Quote :

"its not for a regular scrap "bottom of the barrell" hot dog you speak of but if you are eating a real meat hot dog (more like a sausage) then ketchup should not be used. Ketchup's purpose is to cover the taste of food. If you are paying a premium for food that has a specific taste and putting ketchup on it then you are wasting your money."

But sausages and hot dogs are entirely different things.

And also, I am of the opinion that people should pretty much eat their food however they want to.

10/1/2014 8:18:24 AM

People who travel and then refuse to eat a certain type of food in the US annoy me

10/1/2014 8:28:32 AM

Quote :

"http://There is a time and a place for everything, including chain restaurants and fast food."

and going out to dinner with friends is not what chain restaurants are for. which is why i self identify as a foodie, because there isn't a more concise way to say "yeah, we like to go out to eat, but don't invite us to applebees"

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 8:31 AM. Reason : .]

10/1/2014 8:31:10 AM

Quote :

"If anything, going to a place that has been exploited like Africa should make you come back as a locavore sure thiing."

No. After two years I can safely say I like variety in my diet. More variety than can be provided by my town and its environs on its own. Globalization is a good thing. The fact that you can buy pineapples in America -- even if they aren't as good as the fresh ones here -- is a good thing.

Quote :

"Also, traveling in general should make you more of a foodie. After Italy, I can't eat pizza with processed mozzeralla anymore so now I have to refuse like 95% of the pizza places in America."

Traveling has made me appreciate and desire many new foods. It has not made me a food nazi who will only eat the most "authentic" version of a thing. Enjoying nachos is not incompatible with liking authentic Mexican food, and enjoying the occasional pizza delivery is not incompatible with fully appreciating a genuine Italian pizza.

Quote :

"What the hell is the time and place for eating poisonous food? I'd love to hear your situation where you're like "hey, this is a great time to eat bad food!""

Obviously issue number one here is that "bad food" is subjective. There's never a time or a place to eat food that you don't like the taste of. Obviously. But if you expect me to believe that you dislike every dish at every chain restaurant you're asking too much. That kind of absolute, blanket statement is born of prejudice and a desire to seem sophisticated, not your actual palate.

Quote :

"there isn't a more concise way to say "yeah, we like to go out to eat, but don't invite us to applebees""

So what, do you just refuse to socialize with people who do not have your same standards for food?

10/1/2014 9:00:30 AM

i refuse to socialize with them at a place i have to pay money for bad food, yes

10/1/2014 9:06:15 AM

Quote :

"If anything, going to a place that has been exploited like Africa should make you come back as a locavore sure thiing. "

Earl has never visited a third world country. Hell, I'd wager the motherfucker is a typical american shithead who doesn't have a passport.

10/1/2014 9:10:51 AM

so here are your choices

1) be a dickhead (obviously dtownrals preferred method here and IRL)

2) get something super generic that is literally the same everywhere you go (or a dessert)

3) drink (preferably in combination with #2)

4) eat finger foods with your fork and get your girlfriend to smuggle your gourmet ketchup inside

10/1/2014 9:12:53 AM

we'd rather just host or go somewhere decent

you know, the obvious option

10/1/2014 9:17:00 AM

no no no, you see sometimes other people want to do something dtownral does not

10/1/2014 9:21:31 AM

get a goddamn burger and fries, it's not that expensive.

(although I, too, prefer not to go to chain restaurants.... but I can't tell you the last time one of my friends said "Hey, let's go out to eat tonight. Some Applebee's would really hit the spot!". You must have some low-class friends)


[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 9:33 AM. Reason : ]

10/1/2014 9:22:04 AM

^^and they're welcome to

Quote :

"you must have some low-class friends"

and I'm the snobby one


[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 9:22 AM. Reason : .]

10/1/2014 9:22:11 AM

I don't know about you guys, but I go to chain restaurants to drink a bunch of shitty beer and not feel guilty about it, because that is more than likely the only thing that they have there...

10/1/2014 9:24:40 AM

^^you are, of course

you refuse to eat with them at their plebeian restaurant

friends sometimes hang out for reasons besides eating gourmet ketchup together

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 9:26 AM. Reason : -]

10/1/2014 9:26:11 AM

if you don't want to eat, go to a bar

10/1/2014 9:27:41 AM

I prefer restaurants where I can get good (craft) beer and food that you can't get everywhere. I avoid chains as much as possible and rarely eat fast food. I'm at a point in my life that I'd rather spend more money on a memorable meal than less money on generic food.

10/1/2014 9:28:31 AM

Quote :

"and I'm the snobby one"

right. and you sometimes miss sarcasm.

i ate at red lobster last month... because i had to use a gift card i got for christmas. it was meh. cheese biscuits were as good as i remembered.

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 9:39 AM. Reason : V seriously, do you not see I was just mocking your pretension? ]

10/1/2014 9:32:54 AM

backpedal your snobby comment away

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 9:37 AM. Reason : its not too late for you to edit it]

10/1/2014 9:37:10 AM

Quote :

"I would eat a steak well done to the point of char with ketchup on it if that's how I liked it."

10/1/2014 10:25:53 AM

Quote :

"I prefer restaurants where I can get good (craft) beer and food that you can't get everywhere. I avoid chains as much as possible and rarely eat fast food. I'm at a point in my life that I'd rather spend more money on a memorable meal than less money on generic food."

This. Thankfully I hang out with people that don't generally go in for the Applebees type establishments.

I bash places like that in front of my girlfriend all the time, and then she bashes me for being a food snob. It's a nice balance.

10/1/2014 10:29:03 AM

Its also about options. You actually have to drive a little ways to hit up chains in my area. Other than the occasional (like every few months) Chic Fil A or Bojangles...I rarely hit up chains.

10/1/2014 10:36:48 AM

Quote :

" If its not for a regular scrap "bottom of the barrell" hot dog you speak of but if you are eating a real meat hot dog (more like a sausage) then ketchup should not be used. "

Not to beat a dead horse about me and my complaints with the German Cuisine, but this is exactly their philosophy for a sausage or bratwurst or whatever. It is just bread + sausage = delicious. Nothing else is included (except sometimes a plate is necessary with a little mustard on the side).

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 11:18 AM. Reason : d]

10/1/2014 11:17:58 AM

jbrick83 - I was in Charleston this past weekend... I would have no money if I lived there. I wanted to try almost every place I passed.

Same goes for Savannah.

10/1/2014 11:20:59 AM

Yeah...we try our best to cook at home as much as possible. It's EXTREMELY difficult.

10/1/2014 11:22:27 AM

Quote :

"This is the attitude that gets me. There is a time and a place for everything, including chain restaurants and fast food. People who categorically refuse either are black-and-white-universe fascists and I cannot abide them."

If I'm forced to eat at a chain restaurant because of a time crunch of because it's literally the only place in the area then I'm not going to complain too much but living in an urban area there are plenty of reasons why I refuse to go to a chain restaurant:

1. There's no chain restaurants in my area. I would literally have to drive 10-15 minutes to find an Applebees.

2. There's dozens of locally owned places within walking distance / short driving distance of both my work and home.

3. If I'm going to go spend money on a meal (as compared to cooking myself) I want it to be someplace unique that I can't find anywhere else. I can get a burger at numerous places near me for the same price or cheaper than a place like Applebees and they're 200% better plus there's 10-15+ craft beers at the bar.

When I go out to dinner on the weekends and people ask me where I went I want to tell them about some unique new restaurant I found not some chain place that you can literally eat at in every city in the United States.

A lot of people bring up the "oh but it's more convenient when you're in an unfamiliar place or traveling". That's BS too. Unless you're completely incapable of doing a little research online, asking around, or simply walking around then there's no excuse for not getting out and trying new places when you're in a new city.

I'm simply not wasting my money on mediocre food that it took no effort to find, and could be had anywhere.

^^Lots of good food in Charleston. Last time we tried Hanks. It was delicious. Their she-crab soup was fantastic.

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 11:29 AM. Reason : s]

10/1/2014 11:28:35 AM

i go to applebees all the time.

it's one of 3 places that serves beer (relatively) near me.

SO EAT A DICK YOU GODDAMN FOODIES.

10/1/2014 11:30:11 AM

Yeah the town I used to work in had like 2 "bars" and one of them was a Ruby Tuesdays. So whenever coworkers from other branch locations or clients would come to town and wanna go get drinks we'd always end up at Ruby Tuesdays

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 11:51 AM. Reason : dd]

10/1/2014 11:48:58 AM

I use to live in Badin NC. If you wanted to go to a bar there, you basically had to go to the country club or drive into Albemarle.

10/1/2014 11:50:22 AM

Quote :

"i go to applebees all the time. it's one of 3 places that serves beer (relatively) near me."

Hey not saying I wouldn't either. I'm saying there's nothing near me like that. I also don't want to live or work in place like that. I'm not against people who do I'm saying personally I like to live and work in urban areas. This is one of the many reasons because I can easily walk to dozens of local places. Obviously many people don't have a choice. I don't think being a foodie is a bad thing if you live near a bunch of delicious local places and take advantage of them.

10/1/2014 11:57:41 AM

personally, unless somebody is a published food critic, I pretty much lol (to myself) when they introduce themselves as a "foodie". On whose authority are you a foodie?

It seems like one of those self-indulgent ways that people give themselves a title to make them feel important or entitled to some level of respect.

10/1/2014 12:30:40 PM

That's silly. Being a food critic and a foodie are two entirely different things. I like to sometimes identify as a foodie because I cook a lot, do a lot of research about food, and go out to eat and try new things quite frequently. Therefore I like to talk about food. I'm not saying I'm good at it I'm simply saying I dedicate a lot of time to food and dining. If someone does something quite frequently they tend to get good at it.

Just like I'm a skier because I ski. I'm a programmer because I program. I'm a runner because I run. I'm not claiming to be good or bad at any of those. I'm a foodie because I cook a lot, do lots of research on food, and eat at new places all the time. Being a good critic is an entirely different thing. I'm sure if I wanted to quit my day job and become a food critic then I might be able to. I mean isn't that how people become food critics? They go out a bunch of like talking about food?

10/1/2014 12:54:37 PM

I mean saying you can't be good at being a food critic unless you're a published food critic is like saying you can't be a good musician unless you have a record, or you aren't a good skier because you don't compete. I'd even make the argument that people who eat out a lot and enjoy being a foodie as a hobby have the possibility of being even a better food critic then published food critics because they're doing it as a hobby and have more of a "every day diner" viewpoint.

10/1/2014 12:59:45 PM

What I meant is that it is a little preposterous to introduce yourself as a foodie like you are some kind of expert. Saying that you are really nerdy about food and a bit of a "foodie" is a little different. When I lived in Austin, which has amazing restaurants and food carts btw, you would get this a lot from people that introduce themselves like they have a blog or a youtube channel with followers, but in reality they just like to eat out and get really into it.

And for the record, I did not call myself a "musician" until I put out an album, but even then I would always insist that it was a hobby and not my day job. Because the fact remains that people make it a living to be a musician or a food critic, so to try and present yourself as somebody like that comes of as a bit of a sham.

10/1/2014 1:11:29 PM

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 1:13 PM. Reason : oops, i meant to post in the fries thread]

10/1/2014 1:12:47 PM

Quote :

"personally, unless somebody is a published food critic, I pretty much lol (to myself) when they introduce themselves as a "foodie". On whose authority are you a foodie? It seems like one of those self-indulgent ways that people give themselves a title to make them feel important or entitled to some level of respect."

I partially agree with this....in the sense that, who is some average joe to tell me what food i should and shouldn't like or what i should and shouldn't put ketchup on or what restaurants i should and shouldn't eat at?

For the most part it just oozes a holier than thou attitude...i can't believe you'd put ketchup on hot dogs! harrumph

10/1/2014 1:17:59 PM

Quote :

"What I meant is that it is a little preposterous to introduce yourself as a foodie like you are some kind of expert. Saying that you are really nerdy about food and a bit of a "foodie" is a little different."

I've never introduced myself as a foodie. If someone asks "are you a foodie?" I'll say I'm nerdy about food and cook and go out a lot. So sure more of a "casual foodie".

When I played music 5-6 days a week and played in two groups and performed for people (didn't get paid) I considered myself a musician. You don't have to get paid or do something for your day job to actually be that thing. Being a musician simply means you're talented and good at music. Not that you get paid for it. That's why people usually call a paid musician a "professional musician".

^Yeah I tend to agree. Everyone can be their own food critic. You like what you like. If you want to call yourself a foodie because you're nerdy about food then more power to you. I'll challenge you and ask you questions about food but I'm not going to hold it against you if you don't have a food blog.

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 1:21 PM. Reason : s]

10/1/2014 1:19:29 PM

More or less yeah. Talk is cheap, and if you are going to affect how I am spending my afternoon or what I am putting on my food, then more or likely you have something to show for it. Now, I ain't gonna be asking for CVs and shit, but people that are really into something tend to go deep down the rabbit hole. A friend of mine got so into BBQ that he eventually built his own setup and started doing his own stuff on a regular bases until eventually he became pretty knowledgeable about good deals or bad deals, and so I tended to listen to him when he suggested what to eat, where to eat and how to eat it. Now, he wasn't necessarily publishing anything, but he was experienced. This same thing also goes for beer and definitely for wine.

10/1/2014 2:06:26 PM

Yeah good stuff. If someone is passionate about something and do it a lot I usually tend to take their advice on a subject. I'm the goto guy for anyone visiting the city for restaurant recommendations. No one has been displeased yet.

10/1/2014 2:33:40 PM

I'm a fartie

I'm Krallum and I approved this message.

10/1/2014 2:45:49 PM

I mean as cornie and cliche as it sounds going to a really nice restaurant is like going to an art museum except you eat the art. You're experiencing someones creation who's dedicated their entire life to the culinary arts. They may never make that dish again and you're in the one place, with the one cook in the entire world that is preparing it for maybe only a few hundred people.

This is a great article on one of the best restaurant in the US that I hope to go to one day:

http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/5607-a-four-year-old-reviews-the-french-laundry

I think it's a hilarious way to review a restaurant.

10/1/2014 3:41:19 PM

So how many self-identifying "foodies" do we have so far?

dtownral
neodata686

Is that it or did I miss one?

10/1/2014 5:29:05 PM

The E Man maybe. Unless he's just trolling.

10/1/2014 5:32:15 PM

I generally prefer local places but I'm not going to say anything so ridiculous as nothing at a chain is tasty or worth eating.

I got a $100 gift card to outback for my birthday this past year and took some friends with me and we had a great time. It helped that one of my friend's steaks was horribly overdone so they replaced his steak and brought us free desserts and margaritas.

10/1/2014 5:35:06 PM

I consider myself a foodie not only because I view eating/cooking food as an art, but because I am conscious about my health, the health of others, and the health of the entire planet. All of these things are interconnected and if you don't care about what your food is, or where it comes from, you are destroying these things. I didn't want to write an essay, but this issue is so important that I must say this.

My 10 commandments of food are not easy to follow all of the time, but should be followed when an obvious choice is available. Just like everyone sins the real commandments, we all commit food sins every now and then. I'm just asking you to be conscious and try to make responsible decisions when it comes to food.

1. Food is made from scratch (or ingredients from scratch) (know whats in your food)

Traveling helps with this. You don't have to have the exact same food but if you understand what is in the food you like, you can begin to understand how to locally substitute these ingredients to make them in a more responsible way.

2. Ingredients are fresh.

3. Ingredients are locally sourced (know where your food comes from)

This is a big deal. Obviously, not everything is going to be local, but if you don't know where your food is coming from thats a problem. If everyone decides to buy food grown in one place, that place will be depleted pretty soon and will also use really bad practices with regards to pesticides and fertilizers to meet demand. Consuming industrial chemicals on a regular basis is not a great idea.

4. Use of chemical preservatives and fertilizers is avoided

5. Animals are fed natural diets (no corn)

6. meat and wild caught fish is eaten in moderation (i struggle with this one)

Ideally, vegetarianism would be the way to go. I have a lot of respect for them but feel it is difficult to fight my natural hunger for meat. Minimizing the meat we eat can go a long way.

7. compost organic waste

replenish the soil so that the local environment stays in balance. You can't just remove nutrients from an area indefinitely and expect nothing bad to happen.

8. buy foods with less packaging
9. grow when possible (simple things like herbs are a given)

it really doesn't require much space or effort

10. keep yourself aware of current research.

I feel like ignorance is the only reason 100% of the population doesn't consider themselves to be foodies and practice sustainable eating habits.

When going to restaurants, I'm going to choose the one that best follows these commandments. Blanket statements are bad but chains are in place to be money makers, not to satisfy a cook's vision of quality food. The best chefs are in it to make good food. In chains, there has been an executive decision to lower quality and maximize profits. They are businesses first and restaurants 2nd. Its not always true but applies to most chain BUSINESSES. Also, this is not all about taste either. Mcdonalds "tastes good" because they use chemicals that take care of that. Doesn't mean its good food.

Quote :

"It has not made me a food nazi who will only eat the most "authentic" version of a thing. Enjoying nachos is not incompatible with liking authentic Mexican food, and enjoying the occasional pizza delivery is not incompatible with fully appreciating a genuine Italian pizza."

Theres a difference between non-authentic food origins and perversions of food. Making something completely different out of processed ingredients and calling it the same name is a perversion.

Selling a food that is not actually eaten in that country is not a perversion.

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 5:45 PM. Reason : nachos vs pizza]

10/1/2014 5:41:20 PM

Quote :

"What I meant is that it is a little preposterous to introduce yourself as a foodie"

the topic was self-identification, not introducing as

10/1/2014 5:43:25 PM

Don't think I'd be seen dead in an Outback. Not to mention the nearest one is like 25 minutes from my apartment. Sure they might make something that tastes mediocre but if I can drive 5 minutes and get something much better why wouldn't I. It's not like I inconvenience myself to eat locally. Eating locally has always been more convenient for me. Eating at those casual chain places was always something "those suburban" kids did and it was very foreign to us.

The E Man has some good points. I haven't even mentioned that aspect of my foodie-ism. I try to avoid red meats (almost became vegetarian after watching the documentary 'Cowspiracy') and only buy organic free range chicken. The animal production industry is some scary shit. Like world ending scary stuff. I do however indulge in some locally shot game like pheasant and elk. But I generally agree with all those points.

I do however think from a scientific standpoint organic free range meat and non-gmo veggies from smaller farms is not sustainable for the entire planet. We have the luxury of enjoying those types of foods. Everyone can't enjoy free range bison and organic broccoli.

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 5:51 PM. Reason : s]

10/1/2014 5:45:03 PM

Quote :

"The E Man maybe. Unless he's just trolling."

Oh.

I usually don't read Earl's posts.

[Edited on October 1, 2014 at 5:52 PM. Reason : Unless he include a diagram...]

10/1/2014 5:52:20 PM

foodie equals

eating fries with a fork

eating 12 dollar small bottles of ketchup

not eating at applebees

10/1/2014 6:35:06 PM

Sounds about right according to this thread.

10/1/2014 7:37:05 PM

applebees sucks jcg15's asshole
outback is good for the $

not all chains are the same

10/1/2014 8:15:18 PM

a good meal at outback is like $25-$30 per person plus drinks

you make it sound like a bargain

10/1/2014 8:50:33 PM