfunkhaus]

I prefer Barilla sauce over homemade any day. The garlic flavor is particularly good. There are all of about 5 ingredients, all of which I would use in homemade sauce.

[Passadumkeg]

Chile burn of the taste buds, possibly?

[KailuaGirl]

I like the Rao's with sausages and mushrooms. I often use it as a base, adding more mushrooms, ground beef, fresh garlic and fresh basil.
Paul Newman's Sockarooni sauce is also good, on its own or to use as a base. Plus I like that some of the profits go to charity.

[Audreey]

I prefer Kraft Macaroni and Cheese over any other :)

[mamueller]

Give me the cheapest brand of brownie mix over any "made from scratch" creation. I love the texture.

[missmar79]

totally agree.

[Sal Vanilla]

Second that.

[EarlyBird]

I can see that Velveeta is a trend. I'll just add that it's not the Superbowl without what my mom called "Chile con queso," which is a block of Velveeta melted in a chafing dish along with a jar of salsa and/or canned green chiles. Oh. If you really want to live large, add a can of Hormel chili to it. Eat it with tortilla chips and cold beer and scream at the t.v.

[alanbarnes]

Sub taco meat for the canned chili and a scoop of guacamole, too, and you've got Bob Armstrong dip - an Austin classic.

[Perilagu Khan]

Pure paradise for every woman in America.

[onceadaylily]

. . . I once made a larger than needed bowl for a 'special' occasion. I ate it for three days straight. At the end, I looked like I was gestating a tiny human. That was six years ago. I'm good. I'll live with the memories.

[missmar79]

my friend from texas makes this- its fantastic!!!! i love to keep reheating it when it gets cold- it gets better with each nuke in the microwave

[Sal Vanilla]

I set this out every Monday night between Aug and Dec. We call it man food. Sometimes I muck with the works and add cream cheese. If any is left over (laughs) my husband eats it mixed up with macaroni the next day for lunch.

Everyone adores it. The foodies scoff and then eat it. I ease their guilt or pain by telling them that it is authentic football food.

[Janet from Richmond]

My preference is to brown a pound of spicy breakfast sausage and add to melted Velveeta and Ro-tel. Good times.

[sisterfunkhaus]

That is what passes as queso around these parts. People seem to love it for some odd reason. As for Velveeta, I use it in addition to my other cheeses in homemade mac and cheese. I have found that it keeps the cheese sauce from seperating later. It makes it so creamy.

[NCVeggie]

DItto on the Velveeta. I tried to make homemade broccoli and cheese soup about a dozen times with tremendous disappointment, until I finally admitted that the lack of processed cheese was dragging it down. Now I make it 90% homemade & natural... with a bit of the fake cheese thrown in at the end. Life is about compromises.

[alexisbrooke19]

Not all the time but definitely ranch dressing. Ranch on pizza, ranch as a dipping sauce. Ranch! Not the watery, low-fat kind or the jazzed up with cucumber flavor (which sounds delightful and tastes terrible), but the sumptuous flavorings of whole fat and whole deliciousness ranch.

[Isolda]

Cook my eggs all the way and salt my butter, please. And please, when you serve me tuna, either serve it completely raw, as in sushi, or cook it thoroughly. None of that seared on the outside, raw on the inside crap, thank you very much.

[jhopp217]

Honest question. Why would you ever order tuna if you wanted it cooked all the way through. It makes it void of taste & texture.

[ipsedixit]

Maybe Isolda likes to eat her tuna swimming in butter ...

[linguafood]

Not that raw tuna has all THAT much flavor, unless you're getting a nice piece of toro (which is why I never get 'regular' tuna at sushi bars. way too bland).

[jhopp217]

If you're eating raw tuna that is bland it is probaby old and has been treated to regain it's color to look fresh. Sushi grade tuna of any kind is so flavorful when fresh.

[Sal Vanilla]

I have eaten/made piles and piles of tuna. I lived on a boat for some time and ate what we caught. If you cook it properly, tuna cooked thru and thru is not in the least void of either texture or taste. For grins try steaming or roast/steaming it in a banana leaf or well protected in a bamboo steamer. The flavor and texture are unbelievable.

Open your mind and good eats tumble in.

[jhopp217]

While I cannot profess to living on a boat, I have eaten piles of fish. It is my experience that no fish (or any other kind of seafood) is good when cooked through. I'll stick with my tried and true rare on the inside when it comes to tuna/swordfish, etc. Your steaming version sounds delicious though and i have had stuff cooked in a banana leaf. Excellent!

[tracylee]

Oooh, I have to agree, jhopp. Growing up, my Dad always (and still does) cook fish until it's sucked clean of any moisture. Now all cooked fish tastes the same, and bad, to me. He's learned that if he invites me to dinner and cookes ahi tuna, to just leave mine raw.

I once went to a local restaurant and they had a seared tuna salad. I asked if they could just not cook it, and the waitress said: "Well that wouldn't be safe!". Ummm, OK, just where are they getting their tuna, and why would seared on the outside be safer than not cooked at all. I've never tried ordering that from them again - or anywhere else for that matter.

[rochfood]

Hamburger over steak.
Fake crab meat (not over real crab, but I like the fake stuff as a stand alone). I just consider it whitefish, not a crab substitute.
Canned tomatoes over fresh. I like the taste of ketchup, crushed tomatoes, sauce over the taste of fresh (i prob get poor examples of fresh tomatoes).

[512window]

My god! I'm not alone in the world anymore! I, too, am a fake crab meat fan. We're surimi aficianados!

I like the peanut butter that you don't have to put in the refrigerator after you open it, that's full of preservatives and what not, but you can actually spread it on your bread.

[jhopp217]

I think if you're making a crabmeat salad, the fake stuff is the way to go. I couldn't imagine wasting delicious lump crabmeat in something like that. That's like if you're frying fish at home and you're going to use tartar sauce. Why buy an expensive fish when you can use tilapia. I refuse to get tilapia when I go out though.

[southernitalian]

I have no problem with crab baloney for crab salad. I just can't stand the thought of using it for any recipe that would require it to be hot. Something about eating it hot is off-putting.

[ipsedixit]

It's good in Chinese hot pot.

[barcelonabites]

I love KFC's mashed potatoes. Also ketchup on steak. I have also been known to be a bit overzealous in my use of stock cubes...

[Perilagu Khan]

Martinis in which I can actually taste the vermouth.

[invinotheresverde]

A real foodie knows vermouth is an integral part of a martini.

[Perilagu Khan]

A real martini drinker knows that, but I've also heard far too much nonsense about "whispering the word vermouth" or "waving an open bottle of vermouth" over the gin. As if Kalahari dryness is the summum bonum of a martini.

Idiocy.

[alanbarnes]

I'm with you. There's no shame in ordering a glass of gin, up. But puhleeze - don't call it a martini.

[TexSquared]

Agree. Martini means gin and dry vermouth, up. Choice of garnish: twist of lemon rind or olive. That's it.

Anything that deviates is still a cocktail but is not a martini. Chocolate martini, vodka martini, appletini, etc etc etc.

To me all those phony martinis are to cocktails what the California roll is to sushi....

[jfood]

and California pizza is to pizza...notice a pattern

[John Manzo]

So what's a lychee martini? A figment of my taste-free imagination?

I think I'll add "flavoured martinis" to my list, because apparently the foodie police are after me for liking them.

[alanbarnes]

A lychee "martini" is a cocktail. It may be a very good one. But it's not a martini.

You can put beef stew in a soup bowl and call it "beef bouillabaisse." It's a free country. But that doesn't make it bouillabaisse.

[Perilagu Khan]

But haven't you heard, AB? We live in a pomo world and language IS reality, dontchaknow.

[jfood]

Yup, jfood is traveling on that new discount airline called Amtrak as he types.

[racer x]

jfood has a fan on the South Florida board that was asking for his recommendations a few days back.

[James Cristinian]

What is the name of the train and is there any food on it?

[sccrash]

Please, can I have bitters too?

[Passadumkeg]

Don't like the vermouth? Order a gimlet.

[Passadumkeg]

Try gimlets.

[jfood]

Here's jfood's list

-diet mountain dew
-double cheese whaopper, no onions
-cheetos, doritos, ruffles
-frosted flakes
-oreos, nutter butter, thin mints
-mayo on a roast beef sandwich and a cheesesteak
-klondike bars (crunchy)

[Passadumkeg]

Wooof! You forgot New Jersey Sloppty Joe's and the art form known as NJ hot dogs. (And Taylor Ham, as you say.)

[ipsedixit]

Here's another one that I just thought of (b/c I had it for lunch):

French fries + Ranch dressing.

[Passadumkeg]

I'm a hot dog junkie yea, yea. I'm a hot dog junkie, yea, yea. I'd be the same for taco trucks too, if any existed in Maine!

[Goldendog]

French's yellow mustard and Tabasco brand hot sauce. For 30+ years I would have 15-20 bottles of each of various "gourmet " and small batch mustards and hot sauces. I've probably tried hundreds of each, yet now I rarely use anything other than these two. I much prefer Tabasco to in house mixes at Mexican restaurants and my favorite snack--pork rinds--just aren't right without the vinegar/heat kick of lots of Tabasco. And I've seen many posts over the years that kinda amount to mustard snobbery. Just because it's American made and popular across every known demographic doesn't mean it's not good eats.

[jhopp217]

I have less of an issue with the mustard than I do with the tabasco. I go out of my way to find other sauces. My biggest gripe with Tabaso is it's heat with no taste and not even that much heat. I've just been introduced to the world of Sriracha so Tabasco seems so boring in comparison. I've also had some delicious hot sauces that were brought back from Brazil and Guatemala for me.

[bulavinaka]

Our favorite local Lebanese eatery does a really good job in keeping things traditional - up until last week. The owner told us he was so wowed by a particular hot sauce that he recently discovered. We thought, "Ummm - a Lebanese hot sauce - that would be interesting."

He brought out a couple of small cups with the sauce - we anxiously tasted it and - Sriracha. There goes the neighborhood. :)

[barryg]

Wow, I really dislike Tobasco but because it has TOO much flavor and I don't like the taste. Frank's Red Hot all the way, but really any vinegary hot sauce in that style I enjoy (Louisiana brand, store brands). Sriracha is great but also has a lot of flavor, so I avoid it on many foods as I don't like everything to taste like Sriracha.

For pure heat, ground cayenne pepper or hot oil work great.

[linguafood]

Go to your local Asian store and look for sliced fresh chilies in oil. They come in a glass jar, and they are the best hot condiment/sauce/addition for any dish you want heat for, but not extra flavor. They pack quite a punch - *much* hotter than Sriracha, and I am in love.

[andtheodor]

I find Sriracha offensively sweet and hard to use in most dishes.

[linguafood]

Sweet? Really? That's fascinating.

[jhopp217]

I somewhat understand what you mean by that and a little too much to anything you'd normally ad a regular hot sauce make the dish taste like nothing but Sriracha, but I still like it more than, say Tabasco, which I think has an offensive taste when in anything other than chili.

[weewah]

I cannot even eat a fried egg any more, unless it is spiced w/ tabasco, or hot mango relish. I want some ZING!

[Auriana]

Second the yellow mustard.

[TexSquared]

I hear you. In this house we like three kinds of mustard. French's yellow, Gulden's spicy brown, Gulden's zesty honey. We've tried others, but we always go back to those big three. Maille just didn't do it for me, and neither did Kozlik's (Toronto product that the local foodies go ga-ga over).... Love your comment about "mustard snobbery" -- I hear enough sushi snobbery all over this place, mustard snobbery is a new one :-)

As for hot sauces, regular Tabasco is it. Why mess with perfection? If I need more of a neutral, pure heat (since Tabasco does impart some flavor), I grew habanero peppers in my garden 2 years ago and made a lot of sauce with it... enough to last me 10 years....

[stuck in Hartford County]

I prefer Frank's Hot Sauce over Tobasco. It's such a bummer that here in New England it seems like NOBODY uses mustard. I always have to request it from the waitstaff when I eat out. McDonalds doesn't even have any mustard packets and sometimes they just omit the mustard on their burgers entirely. Why don't Yankees like mustard?! I like French's yellow, Maille's Old Style whole grain dijon, and Dan's Mustard from the (now shuttered) Hay Day Market.

Oh, I also prefer tap water over bottled water and carbonated water. I have no idea why. I danced a happy dance when restaurants stopped automatically serving bubbly water instead of good ol' iced tap water.

[TexSquared]

Wow, there's one I forgot... I definitely prefer tap over bottled, and I HATE bubbly water (Perrier, Pellegrino, etc)... I find bottled water always tastes like the plastic it came in, while tap just tastes fresher. My wife is the opposite, she can't stand the taste of the local tap water here (Toronto) so we're always buying cases of bottled water both flat and sparkling.

I'm surprised mustard isn't common in New England, I had no idea. One of the few "independent" mustards we keep in stock in our house is Weber's horseradish mustard from Buffalo, NY. Yum....

[Passadumkeg]

Sorry, SIHC, but I've lived in NE for 25 years and must disagree on your mustardly ideas. I have no problem finding mustards and it is an accompaniment to that quintessential NE meal, the boiled dinner. One of the world's great mustards is made in Maine, Raye's of Eastport. Stonewall Kitchen is a Maine company and make a gore met mustard. Mustard on red snapper hot dogs is a natural as well as potato salad and burgers. Now putting mustard on a lobster roll is fightin' words.
My wife is related to half the Mayflower and she thinks you are misguided.

[stuck in Hartford County]

I disagree w/you. Mustard in NOT popular here in CT. It is never out w/ketchup or hot sauce and restaurants routinely omit it.

That said, "fancy" and expensive mustards are available everywhere. Furthermore, when the Baldwin's (also on the Mayflower, as you know) get together for a boiled seafood dinner, mustard in nowhere to be found.

It would be interesting to compare the amount of mustard sold in stores in CT versus other states. A mission before summer school starts next month!

[Bryan Pepperseed]

Grated parm on linguine with white clam sauce - one would think that I'd also do it with red clam sauce too, but for some reason I don't.

[woodleyparkhound]

Green beans southern style -- cooked (for a LONG time) with fat back and onions. I never make these myself, but when I go home and someone else serves them, I'm in heaven!

[Janet from Richmond]

I make them very often....my Mom taught me how and I love them. Thank goodness I live in the south where they are a big hit.

I have a special fondness for Velveeta and also the Celeste Microwave Pizza's for One. They go on sale for $1 each and I stock up the work freezer.

[sisterfunkhaus]

I'll admit that while I love a crisp, sauteed, whole green bean, I do love me some southern style. If you really want your mind blown, hunt down a brand of canned green beans by the name of Glory. They are hard to find but they are right out of heaven. I usually find them in a special area where they sell a brand called Sylvia's. The brand is geared towards African Americans. It is the only canned veggie I will touch except for canned tomatoes.

[stuck in Hartford County]

Yup! I find mine in the "ethnic" aisle. Or, you can stew your own w/bacon, onion, bit sugar, water, pinch salt, splash hot sauce (only on mine, the kids think I'm crazy)...yum!

[MandalayVA]

Glory green beans are AWESOME. I've seen Sylvia's too, I need to try it.

[Janet from Richmond]

I need to check these out!

[woodleyparkhound]

I bought a can of Glory green beans a long time ago, after reading your post, but just got around to opening the can recently. You are right - they are very good for canned green beans. It's good to keep a can around, for when we're out of fresh vegetables.

[hill food]

Glory is a fairly decent brand for canned stuff. interesting variety of goods as well.

[jbsiegel]

Miracle Whip over mayonaise
Iceberg lettuce over all others

Does beer over wine count?

[bulavinaka]

>>Does beer over wine count?<<

In the past, I'd say no doubt. But with the way beer-heads are nowadays, they might be looking down their froth-covered noses at the wine wonks.

[Perilagu Khan]

Yep. The beerheads have gotten mighty dam' uppity. One of 'em toting a six-pack of something called "milk stout" just about laffed me out of the store when he saw my 18-pack of Lone Star Light.

[jhopp217]

I think you could have just left it Miracle Whip, JK! My father likes the stuff and I almost can't stomach it. Helman's Mayo is the one thing I don't think I could do without. I love it!
I have no problem with iceberg lettuce. What's wrong with a nice crisp, cold leaf of lettuce!

[Cachetes]

Not is the wine is Charles Shaw.

[bulavinaka]

Tell that to the bajillions who buy it by the mulitple cases. (o_O)

[Cachetes]

I know. I just don't get it! I've heard that the batches can vary, but I've never found one that works for me.

[bulavinaka]

No doubt the price drives the sales, but I think there's a mystique about this wine that still surrounds it. When Two-buck Chuck was first released, I remember lots of rumors floating around about how it was surplus wine from very reputable wineries; others would say that they heard the wines were 90+ worthy if they were rated by some wine authority. Others would claim that some wine critics were surprised how good the stuff actually was. Just lots of different claims from those drinking it or at least hearing about it.

I think those claims may have had some truth at the beginning, where at least some of the wine may have been from some wineries that were known, but as far as who they were, how good their reputation and quality of the actual wine, I never heard who they were so I don't know about their reputation and I personally never experienced any of the wines that exhibited depth and character that was worthy of all the praise. But two bucks ain't bad for a 750 ml buzz.

[Maximilien]

iceberg lettuce.

[stuck in Hartford County]

with Roquefort dressing!

[RGC1982]

I prefer flavored coffee to just about any kind of plain. No syrups for me, it has to be Creme Brulee flavor versus plain with syrup from Starbucks.

I prefer my salmon and tuna cooked nearly through. Yes, I eat sushi and raw oysters, but I don't understand the appeal of the seared ahi thing when you are eating in a regular restaurant. I like the flavor and texture when it is barely dark pink at the center. You have to see the looks I get from these 20ish waitstaff when I tell them how I want it cooked. It's like ordering a Kobe steak well done, I guess.

I also prefer domestic Parmesan cheese to nearly any imported variety -- even the youngest type. Why? Probably because I grew up eating it.

Finally, I prefer cooked ham to virtually any kind of smoked ham for cold cut sandwiches. Hard to believe, but the low salt Hormel cooked ham that sells at Walmart for about $3 per pound is one of my favorites. I like smoked hams, but not for sandwiches. Any I love things like Proscuitto di Parma or San Daniele, but for a plain ham sandwich, this or Boar's Head Deluxe ham are my favorites.

[scuzzo]

I love cheese and seafood...though some snob on here told me it's "strictly forbidden" which only makes me want to do it more!!! Parm with shimp and salmon??? Yes please!!!

[woodleyparkhound]

It's "strictly forbidden" in Italy, along with capuccino after dinner, harming the liver by leaving a window open so the breeze comes in, and multitudinous other things.

[John Manzo]

LOL- the seafood and cheese things is preposterous. Actually so is everything you've listed- never heard about the dangers of open windows but it sounds par for the course for Ital "folk wisdom."

[James Cristinian]

Somebody used cheese with soft shell crabs on Food Network's "Chopped" show this past weekend and one of the judges taken aback, even horrified, horrified mind you, although these weren't his exact words, just his reaction.

[KailuaGirl]

I'm with you on the cheese with seafood. I always tell the waiters "more" when they try to give me a very slight grating of cheese over my seafood combo linguine. Who cares what some food snobs say about it? I eat what I like and how I like it, so there!

[occula]

Ooh, that reminds me! I like my steaks pretty well done. At LEAST medium-well. In addition to agreeing with you on the salmon and tuna cookery.

[eeboswell]

>>You have to see the looks I get from these 20ish waitstaff when I tell them how I want it cooked.<<

I am totally guilty of giving this look, Im sorry!! Its not the way its cooked, its how long it takes to cook!! IMO most people that order it Med-Well still expect it to be as fast as seared-- these fish take so freaking long to cook through and our chefs freak out because they have to be very carefully with their presentation when its cooked through!

However, I hear ya!! I agree the flavor is 100% better

I love the parm cheese too
beer over wine
and flavored coffee

[ipsedixit]

McDonald's Filet-O-Fish
Diet Coke
MSG
Pop Tarts
Cap'N Crunch Cereal
Swanson Salisbury Steak TV Dinners
Ketchup on eggs over easy

[bulavinaka]

You are an umami addict. Had a great "pop tart" at Bite last weekend - strawberry-watermelon, but no adhesive-like icing.

[tracylee]

I just bought some Pop-Tarts today, I've been craving them. When I looked at the label when I got home, a single Pop-Tart has 10% of the RDA for iron! Wooo hooo! I'm sure my doctor would be thrilled at how I'm getting my iron in these days, LOL.

[TexSquared]

Ruth's Chris steak over any number of independent clone steakhouses

Cheez Whiz on cheesesteaks

Papa John's Pizza over any "wood-fired thin crust gourmet" pizza

Chicago deep dish pizza (Gino's East is my fave) over any "wood-fired thin crust gourmet" pizza

Any full-service chain restaurant over Terroni

Tex-Mex over "authentic" Mexican

Black tea and Earl Grey over green tea

Krispy Kreme doughnuts over Dunkin Donuts/Tim Hortons

genetically modified/imported from somewhere else/fertilized by chemicals/cash crop over organic/locavore/fair trade/shade grown/100 mile/yadda yadda yadda (I refuse to pay more for this hype)

Aldi over Whole Foods (see above)

And bringing back the old Food Network flame wars....
Emeril Lagasse over David Rosengarten

[bulavinaka]

>>Black tea and Earl Grey over green tea<<

I like all three - I don't know where I now stand in this universe... (o_O)

[Perilagu Khan]

"genetically modified/imported from somewhere else/fertilized by chemicals/cash crop over organic/locavore/fair trade/shade grown/100 mile/yadda yadda yadda (I refuse to pay more for this hype)"

You've well and truly put the cat amongst the pigeons now. And for the record, I'm on your side in this one.

[TexSquared]

Thanks for backing me up on that one! I'm surprised I haven't been flamed for it yet! Where are the flaming posts? ;-)

[bulavinaka]

>>Thanks for backing me up on that one! I'm surprised I haven't been flamed for it yet! Where are the flaming posts? ;-)<<

I think we're all on the same team. :) My gut tells me that any interlopers will be descended upon. ;)

[TexSquared]

The 100-mile nutcases took a beating in this other thread too:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7044...

I guess I sent the flamers into the closet (bad double-entendre there, not totally unintentional either!!)

[Cachetes]

As an outsider to this debate I'll add: More likely, they recognize some times it's just better to let certain comments slide.

As for your list, I agree with you about the tea and the Aldi's. As for Tex-Mex and Mexican food, they are so different in my opinion as to not merit comparison. Both can be very good, and both can be very bad.

[TexSquared]

My point was, foodie snobs turn their noses up at "Tex Mex" with insults such as "not authentic" and "tex mex crap" or "chain restaurant garbage"... hey, if it tastes good to me I'll eat it and I don't care if the snobs think less of me for it. Tex-Mex is here to stay and there's not a damn thing the snobs can do about it, other than maybe move to Mexico (uh, make that "Oaxaca" since to paint all of Mexico with the same brush is offensive to foodies) permanently so they can quit their bitching.

(note: my screen name has nothing to do with my enjoyment of Tex-Mex food!)

[Cachetes]

I was more or less agreeing, in my way. People who look down on Tex-Mex b/c it's not Mexican are making, in many ways, a false comparison, and one that prevents them from experiencing some good Tex-Mex. We don't get many anti-Tex Mex snobs up here in the northeast, though we do have loads of people who have no idea that Mexican can be something other than fajitas and nachos.

[Perilagu Khan]

If I recall correctly, the very term "Tex-Mex" was coined by a food writer from the NY Times who had no use whatsoever for the "Mexican" food eaten in Texas, but loved everything south of the border. Her terminology is more accurate, but it was also intended as a slight.

[alanbarnes]

Actually, "Tex-Mex" was used to refer to Tejanos long before it was used to describe their cuisine. According to the OED, your recollection is correct that it was first used in connection with food in the NYTimes. But the usage was complimentary ("Star of the evening was her Texas or Tex-Mex chili").

Not sure when or why it became a derogatory term. The first time I heard it used that way was by a food snob in Boston circa 1983. To refer to my cooking. I was baffled, because I grew up making and eating New Mexican food, which is a whole different animal than Tex-Mex.

It became apparent that this person was in dire need of a plexiotomy when he insisted that the kind of food people eat changes dramatically at the border. He couldn't find Reynosa or Ciudad Miguel Aleman on on a map. Ah, well, opinions are like, well, you know.

No doubt there's plenty of bad Tex-Mex out there. And it's a pretty sad statement that so many people who live north of the border believe that "Mexican food" is limited to hypercaloric combination plates dripping with melted yellow cheese. But good Tex-Mex is a thing of joy and beauty.

[Passadumkeg]

Aaaaamen! Al, pass me the sopapillas! Google that one folks.
Red or green? No, Christmas. Only for the cogniziti.

[alanbarnes]

Christmas. And throw an egg on it.

[Perilagu Khan]

Hmmm. Perhaps I've conflated the originator of the Tex-Mex food appellation with the views of one of her snootier epigoni. Seems I recall some animadversion which decried yellow cheese, lardy bean paste and salsas which cauterized the taste buds before the piece de resistance could even be sampled. Some folks up northeast have mighty tender tastebuds.

[almansa]

My Mexican friend, raised mostly in Texas, owns a restaurant, and he refers to it as a Tex-Mex restaurant. I think it's best described as northern Mexican/Texan low income cooking. That's not an insult, it's a reality. It's no Topolobampo, but the food is great, and it's authentic for what it is.

[TexSquared]

I wish I could visit your friend's restaurant! One that can use the words "Authentic" and "Tex-Mex" in the same sentence (to foodie snobs those are mutually exclusive).

[Passadumkeg]

Hey man, it is authentic, if one uses authentic Velveeta.
I have problems w/ the brown gravy stuff instead of a red or green chile sauce.

[Perilagu Khan]

The hell you bellow, pass?! A carne guisada burrito with grated extra sharp cheddar is one of the Great Southwest's culinary delights.

[Passadumkeg]

The Velveeta is a joke, but my Texan SIL swears by it. I am still a Mex addict stuck in a New England Mex chow wasteland. But that may change and be full of "Enchantment".
Holy Guacamole!

[Bada Bing]

Anytime someone mentions Velveeta, I recall an incident many years ago (a long story itself) in which I needed to get some Velveeta for a recipe, and I wandered the cheese aisle forever, unable to find it. Eventually, I was informed that it's a non-refridgerated product, so I needed to go to a wholly different part of the store. (In my memory now, I alway think I finally found it next to the motor oil.)

[cosmogrrl]

Tex-mex is an authentic food style in my book. A definite mix of texan and mexican(Oaxaca) foods. It can be very delicious. I think it got a bad name when chain restaurants started putting "tex-mex" items on their menus. And I hate it when people say that something isn't authentic mexican when really it's just a style from a different region.

[alanbarnes]

Oaxaca??? You're about 1,000 miles and three major cuisines off.

Tex-Mex isn't a "mix" of anything. It's its own cuisne, evolved in its own place. The 20th century brought about some questionable innovations, including the extensive use of processed cheese, but Tejano food was well-established along the border long before then.

Yes, Tex-Mex has been influenced by traditions from further south, the cattle ranching culture of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon chief among them. But the cocina maya you find in Oaxaca and on the Yucatan Peninsula is not a significant contributor.

[linguafood]

oh snap.

[CocoaNut]

+1!

[cosmogrrl]

Oops sorry, I got my regions mixed...... DOH!

[sisterfunkhaus]

Having grown up in Texas around some fabulous Tex- Mex food, I must agree with you. It's it's own thing. It was a necessity when Mexicans moved here and had to incorporate available foods into their own cooking. There weren't always Mexican markets on every corner. It's like southern food meets Mexican food. It's really comforting fusion food.

Good Tex-Mex is hard to beat. I live 5 minutes from a Mexican community and the number of taquerias and mom and pop resturaunts geared solely toward the Mexican population is insane. None of them would be considered "authentic" Mexican, but they are still some of the best places you will ever eat.

People who truly love food don't need to fight about authenticity and don't have to constantly rag on something to try to prove something. They just eat what they love, cook what they love, and enjoy life.

[alanbarnes]

>>"It was a necessity when Mexicans moved here and had to incorporate available foods into their own cooking."<<

Whuh? Tejano culture and Tex-Mex cuisine weren't created by people who immigrated to Texas from Mexico. They trace their roots to Hispanic people who settled in Texas when it was **part** of Mexico.

[Sal Vanilla]

There was a poster yesterday who posted about Ina Garten making Tex Mex chili - with beans. She found that objectionable.

Lord did the claws come out and the fir fly. Over TEX MEX. I thought it very amusing. You Tex Mex flame throwers you.

[sisterfunkhaus]

I watched that show. It was total Yankee food. Don't even get me started on grapefruit margaritas. If they enjoy it though, that is what is important. I am normally not one to argue about authenticity, so I will call that yankee Tex-Mex. I'll pretend that it is a new type of fusion cuisine.

As far as the authentic Texas chili argument, having lived here my entire life, I have yet to run in to anyone who actually makes chili with chunks of meat. Even the best cooks I know use ground beef and or pork. Plenty use beans. I have never even seen it served in a resturaunt. I hear about what it is "supposed" to be, but it doesn't seem to have much of a presence outside of chili cookoffs (maybe b/c of the Tejano influence?)

I have made chili with chunks of meat and no beans. I cook it until the meat falls apart. It is quite tasty, but doesn't even resemble the ground chili that seems to predominate the homes and resturants in Texas. Honestly, the two don't even seem related except for the spices.

[cosmogrrl]

I will have a "grapefruit" margarita in a place that doesn't use fresh lime, but has a better tequila menu. Yes, they exist, in many places, most chains use powdered sweet and sour mix in their bars. I have them substitute grapefruit juice, which is at least not made from a mix, for lime/ sweet and sour mix. Nothing authentic, but pretty good. Not like my margaritas, which aren't authentic, but use a lot of fresh lime, some fresh grapefruit, and good tequila. And when I say good tequila, I mean good enough for a margarita. Not the sipping stuff. Dunno what she made.

[Passadumkeg]

True New Mexican chile is chunky, no beans. If God had wanted Texans to ski, she would have given them mountains. Groun meat is for lazies.

[James Cristinian]

I use ground meat for one reason only. I am lazy, and too lazy to put beans in, which I would never do anyway. Ok Pass, as to your montain reference, I always get my Yankee friends, and I know you have some southwestern roots, on this one, Texas has higher mountains than anywhere east of the Mississippi River. We just lack the one essential ingredient for skiing, snow.

[Passadumkeg]

I'm about to make a bunch of pork, green chile burritos for a bunch of downeast Yankee school teachers. I'm even adding a fresh serrano pico de gallo, just to ensure more heat. After a few drinks, it should be fun to watch.
A student brought in 10 more pounds of steamer clams and another gave me a dozen lobsters for my birthday.
Life is good.
ps I have to get up on the roof of my house each winter to shove the big accumulation of snow off. The hill country is looking better. Gone fishin' to Perdinales!

[stuck in Hartford County]

pass the mustard!

:)

[FoodFuser]

James, that Big Bend chili is chunky, but rather dry.

[alanbarnes]

I'm no evangelist for organic produce, but the simple fact of the matter is that a tomato bred to be harvested green and shipped cross-country is never going to taste as good as one that was picked ripe this morning off a vine at a nearby farm. I agree that people pay far too much for hype (PT Barnum was right), but sometimes the price of quality is worth paying.

[ipsedixit]

But there is a difference between organic and local, right?

I agree that I paying for a tomato grown 2000 miles away, picked green and then shipped to your neighborhood market is just silly -- even if it is "certified organic".

Buy local whenever possible -- be it organic, conventional, or whatever.

[alanbarnes]

My point exactly (although upon re-reading my post, I could have made that point more clearly). Fresh produce just tastes better when it's, well, fresh. And while buying local is no guarantee of freshness (stuff that sits in the stockroom at the grocery store has won't taste much better than something that spent the same amount of time on a truck), buying things grown far away is a pretty good guarantee of suboptimal flavor.

That said, some crops do ship well. Plenty of rice is grown within a few miles of my house, but when I'm having rogan josh or kaeng phet I want basmati or jasmine rice from halfway around the world. And my pantry has green coffee from three continents and an island in the middle of nowhere.

[Sal Vanilla]

Yeah, I think you were unclear. But a good point none the less.

Veggies from my backyard are better than the store for sure. But I will tell you this - not a chance I would use Organic seeds ever again. I did a couple test runs comparing organic and regular seeds last year and the organic without exception were weaker and seemed like pest magnets - They were RIGHT next to one another. I wish I took pics. The brusselsprouts were an unmitigated disaster.

I digress.

Also a note - take good quality hot house tomatoes set them in the sun right before eating and cut up your home variety straight from the vine. They are close - but the difference is that they lack the smell on the outside that is very tomato planty. Rub Mr. Hothouse along the stems of the plant and you are nearly identical. Well, nearlyish. Like if you picked slightly early like you do with tomato one.

[John Manzo]

Tex-Mex IS "authentic."

[Whinerdiner]

I know I'm late to the party, but I had to chime in -
Oh My Gosh! I loved David Rosengarten. My now husband took me to a "Book and the Cook" luncheon with him on one of our first dates. That autographed cookbook is my favorite. What happened to him?
I also wanted to second the Chef Boyardee - I secretly love the Beefaroni. Of course, I can only indulge when no one else is home,

[TexSquared]

Let's just say, "Taste with David Rosengarten" was the only show I hated back when the Food Network was still good.

I don't question his knowledge, which is clearly encyclopedic, and I even have a copy of his Dean and Deluca cookbook. But his TV show I absolutely hated.

[Whinerdiner]

Geez Tex, I liked it, but clearly you are in the majority as he is no longer on the air.

[Emme]

ketchup on everything... can't have it now due to allergies but... before on everything from veggies to lobster claws (i know, i know)

pasta with butter and parm -- totally fine if you give me the horrid powdery parmesan from the green can...

ICEBERG lettuce please... no weeds.

overcook my veggies, please. a lot. nothing al dente. i don't care about the nutrient profile. nothing like almost burned broccoli or cauliflower.

[invinotheresverde]

We have a winner for most scoffable list! :)

[John Manzo]

Here here! I cook asparagus until it melts.

[al b. darned]

For me it's Barber Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Always have some in the freezer.

[CarmenR]

digiorno stuffed crust pizzas- they remind me of college
creamy chicken flavor RAMEN! I cant believe no one has said this- I'd rather eat ramen than "real" soup 99% of the time. I don't, but I would prefer it.
Pillsbury Toaster Strudel over many forms of "good" (read- chain store) pastries. I haven't had a toaster in about 5 years so I haven't made them, but one of my little treats is buying a box of the strawberry flavor every once in a while. Cheaper and more fun (and sickeningly sweet) than some nasty pastry from dunkin donuts.
As far as "real food" goes, Janes Crazy Salt feels like a cheat of some sort (its just a mixture of the seasonings i already have) but man I LOVE that stuff. I use it on everything.

[Perilagu Khan]

I too get an occasional craving for Ramen noodles.

Also like an iceberg salad with **gulp** RANCH dressing.

[Perilagu Khan]

Another de classe' food I love is Totino's pizza. Those suckers don't cost much more than a buck and I'm sure they're not made with the finest ingredients, but God I do love them so.

[racer x]

I know what you mean about those Totino's pizzas. I would prefer a "real" pizza from a pizzeria (or even a homemade pizza), but in a pinch, they can be mighty tasty.

(I would NEVER have admitted this on chowhound if you hadn't already broken the ice.)

[Perilagu Khan]

Some things are easier when you just don't give a dam'. :)

[jules127]

The "party" pizza?! Hells yeah!

[4X4]

Remember Elio's frozen pizza? (I think that was the name) Rectangular slices. I loved that pizza when I was a kid.

[racer x]

Borden's or Kraft American processed cheese product on tacos.

[jhopp217]

It seems to me that most responders missed the main word "prefer." A lot of people wrote odd things they like. I would like to think people don't prefer Chef Boyardee Ravioli to homemade Ravioli or Velveeta over a high quality cheese. That all beings said, I think pizzeria pizza has fallen so far that I actually "prefer" Tombstone w/the works to getting it from a pizzeria. I too have some herbs I think are better dried (cumin, oregano, turmeric). I also have no problem (although "prefer" is a strong word) Idahon mashed potato flakes as opposed to freshly made. Something about creamy mashed potatoes in 2 minutes makes me happy and tingle inside. Already butter and herb flavored..easy peasy!

[bulavinaka]

>>It seems to me that most responders missed the main word "prefer." A lot of people wrote odd things they like.<<

>>what do you prefer that most foodies would scoff at?<<
- Title of OP

I think in this context, the lot of us are on the mark. The gist of what I gather is that the OP is asking about things that we prefer that most foodies would SCOFF AT. So many of us are listing or agreeing with things that might be considered lower tier, if not low brow, by those who would be categorized as foodies. I'm guessing Chef Boyardee and Funyuns are waisted shelf space to most foodies who would want artisan pasta and farmers market onion rings with a side of truffle-infused aioli on the side.

[Perilagu Khan]

Yeah, that's my take, too.

And let me hasten to add that I do not prefer Chef Boyardee rav to the rav prepared fresh in a fine resto. I merely like the stuff and suspect that the vast majority of foodies or Hounds or whoever would run screaming into the night if presented with a bowl of it.

[bulavinaka]

I can relate - I thinka big part of this is that it's a link with our childhoods. There's an old ice cream sandwich where some imitation vanilla ice cream was sandwiched between two waffle-like layers that I remember from my childhood visits to Japan. I think it's long gone as I've never found anything like it since. But once in a while, I get a whiff of something similar - the overly-synthesized bouquet of imitation vanilla in a borderline dairy product, a crispy mass-produced cookie from a no-name liquor store, and it transports me back to catching dragonflies and tadpoles in the rice paddies.

[Perilagu Khan]

The associational ties between childhood and food are mighty powerful. I figure there has to be a mass of psychological literature on this subject.

[mamachef]

I'd sit right there with you and we'd get our chow on, PK.

[jhopp217]

I'm on an anti-pasta kick. So bring on the Funyons!

[RealMenJulienne]

I have a morbid, irresistible curiosity about canned meats of all kinds. If it comes from an animal and is packed in a can, there is nothing gross enough or unhealthy enough that I won't try it. Sometimes this urge leads to tasty "chowhound approved" foods like the Russian smoked sprats I tried last week, but this is by far the exception and not the rule.

[Perilagu Khan]

Hey, I loved deviled ham. No apologies.

[bulavinaka]

Frying up the deviled ham and mixing in some eggs for breakfast is a Hawaiian ritual.

[Perilagu Khan]

Yet another reason to visit the Aloha State.

[KailuaGirl]

Actually, we use Spam more than anything else (with the exception of Portuguese sausage, perhaps). A loco moco - rice, a fried burger or slice of Spam, a runny egg, and topped with lots of brown gravy. now that's a breakfast of champions. There are lots of variations depending on restaurant or personal preference when making it at home. I can only eat it a few times of year, since I can all but hear my arteries clogging when I do.

[GraydonCarter]

Canned smoked oysters.

Potted Meat: Mechanically separated chicken, beef tripe, partially defatted cooked beef fatty tissue, beef hearts

[Paulustrious]

Call it patè and all is forgiven.

[RealMenJulienne]

Yeah, or rillettes.

[chicgail]

Tripe, fatty tissue and beef hearts are delicacies in many parts of the world.

[bluemoon4515]

I prefer:
Sliced American cheese on my burgers (unless there's goat cheese around).
Salted butter (even--no, especially in baking).
Mrs. T's frozen pierogies.
Any fish over salmon.
Sugar cones over waffle cones. (But of course, not real waffles).

[Kelli2006]

I agree with your list, except that I rarely put cheese on burgers, but the few times that I do I use Swiss or blue. Salted butter in baking is fine, as long as you compensate by reducing additional salt in the recipe.

I eat Kraft mac and cheese a few times a year.

I'm not a big steak person and I actually prefer burgers over steak , especially made from ground chuck or round that I grind myself.

[Cachetes]

Kraft Mac n Cheese. I have never met another macaroni and cheese that I like - they are either too bland, too oily, or too 'unbalanced' (meaning there's one flavor that is overwhelming it). I rarely eat mac and cheese, except when I give in and buy my son a box. I have plenty of other things that I might enjoy, but they aren't my preferred version of a particular food (e.g. Pringles: I like them on occasion, but I don't prefer them hands down over all other chips)

[vandan]

30 day dry-aged steak, found it dry, surprise, surprise and the flavour not as good as regular, defo not worth the xtra $ imo

[Bada Bing]

Gosh, I'm a straight-up-the-middle "foodie," it would seem, in that I don't really hanker after any embarrassing packaged foods from my sordid youth. BUT: I did get a number of people worked up recently by saying that my family likes ketchup in our home recipe for mac & cheese . . .

[onceadaylily]

Pepperoncini on a saltine, with a bit of cheddar and a squiggle of Plochman's. Pringles. My favorite cereals are Fruity Pebbles and Peanut Butter Crunch. Another vote for the canned ravioli, and also the cheap mac and cheese (I like drained, diced canned tomatoes in mine).

And, honestly, I like canned beans: I cannot stand the tedious process dried beans entail.

[bulavinaka]

I go on occasional Pringles binges. I don't go to regular supermarkets very often, but when I do, I check out the chips aisle to see what's new at the supermarket level. And when those Pringles are fully stocked, and there's a new flavor, I have to give them a try, and fortify those with the old reliables. Shame. On. Me.

[onceadaylily]

And there is *always* a new flavor. And a sale.

[bulavinaka]

Those "three-fer" sales are the last straw that breaks my feeble will.

[Michelly]

Ditto here on the canned beans. Once I decided to make baked beans from scratch. After soaking the dried ones overnight and spending most of the next day simmering them with pork rinds, brown sugar, fresh onions, etc. etc, the final product tasted EXACTLY like canned baked beans. Oh, I ate them -I love baked beans- but from then on, I just reach for the can opener.

[TexSquared]

Agree 100% on the canned beans. Seems to be a whole lot of work just to emulate the canned product in the end.

My equivalent would be for garbanzo beans/chickpeas. I love hummus and make it often. Didn't taste a significant difference between preparing them from dried (having to soak the beans overnight, simmer them for a couple hours, etc) vs. just opening up a can of the stuff, draining the liquid and dumping the already cooked beans into the food processor.... and the canned beans go on sale so often, I just stock up so I'm always prepared.

[jhopp217]

Agree with you and TexSquared. My mother used to make hummus all the time. She one time made it from dried beans and we couldn't tell the difference one bit. She never did it that way again and thank goodness. The wait was unbearable.

[racer x]

Michelly, you need to use a pressure cooker - then there'd be no reason to spend hours simmering the beans.
(I do use canned beans for dishes in which the beans are just another ingredient, like a squash tajine with beans. But when the beans are the star, it's comforting to know there's nothing in there except what I put in there - and they are so easy to cook.)

[ChrisOC]

My mother used to make baked beans with the dried white limas. Man was that good!

[mamachef]

Hey, so did mine....a great version of baked limas with pears. Sounds weird, perhaps, but good stuff.

[mariacarmen]

i read that recipe in the Nora Ephron "Heartburn" -a book i ADORE - years before they made it into a movie and thought it sounded good and interesting, tho i do not like limas.

or maybe i just think i don't. I went around for decades thinking i hated green bell peppers and now i am eating them almost every day - started just 3 weeks ago.

[KailuaGirl]

My Mom did the same, and always threw a ham bone in. I think she called it ":stormy day beans." They were so good, especially if we'd been out in the snow for hours and were freezing - blue lips and fingernails and chattering teeth. That stuff warmed you right up!

[Sue in Mt P]

MMMM Plochman's.

Mine's rice a roni.

[mariacarmen]

ooohhh i miss eating rice-a-roni! and i haven't had the san francisco treat since years before i moved here. i think i would still like it, but i don't think it would be my preference over other kinds of homemade rice.

[weewah]

There's no substitute for the 'fried rice' version - it's actually the only Rice-a Roni I have ever eaten, and I ALWAYS keep a box in the pantry in case of a craving! I was so mad when they quit putting the almonds in the mix - I am still mad.

[occula]

Well done eggs, overcooked fish generally, Starbucks.

[invinotheresverde]

Well done eggs for me too, please. Yolks creep me out.

[JerryMe]

Yes - I've never gotten the whole "egg yolk oozing out" = deliciousness thing.

[Perilagu Khan]

Exactly. Repulsive is the word that springs to mind.

[linguafood]

I find undercooked egg whites much, much more offensive.... nay, repulsive.

[onceadaylily]

I had the same reaction. I like a nice yolk (it's like . . . nature's custardy mustard), but trying to get a good yolk without a runny white in a restaurant has left me uttering the words, "Over . . . (*sigh*) medium?" in far too many restaurants. The sight of translucent bits of the white threading their gooey way over my hash, and around my over-cooked yolk, always makes me laugh, and be ever more thankful for the biscuits and gravy. Or the bloody mary.

[mamachef]

Over-medium sounds perfect: completely done whites, with yolks that have thickened up; served on top of corned beef has or with a medium-rare steak.....

[jhopp217]

While I'll pretty much eat eggs any which way...isn't there just something special about the yolks pouring out over corned beef hash?

[KailuaGirl]

Yes! Poached eggs with runny yolks, fully cooked whites, and corned beef hash is the best breakfast. Adding some hash browns on the side makes it even better!
I can't stand runny whites!!!

[hill food]

whaat is Spanish for soft and scrambled? the Revueltos part I have just not the rest.

[mariacarmen]

huevos revueltos pero no muy cocidos.

[hill food]

thanks, gotcha, but I will have to look up the cocidas part.

[jbsiegel]

Right there with you on the eggs and the Starbucks! Fried, over-well, broken...

[occula]

Oh yeah, I have ordered exactly that! With perhaps a "hard" thrown in for emphasis. "Fried, well done, over and broken, cooked hard!"

[hannaone]

LoL!!!

Broken yolk over hard is good for sandwiches/muffins only.

A nice, barely thickened yolk, is perfection.

[invinotheresverde]

Yuck.

[hannaone]

Over easy on top of hashbrowns, sauteed sweet or chili pepper, bacon, sausage, or ham, cut up and all mixed together. Breakfast heaven.

[Passadumkeg]

The real breakfast heave is pork backbone soup w/ so ju. I want some now!

[hannaone]

I love the pork neck or back bone soup, but the over easy egg mess is comfort food from my Colorado childhood.
I do change it up sometimes with a side of pancakes or biscuits and gravy.

[Passadumkeg]

Freshly roasted green chile scrambled eggs rolled into a tortilla!

[hannaone]

LoL, The "Boulder Special".

Another favorite.

[Passadumkeg]

Pork backbone soup for breakfast, the traditional Korean hangover cure, Ms Keg presiding:

[onceadaylily]

And is that hair of the dog in her hand? Because she looks pretty happy to be hungover. Which is, really, the way to go, if one can go that way.

[Passadumkeg]

My wife is a dream. She everything I cook, happily gets dragged around the world and puts up w/ me! Wow.
Yes, Hite beer, she's not a big fan of so ju, but I am.

[hannaone]

OMG that looks good.

Is that kkakdugi (radish kimchi) in the bowl?

[Tripeler]

Great photo, there...

About soju, the Korean versions that I have had bear no resemblance to the much higher quality Japanese versions (called sho-chu), but then they are made from cheap grain whereas the good Japanese stuff is made from sweet potatoes.

[Passadumkeg]

Good korean so jus is from sweet potatoe too. But, boy the cheap stuff is...cheap and a little rough around the edges. Here they are chilling it in the aquarium at a side walk workers place. The other is a chicken gizzard chile stir fry. Sorry, but I can't remember the korean names.

[hannaone]

Korean Soju, depending on brand and quality, can be made from rice (tradtional), potato, wheat, barley, sweet potato, or tapioca (all of which were used during a government prohibition on fermenting of rice).
Charcoal filtered soju (charcoal made from three year old bamboo grown on Mt Jiri) seems to be a current favorite.

[jbsiegel]

Nope...over well broken on a buttered hard roll with bacon and ketchup and an ice cold Diet Pepsi to wash it down. Now that's breakfast heaven!

Hangover breakfast heaven is hard boiled egg with soy sauce on it, Lays potato chips dipped in ketchup.

[ZenSojourner]

Ditto.

LOL!

[mariacarmen]

Runny egg yolk on hashbrowns is heaven. Runny egg yolk on rice is nirvana. even hard boiled eggs are better when they are ever-so-slightly less cooked in the middle... moist...

[jbsiegel]

Hard boiled with a SLIGHTLY moist yolk (bright yellow rather than the fully-cooked paler yellow) is really good chopped up with a spoon and a dollup of butter on top (which melts on the hot egg) and salt.

[mariacarmen]

mmmm. . . i had one today with soy sauce and black pepper...

[CheekyPeach]

Noooo, creamy yolk spread onto one side of the bread; delicious. :D

[mariacarmen]

oh yes, sorry, DEFINITELY creamy yolk.

[CheekyPeach]

post made me giggle :)

[Jay2512]

I'm with you on Starbucks.

[almansa]

While it's not a preference, I can admit that I like white chocolate. And I prefer milk chocolate to "dark." And frankly, I don't mind instant coffee.

[vandan]

yup milk chocolate hands down as well

[Perilagu Khan]

The list is probably endless:

Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit
Chef Boyardee Ravioli
McDonald's Quarter Pounder with Cheese
Chung King Frozen Egg Rolls
Velveeta Shells and Cheese
Velveeta period
Funyuns

That's just off the top o' me head. Given time I could expand that list geometrically if not exponentially.

[linguafood]

Dude. Seriously? I'm not here to pick a fight, but.... over what do you prefer Chef Boyardee ravioli? I just saw too many of your mouth-watering home cooking board posts to let this one go. But maybe it's a childhood thing with you, too. Nowadays, I couldn't stomach those canned ravioli with mystery filling in bland tomato sauce, but I loved them as a kid.

[Bada Bing]

I love it that this response gives Perilagu Khan a "verified" chowhound scoff!

Of course, some threads observe a distinction between hounds and foodies, but that's for another conversation.

[linguafood]

I love that you consider me a 'verified' chowhound.... but I mostly am sure that Perilagu is one, despite his abhorrent preference for canned ravioli '-)

[Perilagu Khan]

Probably a childhood thing. And my mom--not necessarily a chowhound type--hated even to serve the stuff. But I loved it so she did.

PS--Also love Spaghetti-Os.

[LA Buckeye Fan]

I've got your Spaghetti-Os back, Perilagu!

[boyzoma]

As a child, I absolutely loved spaghetti-o's. Used to even chop up hot dogs and add them. Then, last year I had surgery and had to eat soft foods. So I thought Ah - Spaghetti-O's! I was sooooo disappointed. They tasted bland and terrible. I should of just stuck with the memory of my youth!

[alliedawn_98]

Oh boyz, I just had Spaghetti-O's on Monday after oral surgery on Friday and yuck! I used to beg for either those or a pbj for lunch as a child but now, blech! I have quickly adapted to just throwing regular foods in the blender. lol

[chefj]

I used get nostalgic for Spaghetti-O's so once every 3 or 4 years I would buy a can. After the 3rd time it sunk in. HOLY GOD that crap is awful!

[KailuaGirl]

I asked my Mom to get Spaghetti-Os once. She sent me to my room! :-) She was a great cook and was absolutely horrified that someone she'd spawned could actually ask for something like that! I did try it once at a friend's house, and it was edible, but nothing fantastic.
My nephew loves the canned ravioli, although once I'd taken him out to a good Italian restaurant he realized that good ravioli had nothing in common with Chef Boyardee. I'm still not sure which one he prefers....

[ROCKLES]

OP did say that CH's would scoff at

[Janet]

gotta love Velveeta. Some foods that is the only cheese that works.

[mamachef]

In a delicious grilled-cheese sandwich, served up with Campbells' tomato soup.

[DishinWIthDaisy]

never had it in a grilled cheese, but I love it in casseroles!

[Jay2512]

Agreed.

[4X4]

Melted velveeta + a jar of salsa makes pretty damn good chili con queso.

[James Cristinian]

As a youngster, maybe 10-12 years of age, the first thing I cooked was the Chef Boyardee Pizza Kit. You had to mix the dough, and stretch it out on a pizza pan. That was the hard part, the rest was easy, but it did teach following directions. I thought it came out pretty good, and there were virtually no pizzas in the mid-60's here. I've been tempted to buy it lately, but that won't happen until November, as it is too hot here in Houston to turn the oven on.

[cosmogrrl]

Love the ravioli and Beef-a-roni, also like the Egg Rolls. If I'm stressed and tired from work I like the Chef Boyardee products even more!

[stuck in Hartford County]

I went thru this food phase in college. But now I can't find those boxed, frozen egg rolls anywhere around CT. I think they stopped making them. I used to cook them WAY longer than the box said so they were really crunchy. And I['m ashamed to admit that I ate them covered w/yellow mustard.

[NotYukio]

Oh yes, Chef Boyardee Ravioli and Chung King Frozen Egg Rolls. So easy and so starchy, cheesy. I loved them too and crave them still. But for some reason I cannot feel anything but total revulsion for the rest of the list. Why is that?

[Perilagu Khan]

Well, that's alright. You're tastes are closer to perfect than most. ;)

[Passadumkeg]

A clinical lack of taste buds, obviously!

[linguafood]

i definitely prefer fresh herbs over dried, but i think using dried oregano, rosemary, thyme, or tarragon, even dill, particularly in dishes that cook over a longer period, is just fine. dried parsley, or basil, OTOH, i can't abide.

as for what 'foodies' (not chowhounds) would scoff at: i have a soft spot for kraft dinner. it's def a childhood thing, and i have it maybe once or twice a year, with stuff added to it, of course. and i prefer it over my man's homemade mac n cheese. sssshhhhhh, don't tell.

[Harters]

Instant coffee

[cosmogrrl]

When i had an ulcer I had to stop drinking coffee, so i started drinking my Mom's Tasters Choice. I actually started to like it. I decided it was a delicious "warm beverage" and that's what it's referred to in my family ever since!

[gfr1111]

I, too, had to stop drinking coffee--also alcohol, due to an ulcer. I assume from your use of the past tense, you no longer have to avoid coffee, Cosmogrrl. In case you still have the ulcer, check with your doctor. An Australian researcher discovered that ulcers are caused by pylobactera (spelling ?) bacteria and can be cured by taking heavy doses of antibiotics for about three weeks.

As for my candidate for a food most foodies would scoff at but that I like, it's Chef Boyardi cheese pizza from a box. It has very little resemblance to real pizza, but I became a fan of the taste when I was a kid and still like it a lot. It is important not to screw it up with additions. Just follow the instructions on the box.

[Passadumkeg]

Wow! You must be really old! I too remember it and pizza in general, as a novelty in the 50's.

[buttertart]

I remember the first pizza I ever saw, ca. 1960-something - my dad brought it home to my mom as a peacemaker after being out entirely too late with his cronies bending their elbows. We girls thought it looked disgusting (???) but were won over by the taste.

[buttertart]

You should meet Perilagu Khan on these boards, another big fan of the Chef. I used to make it when I was a kid too, as a special treat, but haven't had it (or seen it) in yonks.

[Perilagu Khan]

Yep, I'm