Timmy Ho's Unfair To Bread

[jamiemaw]

I've been commuting to the Okanagan off and on these past few months. Sometimes I even drive. And it just so happens that the Timmy Ho's in Sardis is an exact bladder's throw from beautiful downtown ForMiCa. Now there's a lot you can say about Tim Horton's, some of it quite unpleasant I suppose, but there's also one irrefutable fact: They're open. Yep, open very early. So there I am, in a sea of wet wool and tractor caps worn by guys who actually drive tractors, waiting in line for the men's room and then waiting in another line for a long drink of their house-branded, substantially caffeine-based beverage.

But that's not the topic for today. Neither is that they're apparently shipping their lamentable donuts from Mississaugua or Oakville or somewhere, frozen, or some such thing. I really have no opinion on that matter.

But a picture on the menu board really got to me, in the same way that pictures of baby seals do. It was describing . . .

"Beef Stew in a Bread Bowl

When you're hungry, this is your homestyle lunch: Wholesome and filling with hearty chunks of seasoned steak and ground beef, garden vegetables and rich gravy in an oven-fresh bread bowl."

Was it just the early hour? Or was I missing something bigger? Homestyle? Why, I had to ask myself, would you kill an entire loaf of bread just to serve some stew--garden vegetables or not?

Would the the stew look inadequate in a regular Chinet stew bowl? Traditional styrofoam just too declassé? And what do you do with the empty vessel? Tough to recycle, but probably tougher still to reuse given stringent new food safety requirements.

Well, I think we all know the answer, don't we? Across this vast country we call home, thousands of innocent, blameless loaves are being binned every day.

Surely there's some interventionist Bread Rights organization that could look into this. Or should we take direct action ourselves and start a petition and arrange disruptive noon hour pickets?

I for one am ready to man the ramparts. But, I ask, do you stand with me?

Jamie

[stovetop]

Hi Jamiemaw

I am with you on your feelings about bread bowls; they are a throw back to the eighties, if eighties music has had a come back why not the food, although some restaurants somehow have never left the eighties, it is the strange enigma of living in Van proper is that you are somehow hidden from the goings on of the burbs and small towns around who are not on the same train as Vancouver; take Van island for example, I have been living here for the past two years, at first I thought they were just being retro with things eighties, then as time protruded itself from my mind pieces of days gone bye began passing my eyes every day, that is when I realized, hey the eighties never left, it was not nostalgia it was just a slow pace of life, more specifically Port Alberni.

The Bread bowl is king and so is so many eighties things, they hang on for dear life to the past, I guess back in the early eighties the island was the center of the universe, so much money, drop out of grade eight and make a hundred thousand a year logging, why waste time with education, hell go out and make the money, then the floor dropped out, 25 years later you do get a very strange retro approach to things on the coast.

Bread bowls are just an the tip of the ice burq (lettuce); you might just want to put the bread bowl down, it might go away soon enough, or maybe the retro will cherish the memories of days gone bye, for Tim ho's which for me sometimes is like going back in time, but then I open up my eyes and remember that Timmy’s is not even owned by a Canadian company but is owned by "Wendy's".

Times change some us change with it and some us become nostalgic, but I am with you: “what is with the bread Bowl", I did not like it then and I hate it even more now.

steve

[Jeffy Boy]

I for one am ready to man the ramparts. But, I ask, do you stand with me?

I will pick up the gauntlet you have thrown down, and fight valiantly for my bread bowl queen! Beef (though I actually prefer chicken) Stew in a Bread Bowl is nothing less than culinary artistry, fusion for the masses!!

You do not know the joy of savouring a hearty stew while at the same time consuming, deconstructing the very vessel within which it is served. Nor the art of ingesting the optimal mix of stew and bread, while retaining throughout enough of the bowl's architecture that the stew does not run out. And then the final phase, when the chunks are gone, and the sauce, the glorious stew liquor has permeated the bowl, rendering it not bread not stew, but "br-ew". Oh, how it pains me to realize that the nobleman will never know the simple pleasures of the peasant.

So I will not fight the Bread Bowl. I will embrace it!

[jamiemaw]

I for one am ready to man the ramparts. But, I ask, do you stand with me?

I will pick up the gauntlet you have thrown down, and fight valiantly for my bread bowl queen! Beef (though I actually prefer chicken) Stew in a Bread Bowl is nothing less than culinary artistry, fusion for the masses!!

You do not know the joy of savouring a hearty stew while at the same time consuming, deconstructing the very vessel within which it is served. Nor the art of ingesting the optimal mix of stew and bread, while retaining throughout enough of the bowl's architecture that the stew does not run out. And then the final phase, when the chunks are gone, and the sauce, the glorious stew liquor has permeated the bowl, rendering it not bread not stew, but "br-ew". Oh, how it pains me to realize that the nobleman will never know the simple pleasures of the peasant.

So I will not fight the Bread Bowl. I will embrace it!

←

Jeffy Boy,

Thank you for allowing me to think outside the bowl. Conundrum revealed, paradox resolved. Like an apple, you're maintaining that the Timmy Ho's beef stew comes in nature's perfect container.

But are you, the penurious bowl gobbler, typical of the harried office worker, haunted by Atkins Hysteria Syndrome? I think not. Or are you part of that peculiar but vanguard culinary hybrid movement: Timmy Ho's wedded to Slow Food, content to languish over your stew and taking as much as 15 minutes to polish off the container, and reveling in the Br-eww portion, before relinquishing your stool?

Concerned in Kitsilano.

[chromedome]

Consider it as a subtle in-joke for the cognoscenti, a nod to all those centuries of devoted trenchermen who've gone before us.

[Jeffy Boy]

Or are you part of that peculiar but vanguard culinary hybrid movement: Timmy Ho's wedded to Slow Food, content to languish over your stew and taking as much as 15 minutes to polish off the container, and reveling in the Br-eww portion, before relinquishing your stool?

Concerned in Kitsilano.

←

I don't partake of the stew-in-a-bread-bowl too often, as you are correct that it takes a long time to complete the task of eating the whole thing. (Not unlike those guys who set out to consume an entire bicycle). I think as long as you are making tangible progress on downing whatever you're eating, most Timmy's will waive the 20 minute time limit.

[jamiemaw]

Or are you part of that peculiar but vanguard culinary hybrid movement: Timmy Ho's wedded to Slow Food, content to languish over your stew and taking as much as 15 minutes to polish off the container, and reveling in the Br-eww portion, before relinquishing your stool?

Concerned in Kitsilano.

←

I don't partake of the stew-in-a-bread-bowl too often, as you are correct that it takes a long time to complete the task of eating the whole thing. (Not unlike those guys who set out to consume an entire bicycle). I think as long as you are making tangible progress on downing whatever you're eating, most Timmy's will waive the 20 minute time limit.

←

Jeffy Boy,

As a Timmy Ho's neophyte, some questions:

1. About how long does it take for the liquid of the Beef Stew in a Bread Bowl™ to break down its bread container sides into something approaching a decent chew?

2. Say you were in need of a bread bowl container, perhaps to store nasty cuff-links and bus tokens on top of your dresser. Could you eat the soup a little faster, dry it out (napkins, then hair dryer) and perhaps give it a lick of marine-grade varnish? You're right, I'm thinking Christmas presents.

3. Have you ever observed bread bowl leakage, either from your own container or those of others around you? If so, was it more like a slow seepage or more like a steady stream? Again, if so, how did TH management handle it?

4. What happens if you order the signature Beef Stew in a Bread Bowl™ to go? Referring back to question 1., above, about how long do you have to get back to the office? And presumably it's two-handed job, right?

And finally, I not only agree with

Chromedome . . .

Consider it as a subtle in-joke for the cognoscenti, a nod to all those centuries of devoted trenchermen who've gone before us.

. . . I'm sure that many people around here think that you are a fine Canadian too.

[Jeffy Boy]

1. About how long does it take for the liquid of the Beef Stew in a Bread Bowl™ to break down its bread container sides into something approaching a decent chew?

2. Say you were in need of a bread bowl container, perhaps to store nasty cuff-links and bus tokens on top of your dresser. Could you eat the soup a little faster, dry it out (napkins, then hair dryer) and perhaps give it a lick of marine-grade varnish? You're right, I'm thinking Christmas presents.

3. Have you ever observed bread bowl leakage, either from your own container or those of others around you? If so, was it more like a slow seepage or more like a steady stream? Again, if so, how did TH management handle it?

4. What happens if you order the signature Beef Stew in a Bread Bowl™ to go? Referring back to question 1., above, about how long do you have to get back to the office? And presumably it's two-handed job, right?

Jamie,

At the risk of looking like a complete Timmiite (which I'm not), and with the caveat that I'm no expert on Bread Bowl physics, here are my best guesses:

1. By the time you get to the bottom of the bowl (say 15 minutes), the bottom is nicely softened up, but still not soaked right through by any means. The outer crust has kind of a glazed finish, and is pretty liquid-resistant.

2. If you ate the stew, leaving the bowl intact, you could quite easily then scrape out the soaked inner portion of the bowl, leaving a clean, outer bowl shell. This could then be decorated and finished. Stuff with a package of Timmy's coffee, and it would make a great gift.

3. I have never seen leakage from any bread bowl. The only way I could see this happening is if it were not cut properly before being filled with stew. The Timmy's staff appear to be well trained in this technique - which is to cut out an inverted cone from the top (which is then served "on the side") from the spherical loaf. If this procedure were to be badly botched, or if there were a major defect in the loaf, then perhaps you could get leakage. I think Timmy's quality control and training regimen makes this very unlikely.

4. Excellent question on getting your bowl "to go", I don't know if this is possible. I would think packaging would be a challenge. It might be more feasible for the drive-through, and in fact I think the new Ford F150's cupholders are actually designed to hold a Bread Bowl.

[shelora]

"content to languish over your stew and taking as much as 15 minutes to polish off the container, and reveling in the Br-eww portion, before relinquishing your stool?"

Relinquishing your stool?? What on earth are we talking around here? You guys! Good grief.

[Jeffy Boy]

"content to languish over your stew and taking as much as 15 minutes to polish off the container, and reveling in the Br-eww portion, before relinquishing your stool?"

Relinquishing your stool?? What on earth are we talking around here? You guys! Good grief.

←

Geez, where is your mind at? We're talking about "giving up your seat". (Timmy's has a time-limit on seated patrons, to prevent loitering).

Ummm, that's what you were talking about, right Jamie??

[Chocoholic]

In my mind still lingers the deeper, perhaps more sinister question: "what happens to the bread that was inside the bowl?". Is it mindlessly cast aside and left to harden in some dumpster? Is it put to greater use? Do TH's donuts have a bit of a bread-like taste these days? Or is there a black market out there where TH employees are making money on the side selling illegal croutons to unscrupulous Ceasar salad manufacturers?

So many unanswered questions...

[jamiemaw]

In my mind still lingers the deeper, perhaps more sinister question: "what happens to the bread that was inside the bowl?". Is it mindlessly cast aside and left to harden in some dumpster? Is it put to greater use? Do TH's donuts have a bit of a bread-like taste these days? Or is there a black market out there where TH employees are making money on the side selling illegal croutons to unscrupulous Ceasar salad manufacturers?

So many unanswered questions...

←

Yes, Chocoholic!

Or is there a black market out there where TH employees are making money on the side selling illegal croutons to unscrupulous Ceasar salad manufacturers?

Bonus round for you.

Indeed, all Caesar salad manufacturers are unscrupulous, especially when then doctor the mix with those nasty grilled chicken tender offerings.

This topic began with a discussion of waste, and although it veered, quite appropriately, into other iconic esoterica--aka Tim Bits--the fact remains that, between stripping the guts of the bread bowl and heaving its sad carcass (alas, Jeffy Boy is in a distinct minority on this one), it's a horrific waste. Although we posed alternate decorative uses, and while they might make useful bicycle helmets for small-craniumed food critics, it's a lot to throw away just to convince the consumer that it's a 'homestyle' meal. Like Stovetop, I haven't seen this since since the 80s, when concept houses used to serve clam chowder in them

Seen any other examples of egregious waste--Dumpster Food--recently?

Edited November 16, 2004 by jamiemaw (log)

[jackal10]

You are obviously not hungry enough, otherwise you would eat the bowl as well.

In ancient times most food was served on a bread plate or bowl, the trencher. Hence good eaters are called Trenchermen since they ate the bowl as well

As the economy declines, you will be glad of that carelessly discarded bread bowl with the luxury of the meager amount of left over stew as its sauce

Edited November 16, 2004 by jackal10 (log)

[jamiemaw]

You are obviously not hungry enough, otherwise you would eat the bowl as well.

In ancient times most food was served on a bread plate or bowl, the trencher. Hence good eaters are called Trenchermen since they ate the bowl as well

As the economy declines, you will be glad of that carelessly discarded bread bowl with the luxury of the meager amount of left over stew as its sauce

←

Yes, noted from Chromedome's earlier post:

Consider it as a subtle in-joke for the cognoscenti, a nod to all those centuries of devoted trenchermen who've gone before us.

But clearly Jackal has never appraised a Timmy Ho's bread bowl up close--few are the Jeffy Boys brave enough to deconstruct its Gehry-like design.

[shelora]

"Although we posed alternate decorative uses, and while they might make useful bicycle helmets for small-craniumed food critics..."

Gosh, I've been cycling for years without a helmet, this just might do the trick. Thanks for the tip, J.M.!

[jamiemaw]

"Although we posed alternate decorative uses, and while they might make useful bicycle helmets for small-craniumed food critics..."

Gosh, I've been cycling for years without a helmet, this just might do the trick. Thanks for the tip, J.M.!

←

No worries. just remember to drain the stew completely first. Otherwise a wardrobe malfunction will surely follow and premature stool evacuation is a distinct possibility.

Edited November 17, 2004 by jamiemaw (log)

[chromedome]

No worries. just remember to drain the stew completely first. Otherwise a wardrobe malfunction will surely follow

←

I don't get it. How does residual stew on the head result in an exposed nipple?

....ummm....or did you have some other "wardrobe malfunction" in mind?

[jamiemaw]

No worries. just remember to drain the stew completely first. Otherwise a wardrobe malfunction will surely follow

←

I don't get it. How does residual stew on the head result in an exposed nipple?

....ummm....or did you have some other "wardrobe malfunction" in mind?

←

Maybe you have better dry cleaners than us, but that Timmy Ho's stew will make a real good mess on your stylin' new tweeds. And judging from your handle, Chromedome, it may not look all that good when you doff your new helmet to the ladies, either.

[stovetop]

Gosh, I've been cycling for years without a helmet, this just might do the trick. Thanks for the tip, J.M.!

Maybe that is what I should do with a bread bowl, use it as a bike helmet; it would be great on a long days ride, feeling hungry reach up to your head and you have lunch, go into the bar and you do not have to worry about leaving your helmet behind, well somewhat any way, tasy treat and keep your head safe.

steve

[Jeffy Boy]

I was really hoping to see this thread sink to the bottom, but I've got to share this.

First, we are going to West for dinner tonight, so we wanted something for lunch that would be simple and not too heavy. I think Timmy Ho's "Stew in a Bread Bowl"! This is funny to me on many levels, and makes me laugh. Laughter soon ends....

Walk in at 1:45pm. Crowded. A few in line. Noisy, confused ordering. I want Beef Stew in a bread bowl, and a milk. lemon curd wants sandwich with chicken noodle soup, and a milk. What kind of donut do I want? I don't want a donut. With a drink my stew is now a "combo", which comes with donut. Glazed donut please.

Go to pick up food. Appears I somehow also ordered chili. I did not order chili. It's on the computer screen, so yes I did. Also paid for it. Do you still want your chili. No thanks, I didn't order it.

Sit down to eat. Move aside dirty tray that has not been picked up. Bread bowl is smaller than I recall. And also now whole wheat, not sourdough. Taste stew. Flashback to camping, eating canned beef stew. Imagine monstrous beef stew can in back. Bowl is actually very good. Nice and fresh. Luckily not too much stew to eat. lemon curd's sandwich is OK. Chicken noodle soup has no chicken. Wait a minute, there's a piece. Donut looks nothing like pictures of glazed donut. Imagine donut has been through a camping trip, including several portages.

lemon curd finishes first. She gets in line to try to get chili refund. Explains situation, but has no receipt. They don't blink. Here's your money. Head to Starbucks to spend chili refund.

I'm looking forward to our dinner tonight at West.

[peppyre]

Honestly guys, I would have gone without food

Enjoy your wonderful dinner. I'm sure it will be heaven after lunch.