On 5/3/2023 at 10:48 AM, BeeZee said:For me, "mac and cheese" conjures the image of macaroni (or a short pasta) with a (primarily, but not exclusively) cheddar-based sauce. I'd bet that those who are from Southern states in the U.S., where mac and cheese are staples, will agree that certain expectations come with using that name for a dish, rather than "pasta with a cheese sauce", which leaves open the many creative possibilities which are also delicious (cacio e pepe, Alfredo, Lockshen mit Kaese, and others).
I understand exactly what you meant, @BeeZee. I think you are talking about expectations (as a matter of fact, that's the word that you used) and not hard and fast rules. I don't think you needed to be chastised and told what eG is supposed to be about. I think that your point brings up an interesting conversation and this topic even mentions "defining" in the title.
And I think that gochujang makes perfect sense. I don't think I've ever made a cheese sauce without adding a little Frank's hot sauce - so much rich gooeyness needs something to punch it up a little and gochujang would, of course, do the same thing in spades!
