ronnie_suburban

It'd be pretty impressive if you guessed. Bruce I promise to honestly admit the accuracy of my hunch (or lack thereof) when you pull back the curtain. =R=

Really? Now I'm curious. Have I mentioned it elsewhere on this site, or have you hacked my email? Bruce LOL...I can barely figure out how to access my own email. Maybe just a bad hunch on my part... =R=

Hmmm...I think I know what's coming (or not coming) on Monday =R=

Thanks Rhea =R=

Yes, I read your comment (on another thread) about "dead cow" being overrated. Oh well, you'll just have to suffer through it...do it for us! =R=

Hmmm...this should be interesting. =R=

Is this confirmed? The linked article upthread suggests otherwise. =R=

It would certainly be ironic if the show were to return without Rocco, especially after he expressed a desire to participate again. =R=

I've done that before. I can do it again. Bruce Help us Obi-Wan err, Bruce...you're our only hope =R=

I don't care for their Citron or Orange flavored products...I'm wondering if this is even worth a try for me. =R=

Happy Birthday Joe H =R=

Sorry to hear about the lack of mushroom dobladitas at Prairie Joe's. I really love it there. Julie and I have had some fun times at PJ's. As SethG said, thanks for reminding me of it. =R=

*speaking into my virtual bullhorn* Toliver, step away from the food processor! =R=

That behavior is likely what got him kicked out of Thailand =R=

That's an atypical consumer preference, though. Predictability and consistency are hallmarks of pretty much any successful mass-market food product. I certainly wouldn't single Burger King or anyone else out for trying to achieve that widespread goal. Even high-end gourmet products, when they get put in jars and sold on shelves, often need a lot of help from food-science to guarantee that they'll be consistent, fresh, and otherwise up to standard every time. No, BK is certainly not alone in that regard, not even close. And, I guess I'm not a typical consumer, although I don't count myself as a food snob either. I'd imagine that, by percentages, eGulleteers (in general) are more atypical in their food preferences than almost any other group one could assemble. This is a pretty discerning crowd and I don't think my palate or preferences are nearly as refined as those of many others here; not even close. That said, the "char" flavor of BK products has always tasted unnatural and added-on to me. The fact that it is, is incidental. While I don't work in the flavor industry, I work close to it and what I've seen is really not, for the most part, very appetizing. Of course, I do want my diet coke to taste the same everytime out. But mass appeal (and the accompanying economic viability) of a product does not necessarily equal good food. I'm not a person who absolutely avoids mass-produced, processed or fast foods...I have my favorites like everyone else. That said, when I see things like flavor and/or hydrogenated oils in the ingredient listing of a product, my default is to avoid it. I've gotten to the point where I instinctively think of foods that contain those items as "fake" foods. And to bring this back to the original theme of this thread...I've changed my tune slightly. I still feel that RB has every right to do this (he's earned the right) and that we shouldn't be judging him for it. It's really no big deal...for anyone but him. For him, this seems to represent a significant departure from his life's work. And as AB (and others have) posted upthread, knowing what we know about Bayless and BK products, how can he look in the mirror rationalize this endorsement? =R=

OMFG! It sounds wondrous...and a report commensurate with the experience itself. I can hardly wait for the second installment. Thanks Sue so much for taking the time to share this with us. =R=

Yep...White Hen Pantry, a local C-store chain. =R=

LOL, this is a science project, not food. =R= I didn't intend to imply, by posting those lists, that I think there's anything so terrible about putting 55 ingredients in something. Those long ingredients lists tend to look worse than they are. A lot of the ingredients come down to being useful ways to maintain consistency of product: if there's not enough fat, you add some, or whatever. A lot of those things are often just fancy words for salt and sugar and shortening. Don't let the technical terms freak you out too much. Unless you're one of those people who belongs to groups like Chefs Collaborative, where the mission specifically opposes the ingredients that are commonplace in mass-market foods. Hey, wait a second . . . Yes, experience tells me that at least a few of these ingredients are used to stabilize and standardize the product (as well as streamline the production process)...those are things that almost always send up red flags for me. I'm not a big fan of adding "flavors" or "flavor systems" to food--even though I know their use is widespread...I personally would rather have the product in question (any product for that matter) taste slightly different each time out. =R=

LOL, this is a science project, not food. =R=

Someone must make them...we have these in our warehouse coolers... =R=

Irwin, I really appreciate you taking the time to share that with us. Thanks

This is why I cannot stand BK...they insist that their products are flame-broiled and while that may be true, the flame-broiled flavor in their products is not derived from the cooking process. It's specifically a flavor and it isn't naturally-occurring in their food. It's derived from chemicals and added to them. Yuck. =R=

Ronnie, you'd be miffed if someone brought in baby food for their baby??? Ooops I see Fat Guy beat me to that query.... LOL! No...I'm changing issues mid-stream...babies and baby food would both be fine in my restaurant. =R=

I agree with that particular position...I'm going to take several large steps back and say that I think Ms. Graham was out of line for bringing (any) outside food into the restaurant. Vegetarianism and/or heating aside, is it really okay for a customer to bring outside food into (another) restaurant? If I were the restaurant owner in question, I think I'd be miffed by it. Of course, I can't say for sure that I'd forbid it either. Anyway, to me, that's the essence of the original story and it's why I was so incensed by it...although I am enjoying this thread thoroughly. =R= In general I agree with this, but I find baby food the exception, should we ban baby bottles and breast milk as well? As a mother with young children who frequents restaurants quite a bit, I have had jarred food in my bag 'just in case' every time I went out, though I rarely used it I felt better knowing that if my baby didn't like what the restaurant had to offer or if I didn't think there was anything appropriate I could use my jar. Practically speaking, I actually agree. I should have said that I was speaking in general terms, because if I were the owner of a (non-vegetarian) restaurant, this is where I'd draw the line and say "okay". That said, in this case it still would have been much ado about nothing IMO if Ms. Graham had been respectful of the proprietor. On this, I absolutely agree. In this case, because it was a baby, it wasn't the initial conflict that irked me as much as how the customer handled it. I still do not understand the origin of her sense of entitlement over this issue. =R=

I agree with that particular position...I'm going to take several large steps back and say that I think Ms. Graham was out of line for bringing (any) outside food into the restaurant. Vegetarianism and/or heating aside, is it really okay for a customer to bring outside food into (another) restaurant? If I were the restaurant owner in question, I think I'd be miffed by it. Of course, I can't say for sure that I'd forbid it either. Anyway, to me, that's the essence of the original story and it's why I was so incensed by it...although I am enjoying this thread thoroughly. =R=