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Do Your Friends Think You're Nuts Over Food?

jgm

By jgm
in Food Traditions & Culture

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Darcie B

Darcie B

Posted
Posted

Note: I'm also the only person who has ever baked bread in our ovens, and we have 2 wall-mounted ovens in the break room.

You have TWO ovens in your break room? Where do you work and are they hiring? :biggrin:

We have a microwave. We aren't even allowed to have CANDLES in our building. One of my coworkers snuck in a hot plate but it's so low powered it's essentially worthless.

eG Foodblog

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moosnsqrl

moosnsqrl

Posted
Posted
The first time I brought ghoulash, though, I got questioned in the hall because so many people were unable to figure out what I had brought.

Is it just me or does reading Ronnie Suburban's avatar make everyone else crave Hungarian food?

Note: I'm also the only person who has ever baked bread in our ovens, and we have 2 wall-mounted ovens in the break room.

I am so jealous! I did, once, ask the manager of our in-house food service for permission to heat a lasagne I brought for a potluck in one of their ovens. He allowed it but it had to be placed there and retrieved by one of his staff (liability issues, he said) and it became a major hassle so I never asked again (which was, I'm sure, his plan).

Judy Jones aka "moosnsqrl"

Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly.

M.F.K. Fisher

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eJulia

eJulia

Posted
Posted

This thread reminds me of a "bring your own" bag lunch meeting at a job I left about two years ago.

I had made a lunch, but stupidly left it at home. As a great alternative I went to the BEST hole-in-the-wall Mediterrean Cafe run by a wonderful Pakistani couple, where I got my two favorites: A falafel pita and a side of baba ganoush.

My coworker sitting next to me pulled out his bologne sandwich (white bread, natch) and bag of chips while I dug in to my delish spread. I could see him keep glancing my way, until I pulled out the baba and began scooping copious amounts onto grilled pita triangles...

Unable to contain himself, he finally blurted out "What in God's name did THAT used to be?"

The only funnier look on his face is when I informed him of the ingredients!

"Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last.”

Francois Minot

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Jean Blanchard

Jean Blanchard

Posted
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I love you guys! I think that people who love good food are the nicest, friendliest group of people there are. It's nice to have you to share my food obsessions with.

So far, I've saved tomatoes seeds from Southern Italy and California and grown the best tomatoes and guests rave about them. When I tell them how I got the seeds THEN they roll their eyes. Go figure!

jb

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aznsailorboi

aznsailorboi

Posted
Posted
I eat at fast food places, I really don't mind. What's wrong with fast food anyway? :unsure:  its food..... granted its not your ideal type its still edible and some of em taste pretty darn good!

I agree. I used to travel for work and was very happy when I was in an area with a Chick Fil A. This summer I finally managed to get a Culver's Butterburger after I had heard so much about it.

oh man thank g*d somebody agreed with me.....i thought i'm the only one who doesn't despise fastfood. Is there Chik Fil A in chicago? I know about those Culver's Butterburger and they are pretty good.... I live close to a Culvers.. :biggrin:

...a little bit of this, and a little bit of that....*slurp......^_^.....ehh I think more fish sauce.

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Ling

Ling

Posted
Posted
I'm going to a potluck on Saturday and I've seen what some people are bringing...KFC, chips, pop...*sigh*

And what will you be bringing? (My mouth is watering already . . . )

A little chocolate mousse cake I made...

(It's actually not so little. That's a 11" springform pan. I ate a lot of the mousse last night/this morning before I had to pry myself away and layer it into the cake!)

Lorna Yee

the cool kids at belltown lofts

The Cookbook Chronicles

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hitmanoo

hitmanoo

Posted
Posted

Isn't it amazing that the same friends that are criticizing your obsession with food are the same friends that are bugging you for a restaurant recommendation or are lining up at your door when you decide to host a dinner party or BBQ, etc?

I'm lucky that I have a friend that takes being a foodie to a level beyond me. I'm a good cook, he's a gifted cook. Takes so much of the pressure off! :biggrin:

As for me, I took a trip to San Francisco and the Pacific coast highway last summer. I spent many an hour before the trip researching restaurants and various food spots along the way. People thought I was crazy spending so much time planning where we'd eat along the way. I thought they were crazy whenevery they planned a trip without giving any consideration to food. I don't know about y'all, but I've grown accustomed to eating every day! :smile:

My research brouth me to the R&G lounge in Chinatown where I had the best hot and sour soup of my life. It brought me to Passionfish where I had not only a fantastic meal, but was blown away by the cheap prices! I had delicious sushi and chowder in bread bowls, and...well, I could go on and on.

I think the highlight of a trip can be a meal. Sure there is so much to do while traveling, but those other parts can be less memorable when you're grumbling about the terrible food and service you had the night before.

We all enjoy good food. It's just that some of us are willing to put more of an effort towards it.

Blessed are those who engage in lively conversation with the helplessly mute, for they shall be called, "Dentists." (anonymous)

Life is too short for bad Caesar Salad. (Me)

Why would you poison yourself by eating a non-organic apple? (HL)

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rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted

The problem I have had researching for vacation food is that we are rarely in the right place at the right time. I hit it right in Danversport MA once when we made it to Admirals for the Veal Oscar but they dont just do veal...they have Filet of beef Oscar, and Salmon, and Chicken breast too....Mmmm

But on a trip to the Outerbanks we managed to pass Bubbas BBq at 9 am and the Apple Dumpling place at 4pm...hopeless.

On my return trip this summer to Knoxville we WILL find Spooky's BBQ and make it to Littons for a burger and pie I promise.

tracey

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

Maxine

Avoid cutting yourself while slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them while you chop away.

"It is the government's fault, they've eaten everything."

My Webpage

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jennahan

jennahan

Posted
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What irks me more than the stories i read above about being taken to Aplebees or McDos, is the people I am surrounded with who ONLY go to expensive and/or hip restauraunts. These are people whose preoccupation with food has more to do with status rather than true passion. They order thousand pound bottles of wine at a restauraunt just because they can, not because they really can discern the difference between a great fifty pound bottle and the one they purchased. Yes, they only eat at Michelin starred restaurants, but do they have a true passion for cooking?

i'm coinsidered wierd because I want to try the local curry place to look for authentic cuisine. I'm considered strange because instead of going to yet another michelin starred place during a day trip to Paris, I'd rather go to a bistro which, although it serves excellent food, certainly is not "hip" or newsworthy. I'm considered strange because I actually LIKE to cook, and want to learn more about the history of food and why things are done the way they are.

I'd rather have lunch at Olive Garden with someone who is really enthusiastifc about the food there, than go to the Fat Duck with someone who is there just to say they have been there.

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Curlz

Curlz

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Posted
I'd rather have lunch at Olive Garden with someone who is really enthusiastifc about the food there, than go to the Fat Duck with someone who is there just to say they have been there.

Can I get an AMEN?!? (Event though I am violently opposed to the O.G.?) :raz: Seriously. I couldn't agree more.

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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hitmanoo

hitmanoo

Posted
Posted
I'd rather have lunch at Olive Garden with someone who is really enthusiastifc about the food there, than go to the Fat Duck with someone who is there just to say they have been there.

Can I get an AMEN?!? (Event though I am violently opposed to the O.G.?) :raz: Seriously. I couldn't agree more.

hmmm... I'm opposed to going to the OG under most circumstances. I went to NYC with a group from school several years ago, and to my disgust they opted for lunch at the OG rather than try a local place.

The OG in NYC??? So many things shock me about this. 1. how can this place make it in a city with so many restaurants? 2. how can this place possibly be packed? One of the great mysteries of American culture.

Blessed are those who engage in lively conversation with the helplessly mute, for they shall be called, "Dentists." (anonymous)

Life is too short for bad Caesar Salad. (Me)

Why would you poison yourself by eating a non-organic apple? (HL)

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Carrot Top

Carrot Top

Posted
Posted
The OG in NYC???  So many things shock me about this.  1. how can this place make it in a city with so many restaurants? 2. how can this place possibly be packed?  One of the great mysteries of American culture.

Along with this thought another one to muse upon is The Red Lobster when it is in the state of Maine.

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hitmanoo

hitmanoo

Posted
Posted
The OG in NYC???  So many things shock me about this.  1. how can this place make it in a city with so many restaurants? 2. how can this place possibly be packed?  One of the great mysteries of American culture.

Along with this thought another one to muse upon is The Red Lobster when it is in the state of Maine.

Ha! I was thinking of the Red Lobster in NYC too. That place gets packed all the time as well. I've never been inside, but there's always a line out the door!

Blessed are those who engage in lively conversation with the helplessly mute, for they shall be called, "Dentists." (anonymous)

Life is too short for bad Caesar Salad. (Me)

Why would you poison yourself by eating a non-organic apple? (HL)

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Susan G

Susan G

Posted
Posted

I'm working in the southeast corner of New Mexico......most of my co-workers were raised in smalll towns nearby, never travelled, and have low expectations for meals. Italian food means frozen TV dinners. It's become a running joke at quarters to guess what kind of food I'm unpacking - and what cuisine does it come from? Sesame oil was a revelation! *Dried* mushrooms? Who would buy *those*??? It's hard to not get discouraged when no-one will share my food.

The saving grace are the former military co-workers who've served all over the world - not only do they recognize purple basil and schwartzbrot, they can tell me stories about where they'd gotten particularly good samples back "in country".

I'm a canning clean freak because there's no sorry large enough to cover the, "Oops! I gave you botulism" regrets.

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andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted (edited)

I visit Deming often, well to the west, talk about a culinary wasteland!!!!!!!!

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

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Genny

Genny

Posted
Posted

I don't understand why I get such strange looks when it comes to my grocery shopping habits.

"You don't buy everything on one day?"

"HOW many stores do you shop at?"

"Why would you go to more than one store???"

OMG, here in Arizona, I do have to hunt for ingredients to ensure I'm getting the freshest and best quality stuff at the best prices. I'm sure you all do the same?

Basha's for regular staples like TP, beer, refried beans, milk, etc. Some produce like bagged baby carrots and lettuce.

Costco for many meats: tritip, everyday range steaks, leg of lamb, etc.

Henry's for most produce and some natural foods

AJ's (our local gourmet) for fresh local chicken, seafood and dry aged steaks as well as pastas, Pomi tomato sauce, nice cheeses and fresh baked breads

Trader Joe's for the occasional pop in to see what they have. I like some of their brand stuff and have tried some of their convenience foods.

I do admit, I enjoy ingredient hunting and I never do all my shopping on the same day. I'm just contantly shopping :biggrin:

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