The FOOD (& Drink) Thread

Xprimentyl

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Guess this belongs here.

So I've got a bit of a respiratory infection problem going right now. First thought it was Covid again, but luckily, test came back negative. Still had to contend with a +39°c fever for a couple days. Luckily, I'm the type for whom being sick means 2-3 days of feeling like absolute crap, but then I'm mostly fine.

Anyway, actual story is that my throat was and still is quite sore. Annoyingly so. I'd heard that ginger-lemon tea with honey is good for your throat, but I never tried it because none of the herbal remedies I've ever tried did much of anything. But I thought, fuck it, bought some, boiled a kettle, slapped in some honey. If it does nothing, maybe I at least got a nice drink out of it.

But yeah, while it probably does jack shit to cure the underlying condition, it does actually soothe the soreness. More so than the throat lozenges I have, tho the effect doesn't last as long. Weirdly it's the taste I'm not a huge fan of, even tho ginger + lemon + honey should be a hit, but I'm not feeling it. Not terrible, mind, just not something I'd drink otherwise.

Taken to drinking it tactically, like 0.5 to 1 hour before meals, make eating those a fair bit more comfortable.
Have you tried a Hot Toddy? Hot water, whiskey, lemon, and honey. If nothing else, it soothes the throat AND gets you ta little tipsy. Win-win.
 
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Chimpzy

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Have you tried a Hot Toddy? Hot water, whiskey, lemon, and honey. If nothing else, it soothes the throat AND gets you ta little tipsy. Win-win.
Never heard of, but doesn't sound unappealing, if it weren't for all the whiskey I have being a little too good (and expensive) to use that way. Then again, one of my bottles is almost empty, barely a full drink left, and its kind of just taking up space, so maybe I should just finish it, make some room.
 
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Xprimentyl

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Never heard of, but doesn't sound unappealing, if it weren't for all the whiskey I have being a little too good (and expensive) to use that way. Then again, one of my bottles is almost empty, barely a full drink left, and its kind of just taking up space, so maybe I should just finish it, make some room.
It's actually pretty good. The water and honey contribute little to the flavor, so just imagine a hot whiskey neat with lemon. Goes down like tea, but punches up like a UFC fighter with exceptional ground game. If you don't like it, meh, at least you get some booze in ya; drunk sick will always beat out sober sick, i.e.: "Do not go gentle into that good night."
 

Kyrian007

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Huh. I've watched a bunch of chicken parm videos on YouTube, and the methods that put the sauce over the cheese present it as their own personal twist or non-traditional. Did you learn this method formally somewhere? From an Italian granny perhaps? Or are you just saying that you believe this is the right way to do it?

Not that I disagree, here at home we don't even bother serving the sauce on the chicken anymore. Just the cheese, then the sauce on the side to be applied as desired. My mother used to bake the fried chicken IN the sauce, which is just as soggy as you can imagine. The sauce did taste better though...
I'm lucky enough to live in and have grown up in a city that has (or in the past had) a half dozen or so non-chain very excellent Italian restaurants. And that's how they all did it. I guess my whole life I just assumed that everyone knew that was the right way to do it. There's only 2 of those left, and I only go every other month or so. And for as much as it frustrates me, I don't usually order chicken parm. I'm more of a mushroom vodka rose linguini or spaghetti nero fan. But any time I go and there are more than 2 people with me... inevitably someone always orders the chicken parm. So I've seen it done that way a lot. And like I said, the first time I saw it done "wrong" it was Olive Garden, the very chain-iest of Italian places. I guess I am just assuming that means that is the traditional way.

But, maybe there's a way to test it. My brother lives in a small town a few hours away. About halfway between here and there a fairly new Italian restaurant has opened up at the edge of another little town. It is a farm-to-table type place and apparently really excellent. My brother says it is pretty good. And a lot of the "buzz" usually utilizes the term "authentic." There's a craft winery not too far away that I've never visited either. Maybe once it cools down from "scorching" I'll do a road trip and see how they do it "authentic" style.
 
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Kyrian007

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Chicken parm is not authentic Italian tho.
True enough. Truly authentic would consist of a whole lot of seafood and ragu. I guess authentic in terms of a menu item on every Italian restaurant in the U.S.
 
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Had a four pound wet burrito this evening. Was a new promotional thing for a hole in the wall joint that just opened. Started out decently enough with all the toppings but after that it wasn’t very good. I had something similar a couple decades ago when I was at school, called the Big Juan. That one was better. They used actual ground beef which kept it nice and juicy. This place used minced steak which made it drier, and the sauce did next to fuck all to balance it out.

Oh well. $28.50 + tax got me that and eventually a Tshirt. Didn’t really want my name and pic on their website for something stupid like this either but whatever.
 
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Xprimentyl

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Tried Wendy's new sauced nuggets, spicy garlic Parmesean. Fucking GROSS. The sauce was like 99% oil. Gave me immediate heartburn. Don't know about the other flavors, but I do NOT recommend the ones I tried.
 
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Kyrian007

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Tried Wendy's new sauced nuggets, spicy garlic Parmesean. Fucking GROSS. The sauce was like 99% oil. Gave me immediate heartburn. Don't know about the other flavors, but I do NOT recommend the ones I tried.
Thanks for trying it, so I don't have to. Although I probably wouldn't have gone garlic Parmesean. Or Wendy's for that matter. There is a Wendy's and a gas station across the street from my apartment complex. And I think the gas station probably has better food. Although that isn't the dig it sounds like. Due to the presence of "upscale" retail nearby, it is that convenience store chain's bougie frequently renovated version of their store.

But my issue with the sauced nuggets, kind of the same problem I have with the chicken parm. I'd rather have a sauce to dunk the nuggets in, rather than get home to open up a soggy box of nuggets with no crunch. A Korean fried chicken place just opened nearby me. Supposedly the rice battered chicken breading will keep its crunch, even when tossed with sauce before serving. I was intrigued and ordered some. I got the box home and opened it... the chicken was just SWIMMING in the sauce. Every inch covered, with about a 16th of an inch of sauce layering the bottom of the box. So garlicky and sweet that you couldn't taste chicken at all, it was just a texture. And that texture... no crunch. May as well have been shake and bake.
 
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Xprimentyl

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Thanks for trying it, so I don't have to. Although I probably wouldn't have gone garlic Parmesean. Or Wendy's for that matter. There is a Wendy's and a gas station across the street from my apartment complex. And I think the gas station probably has better food. Although that isn't the dig it sounds like. Due to the presence of "upscale" retail nearby, it is that convenience store chain's bougie frequently renovated version of their store.
I'm not a huge fan of Wendy's either (or fast food in general,) but they have stepped their French fry game up in the past couple of years, so I stop a couple times a year and order some fries, but typically nothing else. The sauced nuggets just looked good, so I figured why not give them a go. I'll tell you why not, because I was burping garlic flavored oil for hours afterwards.

But my issue with the sauced nuggets, kind of the same problem I have with the chicken parm. I'd rather have a sauce to dunk the nuggets in, rather than get home to open up a soggy box of nuggets with no crunch. A Korean fried chicken place just opened nearby me. Supposedly the rice battered chicken breading will keep its crunch, even when tossed with sauce before serving. I was intrigued and ordered some. I got the box home and opened it... the chicken was just SWIMMING in the sauce. Every inch covered, with about a 16th of an inch of sauce layering the bottom of the box. So garlicky and sweet that you couldn't taste chicken at all, it was just a texture. And that texture... no crunch. May as well have been shake and bake.
That sounds... gross. Do you think you'll go back and try something else, or has this experience robbed any faith you might have had in them?
 

Kyrian007

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That sounds... gross. Do you think you'll go back and try something else, or has this experience robbed any faith you might have had in them?
Maybe. Maybe to do what I should have done in the first place and ordered the chicken with no sauce, and got a different (and much less sweet) sauce on the side for dipping. And they do have a kimchi flavored fried chicken dish that sounds interesting... if the smell of kimchi doesn't put you off (a bouquet of rotting cabbage with notes of poop) it could be tasty. And that isn't a joke, it kind of stinks but tastes pretty good... to me anyway.

But then again, maybe I won't go back. A local restauranter opened up an Isakaya style karaoke place and Korean fried chicken place last year and I tried it for the first time a few months ago. It's possible I just don't dig Korean fried chicken. The batter doesn't seem to just have rice flour base... but a sugar presence as well. And the sauce was overly sweet as well. And there was too much sauce. It just seems like to me that style of chicken seems to be more designed to be selfie-ed with on instagram than it is to be eaten.
 
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Well that’s nifty -

 

Kyrian007

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It is (according to a prep service we use) National Cheeseburger Day. Kind of pointless to talk about your favorite places here online, because inevitably it isn't going to be a national chain but rather some local spot that has the best. But maybe this is a good spot to talk about the best "non-standard toppings" cheeseburger. I'm kind of split. My favorite local place has a burger that has one beef patty, topped with crumbled chorizo. And along with lettuce and tomato it also comes with slices of avocado. And that kind of ties with my other favorite, a place that has a cheeseburger that is one beef patty, a split grilled hot link, avocado, bacon, and a spicy mustard. Any other non-standard variations you guys like?
 

Summerstorm

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It is (according to a prep service we use) National Cheeseburger Day. Kind of pointless to talk about your favorite places here online, because inevitably it isn't going to be a national chain but rather some local spot that has the best. But maybe this is a good spot to talk about the best "non-standard toppings" cheeseburger. I'm kind of split. My favorite local place has a burger that has one beef patty, topped with crumbled chorizo. And along with lettuce and tomato it also comes with slices of avocado. And that kind of ties with my other favorite, a place that has a cheeseburger that is one beef patty, a split grilled hot link, avocado, bacon, and a spicy mustard. Any other non-standard variations you guys like?
Hm, non-standard... no. I should experiment more. I am a basic chili-cheese burger guy mostly. My local (good) "burger artist" also makes a great burger with minced lamb and Feta (can't ever have enough Feta) I myself also often makes my burgers with a cheese mix (cheddar+gouda+feta). But mostly: Basic cheeseburger with some jalapenos and spicy mayo.

Same guy had recently a series of "too hot" burgers named after Doom-difficulties: I tried the "Hurt me Plenty" and "Ultra-Violence" but didn't order a Nightmare (even though that one is just 6.66€ and not 9.99 €. I wonder what he has cooked up now, haven't been there for a while...
 

Phoenixmgs

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But maybe this is a good spot to talk about the best "non-standard toppings" cheeseburger. I'm kind of split. My favorite local place has a burger that has one beef patty, topped with crumbled chorizo. And along with lettuce and tomato it also comes with slices of avocado. And that kind of ties with my other favorite, a place that has a cheeseburger that is one beef patty, a split grilled hot link, avocado, bacon, and a spicy mustard. Any other non-standard variations you guys like?
I'm not sure if this quite counts as non-standard as a decent amount of burger places do have this; my favorite burger is a breakfast burger with an egg and hashbrowns on it (with bacon and cheese as well). It's pretty rare to find a place that puts hashbrowns on the burger though, the egg option is somewhat easy to find.
 

Kyrian007

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Hm, non-standard... no. I should experiment more. I am a basic chili-cheese burger guy mostly. My local (good) "burger artist" also makes a great burger with minced lamb and Feta (can't ever have enough Feta) I myself also often makes my burgers with a cheese mix (cheddar+gouda+feta). But mostly: Basic cheeseburger with some jalapenos and spicy mayo.

Same guy had recently a series of "too hot" burgers named after Doom-difficulties: I tried the "Hurt me Plenty" and "Ultra-Violence" but didn't order a Nightmare (even though that one is just 6.66€ and not 9.99 €. I wonder what he has cooked up now, haven't been there for a while...
Those are non-standard enough. Even a chili-cheese would be considered non-standard where I live. I can only think of one local place that has a chili-cheese here. I didn't order it, but the same place's special is the poutine burger. Its... not great. The place has good burgers, and I like poutine... but somehow the combo doesn't work there.
I'm not sure if this quite counts as non-standard as a decent amount of burger places do have this; my favorite burger is a breakfast burger with an egg and hashbrowns on it (with bacon and cheese as well). It's pretty rare to find a place that puts hashbrowns on the burger though, the egg option is somewhat easy to find.
Yeah, hashbrowns is fairly non-standard for a breakfast burger. Kind of like lots of places do have a fried egg breakfast burger, but there is a cafe here where their breakfast burger uses scrambled eggs.
 
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Kyrian007

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*sigh* I bit -
View attachment 12118

Only got the whopper. They were out of the shake and I didn’t get the rings. Whopper tasted…*surprise* like a whopper but with a purple bun.


/no shame
Yeah, I think I tried the same basic thing when they had the black bun for a... was that a Star Wars tie in promotion? Like a Darth Burger? Whatever, it was Whopper flavored. Hell, their meatless Impossible version tastes just as Whopperish.

Now last week, I finally had something that could qualify as a "viral" food. Of course as someone who watches anime, I have prepared and enjoy omurice. Now, I'm not great with eggs and my French style omelet... well I'm about 1 for 3 on getting them to come out right for that viral "slice open." But they are tasty, even if not good enough for a photo or video. But I draw the line at ketchup. No. Not on eggs, not on burgers, not on fries... not ever. I hate that stuff. And so, I've never put it or demiglas on omurice. But last week I went to a fairly new place in town who has an omurice special, complete with the slice it open flair. And I got a real surprise, due to my lack of knowledge of French cuisine.

I thought demiglas was going to be sweet.

They put ketchup on omurice... so I figured demiglas was a sweet sauce. It is not, it is actually very savory and tasty on omurice. A very pleasant surprise.
 
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Xprimentyl

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I tried Jimmy John's pickle sub. It's just a basic cold sub, but instead of bread, they use a huge, hollowed out pickle for the bun. Now, I love pickles, but this was too much. Maybe they over stuffed my pickle, but one bite in, and a good chuck of the stuff in between slid out because, well, pickles are slippery. I found myself taking unnecessarily big bites just to keep the spirit and integrity of the "sandwich" intact. Plus, a sandwich that's cold 100% inside and out doesn't give the same satisfaction to appreciate the crispness that's met when biting through a normal bun into cold, crisp ingredients. Flavor was fine, but the experience wasn't worth it, especially not for a $10 price point. No, this meal would have been a lot better as God intended: on a bun with a pickle on the SIDE.
 

BrawlMan

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I tried Jimmy John's pickle sub. It's just a basic cold sub, but instead of bread, they use a huge, hollowed out pickle for the bun. Now, I love pickles, but this was too much. Maybe they over stuffed my pickle, but one bite in, and a good chuck of the stuff in between slid out because, well, pickles are slippery. I found myself taking unnecessarily big bites just to keep the spirit and integrity of the "sandwich" intact. Plus, a sandwich that's cold 100% inside and out doesn't give the same satisfaction to appreciate the crispness that's met when biting through a normal bun into cold, crisp ingredients. Flavor was fine, but the experience wasn't worth it, especially not for a $10 price point. No, this meal would have been a lot better as God intended: on a bun with a pickle on the SIDE.
Your first mistake was getting Jimmy John's in the first place. Penn Station and Tubby's are superior. You have to live in mMichigan for the latter sub place though.
 
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