Useless Conversation

[Merusk]

I used to work at Taco Bell.  I still eat there sometimes, like I'm derranged or something.  I'm suspicous of everything they serve.

Rice.  Taco Bell rice recipe was: rice packet, "spice", 1 quart water, and one ice-cream-scoop of lard.

Do not ask about the meat.

One of my High School buddies worked at Pizza Hut.   They were supposed to dump a ridiculous amount of oil into the bottom of each pan before putting in the dough.  (Memory says 1/4 cup but that seems excessively high, maybe it was 1/8 cup)

The remainder of the stories he told were about the unhygienic conditions.  I haven't eaten at a Pizza Hut since.  I've got similar issues with Gold Star chili, but none of you have to worry about that as it's a Cincinnati area thing.

[ghost]

The remainder of the stories he told were about the unhygienic conditions.  I haven't eaten at a Pizza Hut since.  I've got similar issues with Gold Star chili, but none of you have to worry about that as it's a Cincinnati area thing.

This is why I don't eat fast food unless I'm sorely pressed.  The people that work in those places are often people who are so unhygienic that I wouldn't shake hands with them, yet they are preparing my food?  I don't think so.  I will even try to stop at a grocery store and build my own meals if we are travelling in a car. 

[Sky]

Do not ask about the meat.

Well, we already know it's around 35% beef. If you eat processed food, you takes your chances.

On Pizza Slut: you can tell they put a ton of oil in the bottom of the pan, it's vile. My fiancee likes it, but at least I've turned her on to some good pies around town. Right now we're hitting up this place a guy from NYC opened a couple years ago, phenomenal pizza. Unfortunately, the one brick oven joint is inept and squandering it.

[HaemishM]

Do not ask about the meat.

You should never even think about the meat when shoveling Taco Bell into your mouth. I don't know what's in there. I don't WANT to know what's in there, because I actually like the taste. I'm perfectly willing to accept that whatever foul, disgusting substance or process is used to make that meat is something so insanely repulsive, that's it's very likely I would lose all hope of sanity were I exposed to it in its natural state, whatever that state may be. It's like an Elder God... on a taco.

EDIT: Also, if you live on the East Coast and above the Mason Dixon line, there is no excuse whatsoever to eat Pizza Hut, or any of the chain pizza places. The local joints run by Italians ought to be vastly superior to anything a chain can give you.

[Sky]

It amazes me. We have a domino's, little caesars AND pizza hutt, ffs. And we're a heavily Italian area with a bunch of great little pizza shops.

Same reason we have a bunch of good and a couple great restaurants, but sheep still flock to fucking appleby's, which is a hole.

[naum]

Regarding fast food, some things that befuddle the snot out of me…

* …living in Arizona, with the only good restaurant fare being Mexican, the hordes who still flock to Taco Bell (or even western knockoffs like Del Taco). Also, even Chipotle (not authentic, a "cleaner" Colorado Taco Bell knockoff) sucks -- there are Carambas, Mi Pueblo and other outlets if you do not wish to brave the Filibertos, Fediricos, etc.… burrito shacks where the operation may be sanitationally challenged.

* …the masses that descend on Olive Garden (is always packed, and wait times to eat are usually +1 hour or more on weekends) - I realize Arizonans don't know what *real* Italian food tastes like (oh, and I guess Olive Garden technically is not "fast food", but I lop it into same category as Applebees and other chain fare). The sauces are bland, the soups come from cans (or some sort of "pre-fabricated" base), the pasta is overcooked, and the only decent item on the menu is the salad which they do do right.

* …/yes, if you live N. of the Mason Dixon line, and in the eastern part of the U.S., there is absolutely no reason you should be visiting a Pizza Hut or Little Caesars.

In general, though the restaurant fare here blows for anything not Mexican, there is an abundance of variety of decent fast food:

* Burgers -- In & Out, Freddy's ("steak" burgers and frozen custard) Lenny's, and Five Guys (have not visited yet, but told is the 'shizzle for good burgers)

* Mexican -- Carambas, Mi Pueblo, Baja Fresh (if there are any left), Rubios (fish tacos)

[Merusk]

EDIT: Also, if you live on the East Coast and above the Mason Dixon line, there is no excuse whatsoever to eat Pizza Hut, or any of the chain pizza places. The local joints run by Italians ought to be vastly superior to anything a chain can give you.

The average American palate cares not about quality or taste. It's all about consistency.  Real food and locally-owned stores doesn't give consistency, chain food does.  You know what you're getting, time and again, regardless of which chain store you go to.  It's why we eat fucking McDonald's when abroad.

ed: naum, you should go to 5 Guys.  It's great and all the meat is fresh, not frozen.  Just be aware of three things.  They use peanut oil and have peanuts available for snacking all over the place. Those with nut allergies must avoid.  A standard burger is 2 patties, so keep that in mind when order.  Lastly, order a small fry. They heap extra fries on top of the order after it's in the bag and since they're fresh-cut and in a cup you get a ton anyway.

If you're avoiding grease, never, ever eat there.  However, if you're going to go for a burger and don't care about the fat and oil it's a great place to go.

[Rasix]

To be fair, the McDonald's near Versailles is really good.

[ghost]

Did you get the Royale with Cheese?

[WayAbvPar]

Regarding fast food, some things that befuddle the snot out of me…

* …living in Arizona, with the only good restaurant fare being Mexican, the hordes who still flock to Taco Bell (or even western knockoffs like Del Taco). Also, even Chipotle (not authentic, a "cleaner" Colorado Taco Bell knockoff) sucks -- there are Carambas, Mi Pueblo and other outlets if you do not wish to brave the Filibertos, Fediricos, etc.… burrito shacks where the operation may be sanitationally challenged.

* …the masses that descend on Olive Garden (is always packed, and wait times to eat are usually +1 hour or more on weekends) - I realize Arizonans don't know what *real* Italian food tastes like (oh, and I guess Olive Garden technically is not "fast food", but I lop it into same category as Applebees and other chain fare). The sauces are bland, the soups come from cans (or some sort of "pre-fabricated" base), the pasta is overcooked, and the only decent item on the menu is the salad which they do do right.

* …/yes, if you live N. of the Mason Dixon line, and in the eastern part of the U.S., there is absolutely no reason you should be visiting a Pizza Hut or Little Caesars.

In general, though the restaurant fare here blows for anything not Mexican, there is an abundance of variety of decent fast food:

* Burgers -- In & Out, Freddy's ("steak" burgers and frozen custard) Lenny's, and Five Guys (have not visited yet, but told is the 'shizzle for good burgers)

* Mexican -- Carambas, Mi Pueblo, Baja Fresh (if there are any left), Rubios (fish tacos)

One of the better meals I had in my 5 days in Scottsdale was an Italian place. Didn't realize it was a chain a the time (Carrabba's). It was across the street from our hotel basically, so it was convenient. We were the only ones in there for an early lunch on a weekday, and it was actually pretty good. Also got a good Chicago-style pizza delivered to my room from some other place. So yeah- Arizona has far better Italian food than Olive Garden (which I refuse to enter any more...terrible food, terrible service, and super crowded! Yeah, no thanks).

[Paelos]

I like Olive Garden for soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch. That's about it.

I don't really eat the breadsticks much, they tend to suck. I have no problem with their soup or salad.


Maggianos is probably my favorite Italian chain joint.

[ghost]

Maggianos is really top notch. And they have a gluten free menu! 

[Nebu]

I like Olive Garden for soup, salad, and breadsticks lunch. That's about it.

There.  I just saved you $5 + tip. 

[Minvaren]

Which he can use to buy the breadsticks you left out.  

Their breadsticks are the best thing there to me, provided they're cooked properly, which is hit-or-miss.  Granted, I haven't been to Olive Garden in years, there's a ton of good indie or small-chain Italian places around Houston.

[Nebu]

He said he didn't eat the breadsticks much.   

[ghost]

The breadsticks are probably full of poopy stuff anyway.

[Minvaren]

He said he didn't eat the breadsticks much.   

Bah, I just looked at your quote instead of his original post. 

[HaemishM]

* Burgers -- In & Out, Freddy's ("steak" burgers and frozen custard) Lenny's, and Five Guys (have not visited yet, but told is the 'shizzle for good burgers)

Five Guys really is the shizzle for burgers and fries. Their hot dogs are damn good too.

[Paelos]

There.  I just saved you $5 + tip.  

Sorry, I don't take advice from Tom Brady owners.

EDIT: You lucky ass! 

[naum]

When I used to live in Alabama (now 20+ years ago), I remember Milo's -- onion burgers (served with au jus sauce), cheese fries and a garbage bucket size sweet or unsweetened iced tea… …that and another chain in Mobile called Ward's (IIRC) that served up greasy chili burger fare.

All the BBQ there was mostly good, but I don't miss it -- here in Phoenix metro area, used to go down to Honey Bear's (near 202 / Hohokam), but it been a few years since I ate there. You used to have to get there early or wait in line for a long spell and the flavorful smoke coming out just made your belly groan in angst.

So glad I just ate a sandwich or all these posts would have made me ravenous.

[Nebu]

Sorry, I don't take advice from Tom Brady owners.

EDIT: You lucky ass!  

I tried to suggest changing scoring in the league such that thrown TD's were only worth 4 points, but noone listens to me.  That's why I drafted a top tier QB.  It may be the only decent part of my team.

[Sky]

Yeah, we got a 5 guys and I eat there when I have a french fry craving. The burgers are decent, but I can get them just as good at the snack shack a quarter mile up the road run by a retired firefighter. Always pays to know your local eating establishments.  

I also talk to the local chefs to find out where they eat, found a decent mexican joint that way last month - my father and his wife didn't like it much and my fiancee wasn't thrilled...but they haven't eaten mexican food, just gringo versions. Hell, my father's wife chose this mexican place once that has now been closed down for years, it's a joke between my fiancee and I that we should just send all her suggestions to Gordon Ramsey for Kitchen Nightmares. It's amazing how some people just can't realize they're eating total shit, and don't know what to order to evaluate the restaurant. When the fiancee sees me order broccoli, rice and salmon...I'm in eval mode, though that's just the basics to see if a kitchen has basic skills.

edit - then again, these folks can't cook for shit, either. I remember taking his wife aside and explaining how using frozen veggies is better than the canned shit she put out at the first thanksgiving I braved at their place. She's just a train-wreck in the kitchen...but everyone tells her she's great, so she doesn't know it. Or didn't. She thinks I'm an asshole. 

[naum]

One of the better meals I had in my 5 days in Scottsdale was an Italian place. Didn't realize it was a chain a the time (Carrabba's). It was across the street from our hotel basically, so it was convenient. We were the only ones in there for an early lunch on a weekday, and it was actually pretty good. Also got a good Chicago-style pizza delivered to my room from some other place. So yeah- Arizona has far better Italian food than Olive Garden (which I refuse to enter any more...terrible food, terrible service, and super crowded! Yeah, no thanks).

Carrabba's OK, definitely much preferred than Olive Garden. Used to work right up the street from there… …just a little further west on Bell road from there, on the south side of the street, is a good Cuban restaurant -- Havana Cafe. It's not like being in Miami, but it's good enough, especially in this culinary challenged region of the country -- plantains, gazpacho, mojitos, other Spanish dishes, etc.…

[ghost]

5 Guys burgers are the very definition of "heart attack on a plate" without the plate. 

You'll look like this in short order eating there.

[Nebu]

It's amazing how some people just can't realize they're eating total shit, and don't know what to order to evaluate the restaurant.

Fat has a wonderful way of masking low quality ingredients and poor cooking skills.  Bourdain comments on this often in his books.  If you want to see how a restaurant gets popular, just walk around and see what's in the dumpster.  You'd be shocked just how much butter/oil some of these places use.

[naum]

5 Guys burgers are the very definition of "heart attack on a plate" without the plate.  

You'll look like this in short order eating there.

Eating lots of fat doesn't make you fat -- it's carbs and sugars.

I know you're going to cast aspersion at this, but I can point you to many (including myself) that are skinny or lost large chunks of weight and still consumed humongous amounts of cheeseburgers, bacon, etc.…  

This guy eats like a package of bacon plus several cheeseburgers a day and I bet his labs (which he publishes on his blog) are better than most of those over 35 on f13.

[Nebu]

Eating lots of fat doesn't make you fat -- it's carbs and sugars.

I'll be happy to debate this.  You get fat by eating more calories than you burn.  The source of the calories matters only slightly.  


 

[Paelos]

I'd rather talk about honeycrisps than get into dieting debates again.

Ugh.

[Nebu]

I'd rather talk about honeycrisps than get into dieting debates again.

Me too!  It's about that time of year, isn't it?

[naum]

Eating lots of fat doesn't make you fat -- it's carbs and sugars.

I'll be happy to debate this.  You get fat by eating more calories than you burn.  The source of the calories matters only slightly.  

Not according to science and real life testimonials that disprove the "calories in / calories out" adage.

See http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307272702

And my XP has absolutely verified this.

[Ingmar]

Maggianos is really top notch. And they have a gluten free menu! 

Ugh. Uuuuugh. No.

[Paelos]

Is there a better Italian chain?

[Ingmar]

The service there is so completely abysmal that I can't even start to think about the food.

Anyone who lives near any kind of real city should easily be able to find good Italian food without hitting a chain anyway. It's ubiquitous.

[Sky]

I'd rather talk about honeycrisps than get into dieting debates again.

Me too!  It's about that time of year, isn't it?

About fat/carbs/sugars: Nebu is correct here (surprise!). I lost about 40lbs in the 90s eating every kind of food possible, with a heavy favoring of pasta dishes, cheese and meat. And my snacking for a day would be something like 4 snickers king bars, a box of pop-tarts, a sleeve of little chocolate donuts, and a loaf of bread dipped in hot sauce. But I was unloading trucks for 8hrs/day, plus calisthenics, lifting and biking. Rail thin and wiry muscle.

[Nebu]

Not according to science and real life testimonials that disprove the "calories in / calories out" adage.

See http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Get-Fat-About/dp/0307272702

And my XP has absolutely verified this.

1) Science supports the notion of metabolic inefficiency.  I agree with metabolic inefficiency in the short term.  Ultimately, enzyme production gets upregulated to deal with changes in diet and the degree of metabolic inefficiency becomes difficult to maintain indefinitely.  For this reason, low carb diets are very successful over short timeframes but become less effective with time.  

2) Many of our systems prefer glucose as the primary fuel source.  I honestly don't know if gluconeogenesis in mammals can keep pace with the demands of the brain, RBC's, etc thus making us reliant on beta ketoacids.  I would be very interested in seeing what the effect of long term carb denial has on those organ systems that preferentially metabolize glucose for fuel.  

3) I still support a long term approach to weight maintenence which is oversimplified to a thermodynamic definition (cal in <= cal out) due to the fact that few long term studies exist to demonstrate the points in 2) above.  

4) Complex carbs (like those found in veggies and whole grains) release insulin at a greatly decreased rate and produce much fewer long term negative effects than we see for high fat/high cholesterol foods.  Because of this, I think that carbs are fine as long as they are complex carbs.  Eating a bunch of HFCS and sucrose enriched foods will generate huge insulin spikes with not only alter metabolism, but also increase hunger... leading to rapid weight gain. 

I guess I should have been more detailed in using the cal in/cal out paradigm.  That's my bad.