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I Don't Get It

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HistoricFoodie View Drop Down
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    Posted: 09 October 2019 at 00:09
There are some foods and food combos which for some reason become very popular that I just don't understand.

I don't mean foods I dislike.  That, after all, is a matter of personal taste.  What I'm talking about are things like Surf & Turf (or, as Bobby Flay once called it, Pier & Steer).  

To me, the classic surf & turf is actually two different meals served on the same plate. They'll be, say, a steak on one side, and a lobster tail on the other.  Just what, about that, makes an integrated dish?

Don't get me wrong. There are many dishes that use mixed proteins to achieve a next-level experience. But this isn't accomplished by keeping the proteins separate. 

Another one I don't get is the incredibly popular Chicken and Waffles. Pretty much for the same reason. If I want a plate a waffles, that's what I'll have.  If I want fried chicken, then that's what I'll go for.  There is nothing that relates these two to each other.  

Now, if it was something like chicken a la king served over a waffle, I could better understand it.  In such a case, the two combine into one harmonious meal.  But a hunk of fried chicken on top of a waffle just makes no sense to me at all.

What about the rest of you?  Are there dishes you don't understand, and wonder why they are popular? Let's hear what they are, and why they make you say hmmmmmm?
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Margi Cintrano View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 October 2019 at 01:31

Historic Foodie,

Why on earth would any one want Pineapple on a Pizza Margherita ? 

This is banned in Italy !

It is quite insane in my opinión. 

It is partially a "growth of tourism",  both parents working, and the Generation Zero or Generation X,   manner of eating ! 

Kids are forced to throw a pizza in a micro wave and put pineapple on it  !

Sweet and sour is an acquired taste and not common in Italy in classics.  

Moroccan cuisine (tagines9 for example handles this profile bepsokeningly beautiful. 

Chicken and Waffles is common in The Netherlands fast food venues !  Have never had the craving to try it  !!!  

I saw something about this topic recently in a top French Magazine, on London´s  Chef Heston  Blumenthal who prepares a Michelin Porridge (sort of an oatmeal) with pork  !  

Thought this to be odd too .. 

Thanks for the entertainment !!! 

Have a lovely day.  



Volamos a Mediterraneo, un paraiso que conquista su gente u su cocina.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 October 2019 at 03:57
Take that a step further, Margi. How about pineapple and Canadian bacon? This is very big in California and select other venues of tastelessness. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Karl Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 October 2019 at 11:38
I just cannot get the chicken & waffle joke at all.  Ever.

Pineapple does not agree with my stomach usually except on pizza.  Not my favorite (now pickled artichoke hearts......mmmm...)  but not bad.

Funny story, we were stationed in Germany and lining up land usage for REFORGER so traveling around.  We found a rare Gausthaus serving both beef steak and lobster so being typical Americans who had been missing foods like this (and buffalo wings) we ordered "surf & turf" which we had to explain to the stereotypical leather apron wearing owner.  Once he got the joke he happily offered every new patron the "surf & turf special" explaining it just like we did the rest of the night. 

My favorite odd food mix-match is hot pepperoni rolls, curly french fires, and hot wings all with home made blue cheese dressing.  Very West Virginian. 

Loco Moco is also popular locally due to the large Filipino population.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loco_moco 

Image result for loco moco

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 October 2019 at 15:41

Historic Foodie,

I believe there are tons of these "odd marriages" particularly over the blue pond that are not eaten on European soil as the Mediterraneans are die hard Mediterraneans.  

However, many of these "Food Combining Oddities" are created by the Generation Zero and the Generation X ..  Note:   Many we have never even fathomed the idea of tasting some of these odd combinations and consider them gross ..  

We are both above 50 and eat quite classically.

Karl´s  blue cheese dressing with some type of BBQ chicken wings is not that odd in a BBQ Restaurant, like Tony Roma´s for example ..  

Pepperoni Rolls:  In Italy, especially in Basilicata, one shall find breads made with "salume" or anchovies.  So it is not odd to me. 

PINE APPLE ON PIZZA is an oddity in my opinión and yet as you mentioned it is a "fashion tendency" in California !!  

PORK AND OATMEAL in a Michelin Starred Restaurant (Heston Blumenthal) is a horrendous oddity in my opinión  !!!

Surf and Turf is quite common in Hotel Restaurants and French Michelin Starred Restaurants like Guy Savoy for example.

Caviar with Steak Tartare (CAVIAR SPREAD ON THE TOP OF A MOUND OF STEAK TARTARE) could be considered an oddity  ..  

I love both however, NOT together !!

Let us look at, NACHO CHIPS (Doritos) with a black bean paste, Mexican Latin White Cheese and Jalepeño chili pepper slices ! Is this not an oddity  ?

We can look at a 100 dishes from all different countries -- and we could comment, that some of the popular dishes on all levels ( from Michelin down to fast food ) and there will be what some of us, consider as   oddities ..  And others, shall not consider it an oddity as they might have grown up eating that way.

Pregnant women have a tendency to eat " odd combinations " ..

Have a lovely day ..  Ciao Brook and Karl.




 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wannabebwana Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 October 2019 at 07:06
Here in Canada pineapple and ham on a pizza are called "Hawaiian".  It's popular enough that it's standard on most pizza shop menus.

Our favorite as kids was pepperoni, mushroom, bacon.  Now that's called "Canadian".

Then there is french fries with mayonnaise.  Not even on a bet!

Mustard on a pretzel has been around a long time, but I wonder how someone would react if you offered them a mustard sandwich?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Margi Cintrano Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 October 2019 at 08:04

Wannabebwana,


In France, fried potatoes or chips are always served with Mayonnaise .. 

In Spain, as well, it is not an oddity here either.  We use "ali oli" a type of garlicy mayo or Salsa Brava, a smoked paprika salsa .. 

Not to be repetitive, Hawaiian Pizza is banned in Italy by the Agrcultural Ministry and is not popular in Spain either ..  

Pineapple has an extremely strong flavor, and tends to overtake the flavors of all the other ingredients, that it is paired with .. 

The Mediterranean countries have their authentic traditions, and the origins of true Pizza did not include Pineapple or an enormous amount of toppings either.    

This is a Hawaiian or Californian rooted trend, I believe.  

Have a nice day.   



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 October 2019 at 12:55
I've never been big on the surf and turf deal. Probably because I don't really care for lobster. Now a nice steak oscar on the other hand... delicious! But that's more of an integrated meal than just slapping a steak and a lobster tail on a plate.

And don't get me started on the chicken & waffles thing. I never did understand the appeal of that.

Maybe I'm the exception to the rule, but I firmly believe that pineapple belongs on EVERY pizza. I can't think of single style of pizza I wouldn't enjoy pineapple on. But then again pineapple is one of my 3 favorite fruits, so I'm probably a little biased.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gracoman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10 October 2019 at 16:42
A subjective topic to be sure

I don't much care for surf and turf myself.  Seems to be an exercise in gluttony.  Surf or turf please.

Never did get the chicken and waffles thing.

But Hawaiian pizza?  I first tried this ill sounding concoction in the mid eighties just to shut my brother-in-law up.  Hawaiian pizza... Hawaiian pizza... Hawaiian pizza.... give it a rest.   Well, he was right.  The sweetness of the pineapple cuts the saltiness of the Canadian bacon, the richness of the cheese, and the combination lacks the grease associated with other stuff.  Pepperoni I'm looking at you. I order it often.

I should qualify this by stating Hawaiian pizza is great when living in a pizza desert like I do but I don't believe I'd order it when visiting the pizza belt.  What would be the point in that?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 October 2019 at 01:21
Besides which, if you ordered it in the pizza belt, they'd likely tar & feather you---after you explained what it was. Confused
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 October 2019 at 09:06
Originally posted by gracoman gracoman wrote:

Pepperoni I'm looking at you.


My daughter often orders pepperoni and pineapple. The pepperoni sort of overwhelms the pineapple so you don't really notice it as much as on a hawaiian style, but it's still really good. The acid of the pineapple gives little bursts of tartness (is that a word?) that helps cut through the grease of it, like you noted with the hawaiian. It's just not as pronounced  of an effect.  But then again, like I said, I would put pineapple on anything pretty much.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Melissa Mead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 October 2019 at 09:14
About 40 years ago, when I was a kid, my parents invited a camp counselor from England to stay at our house on his days off.

He simply couldn't understand the appeal of peanut butter and jelly, claiming "Sweet and salty just don't go together."
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 January 2020 at 10:10
Well, here's another:  If we are to believe modern chefs and foodies, the only way to prepare tuna is to sear the outside, and leave the middle raw. 

Hmmmph! Just who makes these rules?  

Friend Wife, along, no doubt, with hundreds (thousands?) or others, would starve to death before she'd eat raw fish.  While I'm not so hard-nosed as that, I do prefer my tuna cooked through. No less an authority than Andreas Viestad agrees. In the notes accompanying his "Grilled Tuna with Zanzibar Spices" recipe, for instance, he stresses: "The fish should most certainly not be almost raw, as has become the fashion with tuna."

So, me, I'll continue cooking it the way I like it, and to hell with the rules. 


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 January 2020 at 10:49
Originally posted by HistoricFoodie HistoricFoodie wrote:

Well, here's another:  If we are to believe modern chefs and foodies, the only way to prepare tuna is to sear the outside, and leave the middle raw. 

Hmmmph! Just who makes these rules?  



I'm with you on that. Don't get me wrong, I will not turn down a good tuna poke or sushi, but if I'm having tuna steaks or similar I'd rather them be somewhere around medium than raw. I don't know, maybe it's a texture thing with the seared outside and raw inside but I just don't like it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Melissa Mead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 January 2020 at 16:14
Yes. Those tuna things have never appealed to me. I just don't like the raw fish texture.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 January 2020 at 08:32
I appreciate that you don't care for it, guys.  That's a matter of personal taste.

What bothers me is the idea that raw in the middle is the only proper way to prepare it, and if you cook it through you're some sort of culinary second-class citizen.  

To be sure, with tuna there's a very thin line between cooked through and over-cooked.  Maybe the raw-ion-the-middle thing caught on because too many cooks were passing that line?




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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote pitrow Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 January 2020 at 09:44
Originally posted by HistoricFoodie HistoricFoodie wrote:

I appreciate that you don't care for it, guys.  That's a matter of personal taste.

What bothers me is the idea that raw in the middle is the only proper way to prepare it, and if you cook it through you're some sort of culinary second-class citizen.  

To be sure, with tuna there's a very thin line between cooked through and over-cooked.  Maybe the raw-ion-the-middle thing caught on because too many cooks were passing that line?



Yeah I guess I should have made that more clear in my post. I whole-heartedly agree with you on that point. There are many ways to skin a cat and just because a bunch of so-called celebrities say it has to be one way and one way only doesn't make it so. Your idea that maybe the seared/rare craze came about because mediocre chefs couldn't cook it right might just have hit the nail on the head.

It's a lot like the "how do you like your steak" crap that pops up on facebook all the time indicating if you like your steak anything over medium-rare you're not a man and should be ridiculed. Personally I'll take mine anywhere between rare and medium-well and it depends a lot on the cut, but that doesn't mean I'm going to tell anyone else how to eat their steak. My wife likes hers cooked to shoe leather consistency... that's her choice and I'm not going to tell her that it's "wrong" or she's any less of a human than I am for the way she eats her steak.

I think a lot of the deal with the steak thing is people who are insecure about their manliness trying to feel better about themselves by saying they are manly enough to eat raw steak (especially the ones that say things to the effect of walk the cow past a fire then put it on my plate) and they're more of a man than others who don't care for it that way. But what do I know.


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote gracoman Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 January 2020 at 14:27
I've done tuna every which way.  Seared with raw interior, cooked through, overcooked through, smoked, poached, heavily spiced... you name it, I've done it.   After spending several years and mucho $$$$$ on the finest tunas (sushi grade included) available, I believe I've found the best possible method for me.  Throw it out right away Tongue Vile, disgusting meat Wink  Good lord I hate fish Dead   

Sorry, but I had to sugarcoat that LOL   

Nobody wants to read how I really feel about eating fish Thumbs Down Dead Censored
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 January 2020 at 19:07
Don't hold back, G-man. Tell us how you really feel. Wink


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