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Most overrated holiday food

fresco

By fresco
in Food Traditions & Culture

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markovitch

markovitch

Posted
Posted
How did marshmallows ever come to be associated with a festive holiday in winter?

how did marshmallows ever come into existence?

i know the etymology ties this amorphous sponge to the plant from which the originals were made, but given KRAFT's mordant desire to eliminate any natural substances from their food, i'd like to know with what they have replaced the mallow-root

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elyse

elyse

Posted
Posted
I actually like everything that's been mentioned in this thread except for fruitcake, Jello salad, ribbon candy, and mincemeat. Is there something wrong with me? Wait, don't answer that...

I'm with you on these, adding chestnuts. I do like almost everything else mentioned here.Marshmallows, turkey, canned cranberries, candy canes... what else is there?

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Jake

Jake

Posted
Posted
Two words that should never ever be mentioned together. Congealed Salad. I have been known to enjoy a serving of jello on occasion. But not with half the produce department and a dollop of mayo added. <shudder>......

Full agreement on the jello and salad combination -- an abomination if there ever was one.

As for the "canned" yams -- no really, canned?? In this day and age? Fresh are always available at the holidays, even in the UK -- and usually cheaper! :smile:

Barbara Laidlaw aka "Jake"

Good friends help you move, real friends help you move bodies.

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laurenmilan

laurenmilan

Posted
Posted

I'm a serious eggnog junkie... but then again, I make a homemade version w/ the cream half whipped, half liquid... and about 1/2 the bar in it...

"Give me 8 hours, 3 people, wine, conversation and natural ingredients and I'll give you one of the best nights in your life. Outside of this forum - there would be no takers."- Wine_Dad, egullet.org

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Carolyn Tillie

Carolyn Tillie

Posted
Posted

Those hideously ugly, Pillsbury Slice-and-Bake cookies. You know, the ones that come out at Christmas with a Snowman in the middle - but then you see them again at Easter with a chick and at Halloween with a Bat or Pumpkin.

The mere thought of that cookie dough going through a mechanized extruder to gain those images scares me.

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maggiethecat

maggiethecat

Posted
Posted
Christmas Pudding and mincemeat. Disgusting. It's bad enough they taste like s***, but they also look like s*** !!

Oh no, oh no, Jeffy, Smells sublime, tastes sublime. These would be the madly alcoholic homemade versions of course, the mincemeat oozing with beef, suet and brandy.

With a warm puddle of lemon sauce or a big white glob of bourbon-infused hard sauce melting gloriously over all.

Eggnog, now: just give me my rum by itself, please.

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

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ludja

ludja

Posted
Posted
Those hideously ugly, Pillsbury Slice-and-Bake cookies. You know, the ones that come out at Christmas with a Snowman in the middle - but then you see them again at Easter with a chick and at Halloween with a Bat or Pumpkin.

The mere thought of that cookie dough going through a mechanized extruder to gain those images scares me.

Ugh!!!! I think this wins!

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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KAPDADDY

KAPDADDY

Posted
Posted

Actually, I don't get all the love for potatoes during the holidays. I mean, I do like potatoes of all kinds, but they seem more like an everyday food to me. I certainly don't get excited over them.

But to me the most overrated has got to be bread pudding. Sweet or savory, I just don't get it at all.

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Jeffy Boy

Jeffy Boy

Posted
Posted
the mincemeat oozing with beef, suet and brandy

My god, that's revolting! :shock: Sounds like the description of a two week old murder crime scene...

I know a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex, and rich food. He was healthy right up to the day he killed himself. - Johnny Carson
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bergerka

bergerka

Posted
Posted

All right now. All you anti-peep folks, just send those little cuties right over to me...I'll gladly spare you the pain.

Jello salad is always bad, no matter what. Yes, it is too. Mincemeat, ditto. Not an Xmas treat (you did say "Holiday" after all), but Cadbury creme eggs make me want to woof cookies all over. Chopped liver, ew (not specifically a holiday food, but my sister always makes a big batch for my dad's Christmas present).

My mother's eggnog, however, rocks my world.

K

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And a vichyssoise and a cabbage and a crawfish claws.

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maggiethecat

maggiethecat

Posted
Posted
the mincemeat oozing with beef, suet and brandy

My god, that's revolting! :shock: Sounds like the description of a two week old murder crime scene...

I've heard of murders connected to brandy, sure. But suet?

Margaret McArthur

"Take it easy, but take it."

Studs Terkel

1912-2008

A sensational tennis blog from freakyfrites

margaretmcarthur.com

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laurenmilan

laurenmilan

Posted
Posted
Ham -- must my family have it for both Christmas AND Easter?!

Ditto on the ham - most tasteless food known to man. Meat for people with severe sweet tooths and no tastebuds. :wink:

"Give me 8 hours, 3 people, wine, conversation and natural ingredients and I'll give you one of the best nights in your life. Outside of this forum - there would be no takers."- Wine_Dad, egullet.org

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ronnie_suburban

ronnie_suburban

Posted
Posted
Ham -- must my family have it for both Christmas AND Easter?!

Ditto on the ham - most tasteless food known to man. Meat for people with severe sweet tooths and no tastebuds. :wink:

...depends on where you get your ham. :wink:

For me, this list starts and ends with fruitcake.

=R=

"Hey, hey, careful man! There's a beverage here!" --The Dude, The Big Lebowski

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Carolyn Tillie

Carolyn Tillie

Posted
Posted
the mincemeat oozing with beef, suet and brandy

My god, that's revolting! :shock: Sounds like the description of a two week old murder crime scene...

Or a Quentin Tarentino movie...

Or a David Lynch movie - if the mincemeat *breathes* a little.

(Actually, I like mincemeat - but image was too funny not to share...)

I MAKE FOOD JEWELRY!

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nessa

nessa

Posted
Posted (edited)

Jello salad. I was scarred as a child. My mother made one with lime jello, cabage, green olives... need I say more? Anything peppermint. Bleh.

As someone mentioned, those toblerone raspberry things. Granted I can't find Toblerone anymore, just Terry's. I love the chocolate oranges.

Apples, Oranges and nuts. I used to HATE getting that crap in my stockings. Apples and oranges are mundane, not festive!!!

I do like chesnuts in a Nestleroad pie.

I like egg nog, heavy on the nog.

Ixnay on the ruitcakefay. Though I do recall Grandmother's being flamable and kinda fun. But those brightly colored, formaldehyde impregnated fruit bits? Ew.

Lebkuchen. Looks great. Tastes like hell. I'd rather some nice crisp gingersnaps, or gingerbread, not something inbetween. Christmas peeps?? Since when? That's new to me.

I love turkey and ham. But my favorite for Christmas is lamb. Ok, so its my favorite year round. :wub:

And favorite Christmas foods? Grandma's ice box cookies.

Edited by nessa (log)
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ludja

ludja

Posted
Posted
Christmas peeps?? Since when? That's new to me.

quote "mint-flavored Christmas marshmallow peeps (oh wait, I don't think they make those yet)"

sorry for the confusion; I was having fun--(but not being funny enough :wacko: )

someone DID post later that there are apparently 'peep' snowmen so it wasn't that far off the mark! But, I've never seen them!

Further disclosure: I don't mind a *fresh* peep or two at Easter--but I find it irritating to see food-stuff (cautious use of term here, I think it applies to peeps :smile: ) cut and pasted willy-nilly into all holidays...

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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sequim

sequim

Posted
Posted
All right now.  All you anti-peep folks, just send those little cuties right over to me...I'll gladly spare you the pain.

But send the stale peeps to me! Also, green snowballs are good but they usually come out for St. Patrick's Day...

I think alot of the problems people have with these traditional foods is that they're done through canned/processed foods and not done very well or imaginatively. Pumpkin Pie is wonderful using fresh sugar pumpkins and a good crust. So is fruitcake when laced with plenty of "likker" and real dried fruit and aged. I'm just sick of the same ole same ole like:

ham (overdone, dry)

mincemeat (never liked, but I'd try the one mentioned with suet and brandy)

hard xmas candies (give me Frango mints)

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ludja

ludja

Posted
Posted
And another thing. Oyster stuffing????

Truely revolting.

Just curious, do you like oysters other ways (raw only, or cooked other ways)?

I ask, because I love oysters and have always been intrigued by oyster stuffing; never had it though...

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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robyn

robyn

Posted
Posted
Apples, Oranges and nuts.  I used to HATE getting that crap in my stockings.  Apples and oranges are mundane, not festive!!!

Oh Nessa - Heck - I am Jewish - and even I know about Christmas traditions from various countries involving nuts, oranges (or things like clementines) and apples. My husband would consider his stocking empty if he didn't find at least some of his traditional favorites there (and what would Christmas day be like if the kitchen floor wasn't littered with nut shells!).

You should do a little research on Google - and find out about your own ethnic traditions (which probably led your parents to put those things in your stocking). Happy Holidays, Robyn

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