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Nasty Little Habits


chefreit

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Pray describe a little more.  Belly or strips?

Fresh shucked cherrystones, but only available on the week-ends (something about a day job). Toppings were available (variety of hot sauces and some lemon wedges) but I just sucked them back plain.

Last time I was there, they were 12/$5 USD; I think I handed over a couple of Andrew Jacksons before I was dragged away.

Thanks wattacetti, sounds great.

I was also thinking it might be a good place to get fried clam bellies. Amazingly, until pretty recently, I'd only had clam strips and am on the look out for places (besides the places on the North shore) for the bellies. I love cherrystones also though, so it's good to know.

"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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Hell, there isn't a food, fast or otherwise, that I don't like. I get a "Double with Cheese" from Wendy's, nearly tasteless cheesburgers from McDs, Thickburgers from Hardees, BMTs from Subway, and a bacon double cheeseburger from Burger King. I like the Arby's roast beef sandwiches and nearly anything from Taco Bell.

I don't care for most of the menu at the Olive Garden, but their mussels are pretty good the 2 times I've been. I've never eaten at a Red Lobster, but I would if the family wanted to visit. I love fried seafood, but in limited quantities. I like the buffet at Golden Corral, particularly their pot roast.

But of course, what I treasure are the meat & 3 joints, the barbecue restaurants, fish camps, chicken shacks, and biscuit shops of the South. They're equally unhealthy, but they're just made with a bit more of TLC. OK, a lot more.

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

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I used to eat quite a few of Subways Spicy Italian with extra oil and vinegar (heartburn in a bun) and their "Seafood" subs- tons of fake crab and mayo.

But since I've moved the nearest Subway is just too damn far for me to justify the splurge.

Mmmmmm. Fake crab. Either dipped in butter or ketchup with enough horseradish mixed in to make my eyes water.

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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oh yes, Golden Corral, one of my true guilty pleasures. I love buffets, any buffet really, well, other than Hometown which feels theneed to add breadcrumbs, sugar, or cornstarch to every frickin dish.

When I drove down to NC this past summer with a friend we hit up several GCs and Western Sizzlin's on the drive down. FWIW, the GC buffet absolutely destroyed the one at the WS. Actually, perhaps this speaks poorly of my choice of BBQ joints, or of by BBQ palette, but some of the best pulled pork I had in NC was at the GC in Wilmington, NC.

He don't mix meat and dairy,

He don't eat humble pie,

So sing a miserere

And hang the bastard high!

- Richard Wilbur and John LaTouche from Candide

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For me, it's Taco Bell, crunchy corn tacos, burrito supreme. Used to love the Taco Maker, but they have all gone from this area, they were the absolute best.

Other guilty pleasures....McDonald's or Burger King, or Wendy's fries.....I'll take any of them.

Though I don't actually go out and get them, if someone puts a hot Krispy Kreme in front of me, I can't say no.

At least once a Summer, I have to get a fried Fisherman's platter, eat the whole thing, and then feel miserable. At least once.

Pam

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A vanilla shake and french fries to dip in it. And I'm not supposed to eat dairy. So it is a guilty pleasure.

ohhh, almost the same thing...Wendy's fries dipped into a Wendy's frosty...salty, sweet, hot and cold all at once...yummm

"Eat it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." TMJ Jr. R.I.P.

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..

Or the Clam Guy's stall at the Boston Haymarket.

...

Pray describe a little more. Belly or strips?

Ludja,

Do you mean at Fanueil Hall? If so, I will have to check it out.

:) Pam

Wattacetti pointed out this idea--the clam guy for fresh cherrystones at a good price. He (she?) mentions that the stall is located at

boston haymarket. This is an open air market right near Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall. If you haven't been it is well worth checking out for lots of good buys on fruits, vegs, flowers, etc and lots of atmosphere.

"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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Oh lawdy. If it wasn't for sheer willpower, I'd be an absolute junk-food queen. How can anyone fail to find the appeal in grease and salt?! Or sugar and grease for that matter.

Popcorn chicken from KFC. Dipped in gravy. Onion rings from A&W. And fish and chips. With loads of tartar sauce and mayo-laden slaw on the side.

Sour cream doughnuts from Tim Hortons. And those bags of mini-doughnuts dredged in sugar and cinnamon that you can buy at summer fairs.

Kettle Chips, honey dijon flavour.

Skor Blizzards from Dairy Queen. Blueberry milkshakes from White Spot.

All right. I must stop now. Just typing about this crapfestival of food is making me queasy. But hungry. Go figure.

:blink::laugh:

Joie Alvaro Kent

"I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2,000 of something." ~ Mitch Hedberg

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I also confess to loving the cheese biscuits at Red Lobster, with their extremely-inauthentic creamy "Caesar" salad and washed down with one or five of those frozen fruity sickly-sweet boozy drinks decorated with the lobster.

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Despite the moniker, I cant stand poutine.

I love Taco Bell Grilled stuffed Chicken burritos, but not in canada, cause they dont use white meat. I'll hop on over to MI when Im in the mood.

I also really like Macaroni Grill. I know its a chain, but I love their stuffed portabellas.

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I was also thinking it might be a good place to get fried clam bellies.

Clam Guy at the Haymarket may not necessarily be the one for you - it's all raw at his stand. However, if there's a place in Boston with good fried clams, I'm interested - meeting coming up next month.

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Speaking of Subway, after many drunken nights of complaining about the too-small breakfast sandwiches, my friend Justin convinced our local Subway to fill a sub with chopped breakfast sausage patties and eggs- great after killing a nine-dollar case of American Ice.

Edited by dankphishin (log)

"yes i'm all lit up again"

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Ok, put me down for the Red Lobster cheese biscuits, too. So greasy, so good, and I generally don't like greasy food.

I like the food at On The Border. Yes, I know it's nothing like real Mexican, but I don't care, I LIKE it. Especially the chicken burrito with sour cream sauce and the Ranchiladas.

Same with Pei Wei (PF Chang's "Chinese diner" concept chain). It's too sweet and all the dishes are alike, but I LIKE them.

Am I absolved if I used some truffle paste in the reduction sauce I made for the steaks two days ago?

Marcia.

Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he wanted...he lived happily ever after. -- Willy Wonka

eGullet foodblog

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I also get cravings for the Taco Bell double decker taco with mexi fries.

Ha Ha! Great minds do think alike, LMF. :laugh: I also love the double decker supreme and the mexi fries dipped in the mild taco sauce and ketchup. I have a weakness for the 7-layer burrito and that chicken stuft burrito thing. Very rarely I have the Nachos Bellgrande, but I have to be in a real down-n-dirty, need-fast-food-now mood and that doesn't happen much these days (my heart thanks me.)

I haven't been to TB in over a year now....hmmm maybe it's time to head up Aurora :blush:

I used to like Wendy's singles w/ cheese and their fries, but now I usually prefer to get a really good burger at either a local chain or pub.

Jan

Jan

Seattle, WA

"But there's tacos, Randy. You know how I feel about tacos. It's the only food shaped like a smile....A beef smile."

--Earl (Jason Lee), from "My Name is Earl", Episode: South of the Border Part Uno, Season 2

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Tacos from Jack in the Box.

Those were my Dirty Little Secret for years. I'd raise hell to my friends about not eating certain foods or going to certain restaurants because they were unhealthy and yet I'd crave these greasy atrocities and make late-night runs to the drive-up window especially for them. It didn't help they were so cheap you could practically pay for them with pocket lint and a used postage stamp.

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Popeye's fried chicken, spicy with lots of greasy crispy skin

Popeye's fried chicken liver dinner. Mmm.

Haven't seen that menu item in their Philadelphia locations. Or maybe I just haven't been looking for it.

Anyway, I "Love That Chicken" too. KFC is not an acceptable substitute--not even their spicy version.

Maybe a bigger heresy, though: Here I live in Hoagie Heaven, and there are times when I just gotta go to Quizno's. Hope nobody on the Pennsylvania board is reading this topic.

I'm also a sucker for Auntie Anne's soft pretzels with mustard or cheese or with their powdered sour cream-and-onion topping--that is, assuming I'm nowhere near Fisher's pretzel stand in the Reading Terminal Market.

Edited to add: My local Popeye's opened where for many years a White Castle stood. Talk about guilty pleasures! I could pig out on a dozen of those cute little creatures.

Edited by MarketStEl (log)

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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-Church's chicken :wub: it's always juicy, and the coating is nice and crispy!

-fries from KFC, or even better--their poutine!

-onion rings from A&W (because they're breaded, not battered)

-sourcream donut holes from Tim Horton's, the honey cruellers, their cheese croissants, and biscuits with tons of butter

-the McChicken

-warm cinnamon buns from Cinnazeo (sp?) with extra cream cheese icing, of course!

I also really enjoy junky, sugar-laden Chinese food once in a while--like the red, syrupy sweet and sour pork! And here's something kind of weird--I like to eat sour cream straight out of the plastic tub. It's like extra creamy yogurt. I finished one of those 500mL tubs this week, in fact. :laugh:

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I totally agree with the On The Border thing. Just toss out any expectations of it being 'real' Mexican, and it's actually quite a good fix. I went on my last visit to the States, and will certainly be back.

Red Lobster. I actually dislike the cheese biscuits (I think it's the greasiness... and the texture... oh wait, possibly the taste, too. :laugh: ) I do, however, admit to enjoying copious amounts of crab legs. I am personally the reason why RL can't do that all-you-can-eat promotion anymore. Thankyouveddymuch. :cool:

Those two places are really 'it' for my chain restaurant cravings. Chili's had a nice turkey sandwich on garlic bread that I loved, but last I heard, they ditched it. feh. And if I need something quickly, I've been known to stop in at whatever sandwhich shop is around. Luckily, all of the fast food places I genuinely like are on the wrong coast. Jack in the Box (man, those Sourdough Jacks were good. And the pumpkin pie milkshake promotion... yum) and In and Out burger.

On the east coast... if I must have a fast food burger, Wendy's is the only option. Bacon cheeseburger. Taco Bell is okay, if you don't look too closely.

btw, my avoidance of fast food places is not due to food snobbery so much as it has to do with my waistline. Long ago, I did a self-assessment, and realize the mediocre calories weren't worth it. I can appreciate a good burger and fries, but if I'm going to indulge, it needs to be of better quality.

Edited by cakewench (log)
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