What foods do you really love?

[understatement]

This morning my friend made me a surprise breakfast, which consisted of the best and worst food existent -- mushroom and eggs. The mushrooms were quietly scraped somewhere.

But eggs. I have no idea why they taste so good, but scrambled, poached, fried, boiled, whites and yolk...perfect. Except for the smell sometimes, I guess. Cheese-egg quiche was a dish I had in Europe a few years back, and it was absolutely amazing.

Some others: cheese is also great. The more on pizza or pasta or anything, really, the better. Potato straws are amazing, even if I'm not sure on the right term.

Cherries and kiwis are delicious whenever they exist in a fruit salad.

What foods do you really love?

[Bartmanhomer]

Exotic Sahale Pistachio, Muscle Milk, and Applesauce. :smile:

[el minster]

Dried mango if it contains nothing else

[oxybe]

Brie, but a nice soft cheese of most kinds will rarely fail to put me in a good mood.

[Rynjin]

Peanut butter is my crack.

Raspberries are also great. I like pretty much all berries equally though.

My comfort foods are chicken and dumplings, and spaghetti.

My mom's chicken dressing we eat around the holidays. I do all the cooking now, but it's her recipe. We pretty much unanimously agree it's the main course, and the ham is a delicious afterthought, but an afterthought nonetheless.

[deltamire]

Clementines, especially when they're just ripe enough to be sweet but not squishy. We buy baskets of them at a time and I go through them like a combine harvester, especially now when I'm at home all the time with the lockdown.

We have a dish we make with cauliflower, chickpeas (or any mixed beans we can find in tins sitting around, really) and spices and it is fantastic. The more you make of it at one time the easier it is to measure the ingredients, and it fries from cold really, really well, so you get two or three meals for everyone from it.

Honourable mention to eating slices of pre-portioned feta cheese / mozzarella on their own, directly from the fridge.

[2D8HP]

(In no particular order):
Sourdough bread,
Swiss cheese,
corned beef,
tomatoes,
olives,
chocolate,
curry,
brown ale

[Wizard_Lizard]

Sashimi. And by association Sushi.
EDIT: I kid you not, seconds after posting this I got hungry for sushi. Dammit. 'nother three and a half hours till lunch...

[Knaight]

I have a thing for nonsweet pastries. Quiche is one of my go tos if I'm doing real cooking (as opposed to thrown together half hour dishes), I adore empanadas, vegetable strudel, meat pies, spanikopita, gyoza, etc. This also extends to the very edge of what can be considered a pastry at all, like egg rolls and dumplings.

Basically if you take some combination of vegetables, meat, egg, and cheese, spice it a bit, and put it in dough then bake or fry the whole thing I'm probably going to love it. This dough might be pie dough, phyllo dough, bread dough, egg roll wrappers, etc., doesn't matter, I'm almost certainly on board.

Desert pastries are also fine, but they hover more around the "like okay" line than the "favorite food for the duration of me eating them" line.

[Manscape]

My favorite would be the Salmon Sashimi, hands down.

[Tvtyrant]

Popcorn, bacon, coffee. I like my food to smell amazing, the taste is more negotiable.

[factotum]

Love a bit of lamb karahi, myself. Could easily eat that every day.

[Anti-Eagle]

I'm pretty simple. I like potatoes.
There are a great many ways to cook and consume potatoes that I enjoy.
I also enjoy mushrooms, and the great many forms of meat.
Mexican food is something I've come to enjoy.
I'm pretty agreeable to most peoples tastes.

[sktarq]

Oh goodness....
If I had a list of foods I dislike the list of food I adore is even longer....

Mushrooms, Game Meats (venison, rabbit, turkey, and boar especially), A nice Sirloin, Lamb (esp leg, or shank, or stew/pie meats), Pork Tenderloin, Vinegar (Balsamic, Sushi, Cider, a bunch of flavored shrubs), a nice air cured ham (Iberico is particular fave as are Tamsworths), Potatoes (lean towoard mashed or baked and favor Yukons over reds or Russets but all (including Blue) have their place), Beets (slightly favor golden and black beets to the classic red but details details), Daikon, Parsnips, Peas (Snow, Sweet, Snap, English...love em all), Spinach, Cucumber, Mustard Greens, Cheese....so many cheeses, Teas...especially Russian, and Lapsang Souchong, Saba....okay Saba might be my favorite food in the world...I am told I act like I'm on MDMA if I have enough...bliss, Walnuts, Brazil Nuts, Almonds, Okara, Oatmeal (such a wonderful base), Lychee, Cluster Berries (Raspberries, Blackberries, etc), Blackcurrant, Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste), Citrus of many types (less so Grapefruit or Citron but I still like those and Yuzu and Satsumas are bomb), Avocado (growing up in an avocado and citrus orchard may be showing), Mint, Basil, Shiso, Sage, Garlic, Shallots, Scallions, Saffron, Clove, Mace, A nice crepe (esp if made with the above core ingredients), Uni (if, and only if, very fresh...its a local specialty and I see why), Pate, Several kinds of seaweed, Oyster Sauce (in Chinese dishes), Teff, Chickpeas (whole, deep fried, hummus all of it), Honey Ants, Grasshopper, Honey, Sourdough, Plums, Olive Oil, Butter, Heinz Salad Cream (childhood based guilty pleasure but I totally love the stuff), Octopus (esp in sushi), Eel (Sushi, Pie, Jellied), Abalone, Dungeness Crab, Whitefish (Cod, Haddock, etc).....okay I'll stop now....

and I tend to like food where all the tastes are mashed up...sauces,stuffing, packet food (like a Cornish Pasty), pies, a hash, dim sum etc.

Okay...I really like food....A LOT...(may be slightly bouncing in my seat now just thinking about all the wonderful things to eat :smallcool::smallbiggrin:).

EDIT: and spaghetti squash, and butternut squash, and green beans, and endive, lingonberries, and golden/cape gooseberries (esp with a sweetened cream), and dragonfruit, and CHERRYMOYA, and tamarind, .....
okay okay I really should stop now.....

EDIT EDIT:
and boar cheek, and kidney, and pastry (esp hot water pastry and suet), and scallops (how could I forget scallops!?!?!?), "Asian" pear (I'm fussy on this not a major fan of Anjou or Bartlets), Lemongrass, avocado oil,
GAH....must stop

[Wizard_Lizard]

Actually tried haggis once, didn't know what it was made of. It was a while ago and I don't remember disliking it tho. Mildly tempted to try it again.

[el minster]

Cholent/stew

[Scarlet Knight]

There are so many delicious foods but I can tell you the one dish that made me happiest.

I was in Rome with my wife and ordered linguine with baby octopus. When the plate was placed in front of me, the aroma brought back every happy memory of my Mother and her kitchen.

It was heavenly!

Shout out to Antica Hostaria via di Ponte Sisto!

[Civis Mundi]

Eggs truly are magical. Not only are they delicious in and of themselves, with so many ways to prepare them, they're also essential for their properties. You can bake without eggs or even an egg wash, you can fry something up without dipping it in egg first (and then your dry mix, of course), you can make a meringue without them...but it's hard to do, and in my opinion, it's usually lacking that je ne sais quoi. The quoi, I suppose, would be an egg, and that's un oeuf for me.

I generally dislike mushrooms, but I had the most delicious chanterelle soup before the recent apocalpyse. It made me realize how much it's a texture thing for me. I can enjoy mushrooms as an umami component of a dish, even if it's the main component, but that rubbery texture is a deal-breaker.

For some reason I have a weird gut-level disgust for substances like mayo or ranch or cream cheese, but yogurt (including tzatziki) doesn't ping the grossometer.

I could go on and on about my favorite tasty things, but I'm just gonna give a shout out to my man tomatoes. They're delicious raw (as long as they're not beefsteaks, which are only vaguely acceptable on a sandwich/burger/et c.), even better pickled, and are such a crucial component to so many dishes. When a savory dish is lacking something, it's usually acid, and tomato can be a great remedy to that.

I would also like to make a public service announcement on this subject: NEVER REFRIGERATE YOUR TOMATOES. The moment the core reaches a temperature of 50 degrees F, a reaction happens that makes the tomato bland and grainy. If you want to enjoy your tomatoes, always put them in the pantry, never in the fridge. Obviously, you're still welcome to freeze tomato sauce. This is more of a raw tomato deal.

[oxybe]

I'll add 2 more things to the list:

the pho from the vietnamese cafe behind my place is excellent: giant portions, a healthy amount of sliced beef and vietnamese sausage, tons of green onions and normal onions and enough pepper and spices to wake me up like coffee never could and a hearty broth like none other. It's noisy slurp level good.

second would be my mum's meat pie: a pastry dough pie stuffed absolutely thick with beef, pork and rabbit meat, seasoned with onions, a healthy amiunt of black pepper, many herbs and salt to taste. served warm with butter and the thickest molasses you can buy.

[Velaryon]

Oh my gosh, I don't know where to start. I have so many foods that I love, I can't possibly name all or even most of them. But let me rattle off a few that spring to mind.

Gyros, particularly from this place by my parents' house. They heap on so much meat you feel guilty just looking at it. The meat's usually cooked just right (not at all dry), just the right amount of tzatziki, onion, and tomato, and with some excellent fries to go along with it. It's an absolute treat and I always love to go there when I can.

Pizza. Yes, it's an incredibly basic answer but it's true. Not from any of the major chains though, because they tend to range from bland to adequate. But there are a lot of local places in the Chicago area that have great thin crust, deep dish, and stuffed pizza. And there are so many different toppings that can be mixed in (except mushrooms, keep those the hell away from my pizza!).

Red beans & rice. I can literally make up a batch of these and just eat that for dinner 2 days in a row.

I have a pasta salad that I make for myself with tri-color rotini noodles, tomato, 2 (or more) kinds of olives, artichoke hearts, pesto, and parmesan. Sometimes I'll add other things just for variety, but that's the core recipe.

In terms of junk food, I used to love Hostess fruit pies. I say "used to" because it's the kind of food I can't eat very often anymore. Plus I always got a kick out of the cheesy advertisements in comic books (as well as the parody (https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0091.html) in OotS).

[Bartmanhomer]

I also love donuts and blueberry coffee. :smile:

[Arcane_Secrets]

Eggs truly are magical. Not only are they delicious in and of themselves, with so many ways to prepare them, they're also essential for their properties. You can bake without eggs or even an egg wash, you can fry something up without dipping it in egg first (and then your dry mix, of course), you can make a meringue without them...but it's hard to do, and in my opinion, it's usually lacking that je ne sais quoi. The quoi, I suppose, would be an egg, and that's un oeuf for me.

I generally dislike mushrooms, but I had the most delicious chanterelle soup before the recent apocalpyse. It made me realize how much it's a texture thing for me. I can enjoy mushrooms as an umami component of a dish, even if it's the main component, but that rubbery texture is a deal-breaker.

For some reason I have a weird gut-level disgust for substances like mayo or ranch or cream cheese, but yogurt (including tzatziki) doesn't ping the grossometer.

I could go on and on about my favorite tasty things, but I'm just gonna give a shout out to my man tomatoes. They're delicious raw (as long as they're not beefsteaks, which are only vaguely acceptable on a sandwich/burger/et c.), even better pickled, and are such a crucial component to so many dishes. When a savory dish is lacking something, it's usually acid, and tomato can be a great remedy to that.

I would also like to make a public service announcement on this subject: NEVER REFRIGERATE YOUR TOMATOES. The moment the core reaches a temperature of 50 degrees F, a reaction happens that makes the tomato bland and grainy. If you want to enjoy your tomatoes, always put them in the pantry, never in the fridge. Obviously, you're still welcome to freeze tomato sauce. This is more of a raw tomato deal.

How do you keep them (tomatoes) from going bad?

Contributing to the topic....

Pistachio almond ice cream (or gelato)
Blueberry pie (especially since its one of the five or six recipes that I've never replicated from my family, or for that matter, even managed to refind).
Anything salmon.
Eggs benedict.
Sausage & cheese calzone.
Pasta salad with feta, bell peppers, and olives.
The beef brisket I used to have at xmas'es.
Bread pudding.
Thai green/red curries
Ham & swiss cheese/blueberry croissants (have been really hard to find around here for years)
French onion soup
Anything lamb (I had a lamb meatball dish a while back that I loved).

[Arcane_Secrets]

I also love donuts and blueberry coffee. :smile:

Blueberry pancake syrup, or blueberry Italian soda syrup? I've never tried that, but since I have it around I put mint Italian soda syrup in my coffee sometimes and that's really good.

[tyckspoon]

How do you keep them (tomatoes) from going bad?


Just use 'em. They're stable for like five days or so at normal (ie, air conditioned but not refrigerated) room temps, in my experience. If you can't use them that quickly, you're buying too many tomatoes or you need to start looking into ways to preserve them (pickling, canning, cooking into a sauce that handles being frozen/refrigerated better.)

[Civis Mundi]

How do you keep them (tomatoes) from going bad?

You eat them, of course! After about a week, you make whatever's left into tomato sauce (probably alongside canned tomatoes, tomato paste, et c.), which you can then refrigerate or freeze.

EDIT: Ninja'd by a stylish cactus. What a world.

[Bartmanhomer]

Blueberry pancake syrup, or blueberry Italian soda syrup? I've never tried that, but since I have it around I put mint Italian soda syrup in my coffee sometimes and that's really good.

I didn't know there's such a thing as a blueberry pancake syrup and blueberry Italian soda syrup. :eek:

[clingydreamers]

Pineapple pizza! : D Not sure why none of my friends feel the same way.

[Arcane_Secrets]

Pineapple pizza! : D Not sure why none of my friends feel the same way.

I have...phases with pineapple on pizza sort of like anchovies on pizza (but I'm generally more pro-anchovy once I learned how to fix my own pasta puttanesca from scratch and the recipe requires it.)

[Arcane_Secrets]

I didn't know there's such a thing as a blueberry pancake syrup and blueberry Italian soda syrup. :eek:

I don't know if the latter exists, but yes, you can definitely get blueberry pancake syrup. Smuckers makes it. Or at least they used to.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Gonna be basic and say chocolate
Although specifically very dark chocolate.

[Hagashager]

MASSIVE EDIT: oh wow, I totally misread the forum title. I thought this was the foods you hate thread.

Sandwiches. I'm a simple man with simple tastes. An Italian sub goes a long way towards making me happy.

[Wizard_Lizard]

Breaddddd. Bread is good.

[SallyOsaku]

Sukiyaki should get a vote.

[137beth]

Carrots, blueberries, bagels, broccoli, potatoes, plums, dark chocolate, brown rice, milk, ice cream, and fruit smoothies.

[genderlich]

Anything pickled/fermented and sour. Pickles, pickled onions, capers, olives, kimchi, anchovies, certain cheeses, cultured butter, SOURDOUGH... when I die, don't bury me in the ground, stick me in the brine.

[Wildstag]

I am inclined to say Hatch chile. Red, green, it doesn't matter. I like many other New Mexicans, will gladly put that pepper on anything and everything.

And I could eat some red enchiladas every day and never grow tired of it. The red sauce from the Hatch chile is just too delicious.

[WinterKnight404]

I'll eat just about anything that anyone else eats with few exceptions but if we're talking about truly love... Rare steak and a nice warm dinner roll with melted butter inside.

[MCollarsen]

Savory foods with a mix of spices and meats - Jambalaya:smallcool: are amazing

[Seerow]

The lack of barbecue in this thread is disturbing.

Smoked meats. Pork is preferable, but if it is meat and has been in a smoker for 4-12 hours, chances are I am going to enjoy it. St Louis Ribs, Babybacks, pulled pork, sliced pork, brisket, whole chicken, wings. When you get it just right and it just melts in your mouth as you bite in. Nothing beats it.

[ehsanmaster]

Treacle tart is mine :smallsmile:

[Asmotherion]

Beef and Cheese. Especially served together.

[me_ow]

you probably dont consider cake as a food ! but i seriously have not come across a cake i did not like ! at least yet

[Razade]

The lack of barbecue in this thread is disturbing.

Smoked meats. Pork is preferable, but if it is meat and has been in a smoker for 4-12 hours, chances are I am going to enjoy it. St Louis Ribs, Babybacks, pulled pork, sliced pork, brisket, whole chicken, wings. When you get it just right and it just melts in your mouth as you bite in. Nothing beats it.

Barbecue isn't a food. It's a cooking method. Would be weird if people said their favorite food was frying.

[Jay R]

Barbecue isn't a food. It's a cooking method.

A cooking method and (at least in this part of the country) a sauce. Barbecue is on my list, below.


Would be weird if people said their favorite food was frying.

Yes. Yes, it would. But barbecue is a common "favorite food" around here. No comparison.

Here's my partial list:

Swedish meatballs
Barbecued beef (also pork)
Texas chili (no beans)
Gyro meat (lamb or beef)
My family’s traditional Christmas cookies – nut rolls, sand tarts, rumballs
Lasagna
Lutfisk (yes, I'm serious. I wish I could get it these days)
Pumpkin pie, blueberry pie, pecan pie1
Pancakes with maple syrup. Yes, maple. Has to be maple. [I was born in Vermont.]
Peanut butter


1If I were placed in the middle of a triangle, equidistant from a pumpkin pie, a blueberry pie, and a pecan pie, I would thank my lucky stars that I was trained in mathematical optimization instead of philosophy, and I'd go pick up all three.]

[zarionofarabel]

Scalloped potatoes, home-made of course. Grilled cheese sandwich, with real cheese not processed slices. My Dad's home-made beef burgers, not fast food rat burgers, those are gross, some pub burgers are okay but still not as good as my pops, he makes a good burger. Homestyle french fries, not frozen crap, some pubs and a few restaurants do them right, but they can be hard to find. Most pasta dishes with a tomato based sauce, as long as they have no meat, or use only ground beef. I'm also a huge fan of chocolate, as long as it's just chocolate.

[Razade]

A cooking method and (at least in this part of the country) a sauce. Barbecue is on my list, below.

It doesn't matter if it's a sauce, it's a sauce called that because it's used in the cooking method and is as diverse as the cooking method is. Barbecue sauce isn't like ketchup, it arose to help people cook barbecue more quickly.


Yes. Yes, it would. But barbecue is a common "favorite food" around here. No comparison.

And fried food is a common "favorite food" for people in Scotland. They have Chip Shops. People say their favorite food is "curry" as well but curries are likewise a cooking method with a big umbrella. So yeah, there is comparison. People just use "BBQ" as a short hand to mean their regional cooking methods. It doesn't change the fact that barbecue isn't a food, it's a cooking method with a lot of deviations.

[Cicciograna]

Neapolitan pizza and buffalo mozzarella. And pasta, with ragù, genovese, boscaiola sauce, even with simple tomato sauce or with oil, garlic, chili pepper and parmesan. And let's add in some good cheese, some gorgonzola, some delicious parmesan, sheep and goat cheeses but even just the humble grana padano.

[Jay R]

It doesn't matter if it's a sauce, it's a sauce called that because it's used in the cooking method and is as diverse as the cooking method is. Barbecue sauce isn't like ketchup, it arose to help people cook barbecue more quickly.



And fried food is a common "favorite food" for people in Scotland. They have Chip Shops. People say their favorite food is "curry" as well but curries are likewise a cooking method with a big umbrella. So yeah, there is comparison. People just use "BBQ" as a short hand to mean their regional cooking methods. It doesn't change the fact that barbecue isn't a food, it's a cooking method with a lot of deviations.

Life would be so much simpler if language acted like that.

But you could do what you're trying to do with almost any of the responses here. The original poster said, "eggs" -- but that could include quail eggs or caviar; it's not a single food.

I said, "Swedish meatballs" and did not specify my grandmother's recipe. I also said, "peanut butter", without going into which varieties I don't like.

Everything you said about the derivation of the term "barbecue" is true, and if word derivations were the only meaningful facts in language usage, then your conclusion would be correct. Nonetheless, there are many people here in Texas who would say that their favorite food is barbecue. Like most English words, "barbecue" has more than one meaning, and is used in more than one way.

If the original meaning of a word were its only possibly meaning, then a buccaneer would still mean a person who makes barbecue, rather than a pirate.

Etymology is not definition, or "digital computing" would mean counting on your fingers.

[Peelee]

Barbecue isn't a food. It's a cooking method.

In the South, you flip that around.

[Razade]

Life would be so much simpler if language acted like that.

But you could do what you're trying to do with almost any of the responses here. The original poster said, "eggs" -- but that could include quail eggs or caviar; it's not a single food.

I said, "Swedish meatballs" and did not specify my grandmother's recipe. I also said, "peanut butter", without going into which varieties I don't like.

Everything you said about the derivation of the term "barbecue" is true, and if word derivations were the only meaningful facts in language usage, then your conclusion would be correct. Nonetheless, there are many people here in Texas who would say that their favorite food is barbecue. Like most English words, "barbecue" has more than one meaning, and is used in more than one way.

If the original meaning of a word were its only possibly meaning, then a buccaneer would still mean a person who makes barbecue, rather than a pirate.

Etymology is not definition, or "digital computing" would mean counting on your fingers.

Yeah. I'm not even arguing etymology. I'm using common parlance because I am not a perscriptivist.


In the South, you flip that around.

Depends on which part of the South. Alabama's got White Sauce so we don't need to worry about what they think about BBQ.

[Peelee]

Depends on which part of the South. Alabama's got White Sauce so we don't need to worry about what they think about BBQ.

All I'm saying is all the places famous for barbecue (eg Texas, Memphis, etc) are in the South. Ain't nobody bragging on New Hampshire- or Michigan-style barbecue.

Also white sauce does exist here but generally is more of a Carolinas thing, in my experience.

Oh, and if someone asks if I want barbecue and they bring me a grilled burger, they're going to get followup questions any time they talk about food forever after. Assuming I ever accept their food again to begin with.

[Razade]

All I'm saying is all the places famous for barbecue (eg Texas, Memphis, etc) are in the South. Ain't nobody bragging on New Hampshire- or Michigan-style barbecue.

Kansas City is in Missouri, and Missouri isn't the in the South nor is it "The South" so that's one place that's famous for BBQ just in the continental US that's not Southern. Same with St. Louis, they have a pretty famous BBQ style and that's also Missouri. Kansas City style BBQ is famous enough to be counted as one of the "Top Four" regional BBQs even.

Hawaiian BBQ is also pretty well known, especially in California and even here in Arizona. There's a Hawaiian BBQ place not too far from my apartment, also not Southern. The South sure likes to brag about how their BBQ styles are the best but the rest of the States are repping.


Also white sauce does exist here but generally is more of a Carolinas thing, in my experience.

White Sauce is, as far as I've ever known, a distinctly Alabama thing. It certainly began there. Big Bob Gibson's is where it originated. The Carolina's are either a vinegar and pepper based sauce or a vinegar and tomato sauce. Depending. Then you've got Carolina Gold, which is a mustard based sauce.

[Peelee]

Kansas City is in Missouri, and Missouri isn't the in the South nor is it "The South" so that's one place that's famous for BBQ just in the continental US that's not Southern. Same with St. Louis, they have a pretty famous BBQ style and that's also Missouri. Kansas City style BBQ is famous enough to be counted as one of the "Top Four" regional BBQs even.

Hawaiian BBQ is also pretty well known, especially in California and even here in Arizona. There's a Hawaiian BBQ place not too far from my apartment, also not Southern. The South sure likes to brag about how their BBQ styles are the best but the rest of the States are repping.

I'll be sure to cry into my Dreamland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamland_Bar-B-Que).:smallwink:*

Also, I'll totally give credit to Missouri. I'm sure Cali, Hawaii, and a few others probably take a good stab at it too. I'm not saying nobody else does it, ever. I'm just saying the South is pretty famous for consistently saturating the best barbecue lists. It's like pizza in NYC, or cheesecake in NYC, or pastrami in NYC (I may have really loved my trip to NYC several years back). Yes, many other places can do those and do them well, but there's still a damn good reason that area is famous for 'em. Same for barbecue in the South.

*Jim n' Nicks (https://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Jim_'N_Nick's_Bar-B-Q) also does a damned fine job, and apparently they've gone as far out as Colorado, but even they can't quite reach Dreamland. There's a hell of a good reason those two have exploded, let me tell ya. I hope Dreamland decides to go farther out of state.

Also, looking into it, you seem to be totally right about the white sauce. But that's from north Alabama, or as I like to call it (along with everywhere else in the state that isn't Birmingham), "far outside of civilization". Yeah, that's right Huntsville, I went there.

Oh, and one final thing on what led us to this whole tangent to start with:

Barbecue isn't a food. It's a cooking method. Would be weird if people said their favorite food was frying.


A barbecue can refer to the cooking method itself, the meat cooked this way, or to a type of social event featuring this type of cooking.

[Razade]

I'll be sure to cry into my Dreamland (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamland_Bar-B-Que).:smallwink:*

Also, I'll totally give credit to Missouri. I'm sure Cali, Hawaii, and a few others probably take a good stab at it too. I'm not saying nobody else does it, ever. I'm just saying the South is pretty famous for consistently saturating the best barbecue lists. It's like pizza in NYC, or cheesecake in NYC, or pastrami in NYC (I may have really loved my trip to NYC several years back). Yes, many other places can do those and do them well, but there's still a damn good reason that area is famous for 'em. Same for barbecue in the South.

The South certainly reps solid BBQ, we could get into why that is...but not on this forum. The history of BBQ in the South doesn't change the fact however that Kansas City BBQ is the most copied and recognized BBQ outside of the South. The thick tomato based sauce is a hallmark of Kansas City. And for a real loop here. The most popular BBQ sauce in the country isn't Southern either. Sweet Baby Ray's is the top sold sauce and the recipe came from Chicago. Which we can all agree is also not the South.

The South, much like New York, likes to lean on how great their stuff is but when push comes to shove other places do their styles better than they do. You want a real, true, pastrami sandwich? You go to Cleveland. You want a real New York style Cheesecake? You go to Los Angeles. You want perfect New York style pizza? You go to San Fransisco. You want the best BBQ? You actually do go to the Midwest. Not only because of Kansas City which is the melting pot of all the regional styles but also because places like Ohio and Michigan and Wisconsin are where you're going to find a lot of love and care raising meat and a lot of care and love and the trading culture of the old Great Lakes to get all the supplies you need and hungry workers to feed at the smoke pit. The Midwest is the crucible for regional cooking.


Also, looking into it, you seem to be totally right about the white sauce. But that's from north Alabama, or as I like to call it (along with everywhere else in the state that isn't Birmingham), "far outside of civilization". Yeah, that's right Huntsville, I went there.

I know my stuff about BBQ and regional cooking. I study foodways. I've yet to see any culinary civilization come out of 'Bama. North, South, East or West. :smalltongue:


Oh, and one final thing on what led us to this whole tangent to start with:

I've already acknowledged that people use it in other ways and made parallels to other cooking methods used in similar colloquial ways.

[Peelee]

The South certainly reps solid BBQ, we could get into why that is...but not on this forum.
Thats sadly true of no small number of foods down here.

The history of BBQ in the South doesn't change the fact however that Kansas City BBQ is the most copied and recognized BBQ outside of the South. The thick tomato based sauce is a hallmark of Kansas City. And for a real loop here. The most popular BBQ sauce in the country isn't Southern either. Sweet Baby Ray's is the top sold sauce and the recipe came from Chicago. Which we can all agree is also not the South.

The South, much like New York, likes to lean on how great their stuff is but when push comes to shove other places do their styles better than they do. You want a real, true, pastrami sandwich? You go to Cleveland. You want a real New York style Cheesecake? You go to Los Angeles. You want perfect New York style pizza? You go to San Fransisco. You want the best BBQ? You actually do go to the Midwest.
That loses a lot of its punch when you yourself start out by recognizing "outside of the South". Memphis is pretty widely regarded nationally as the barbecue capital.

And that's ignoring all the fake Scotsmen you tossed out there. Again I wasn't being elites about it, I was just noting how barbecue is integrated into and associated with Southern cuisine and the South in general.

If you'd like another analogy, nobody disputes that Argentinian lobster or California spiny lobsters exist, or their flavor in comparison, but Maine lobster remains the headliner on the menus.


I know my stuff about BBQ and regional cooking. I study foodways. I've yet to see any culinary civilization come out of 'Bama. North, South, East or West. :smalltongue:
Well there's your problem, you're ignoring the only civilized part: central Alabama! :smallamused:

[Razade]

Thats sadly true of no small number of foods down here.

Read: Everywhere. Culture is messy.


That loses a lot of its punch when you yourself start out by recognizing "outside of the South". Memphis is pretty widely regarded nationally as the barbecue capital.

Except the South is only one small region compared to the rest of the world. It's a larger sample size. Saying "the paunch burger from Sam's Grill in Cincinnati is the best burger in the world" while sitting in Sam's Grill doesn't tell you much. If you're in a bar in Osaka and someone says "Hey, have you ever had the paunch burger from Sam's Grill in Cincinnati? Best burger in the world." that gives more weight to it. If you're sitting in Memphis and you're eating at a BBQ place in Memphis then of course they're going to say they're the BBQ capital. So does Austin, so does Salem, so does Kansas City. It's the opinion of the wider world that gives credence to it.

I'm also not making a judgement about "best" here. Popularity doesn't indicate what's best.


And that's ignoring all the fake Scotsmen you tossed out there. Again I wasn't being elites about it, I was just noting how barbecue is integrated into and associated with Southern cuisine and the South in general.

I haven't committed a No True Scotsman at all. I am not changing the definition of something here, pastrami or anything else. I am, mostly jokingly, saying that the regional styles are better when done somewhere else. That's not a No True Scotsman. They're still those regional styles and they still have the history of those regional styles. That's why I made sure to include the region when typing them and comparing them to those made in other cities. It's a misuse of the fallacy.


If you'd like another analogy, nobody disputes that Argentinian lobster or California spiny lobsters exist, or their flavor in comparison, but Maine lobster remains the headliner on the menus.

I'm not saying those regional styles don't exist or that they're not well done where they're originally from so the analogy doesn't fit. If anything your analogy backs me up. Yeah all these regional styles exist but the headliners aren't those from the South outside the South which is a much larger area. They're Midwestern. :smalltongue: Argentinian Lobster may be the talk of the town in Argentina and Memphis BBQ may be king in the South but the style the wider country (the US) and abroad use? Midwestern.


Well there's your problem, you're ignoring the only civilized part: central Alabama! :smallamused:

That wasteland?

[Peelee]

Except the South is only one small region compared to the rest of the world.
That would be an excellent argument if I had ever said anything about the rest of the world. I've kept my argument pretty firmly rooted specifically to the USA, given how I've only referred to US states/regions and restricted all my claims to "nationally".

I haven't committed a No True Scotsman at all. I am not changing the definition of something here, pastrami or anything else. I am, mostly jokingly, saying that the regional styles are better when done somewhere else. That's not a No True Scotsman. They're still those regional styles and they still have the history of those regional styles. That's why I made sure to include the region when typing them and comparing them to those made in other cities. It's a misuse of the fallacy.
"You want a real, true, pastrami sandwich? You go to Cleveland." You're pretty much showcasing the textbook definition there.*

Now, I suppose if you wanted, you could No True Scotsman on what exactly constitutes a No True Scotsman, but I don't think that would go terribly well.

I'm not saying those regional styles don't exist or that they're not well done where they're originally from so the analogy doesn't fit. If anything your analogy backs me up. Yeah all these regional styles exist but the headliners aren't those from the South outside the South which is a much larger area. They're Midwestern. :smalltongue: Argentinian Lobster may be the talk of the town in Argentina and Memphis BBQ may be king in the South but the style the wider country (the US) and abroad use? Midwestern.
Let me rephrase my claim. Barbecue is part of the cultural identity of the South. Further, barbecue is nationally famous for being part of the cultural identity of the South. Hawaii barbecue and California barbecue and anything else you may want to throw out has no bearing on this. Everyone in the nation knows about various Southern barbecue places regardless of their own styles, just as everyone in the nation knows about Maine lobster despite their own local lobster fisheries. This is what I originally meant, and if I've strayed outside of this at any point during this back-and-forth, I apologize for getting too caught up in the weeds.

That wasteland?
No no, you're thinking of North Alabama again.

I should probably stop before Doug Lampert wants to come after me next time I head up there. I'd be pretty easy to find, they've only got a population of like 12 or something.




*ETA: Also, shame on you for suggesting that anyone go to Cleveland.

In every country, they make fun of city. In U.S., you make fun of Cleveland. In Russia, we also make fun of Cleveland. - YS

[Razade]

That would be an excellent argument if I had ever said anything about the rest of the world. I've kept my argument pretty firmly rooted specifically to the USA, given how I've only referred to US states/regions and restricted all my claims to "nationally".

I also brought the US in. The South is still only a portion of the country.


"You want a real, true, pastrami sandwich? You go to Cleveland." You're pretty much showcasing the textbook definition there.*

Now, I suppose if you wanted, you could No True Scotsman on what exactly constitutes a No True Scotsman, but I don't think that would go terribly well.

Seems like you're trying for it, best of luck to you. :smalltongue:

It's still not a No True Scotsman because I never said that nowhere else made a true pastrami sandwich nor did I disqualify your statement by ad hoc change the definition of what a true pastrami sandwich is. In the same paragraph (and before so the context is there) that they just did them better. Not that they're not actually the style or the thing itself. You need both those elements for a No True Scotsman fallacy, the ad hoc nature and the devaluing of another person's argument via a purity test.


Let me rephrase my claim. Barbecue is part of the cultural identity of the South. Further, barbecue is nationally famous for being part of the cultural identity of the South. Hawaii barbecue and California barbecue and anything else you may want to throw out has no bearing on this.

If you want to talk about actual fallacies being made, you're doing pretty good moving the goal posts here. :smalltongue: It still ignores Kansas City which you cannot argue is not a nationally recognized element of BBQ culture and isn't part of the South. If you want to change your argument to just the fact that BBQ is a well known cultural element of the South...sure. No argument here. That wasn't at all what we were discussing in the first place though.


Everyone in the nation knows about various Southern barbecue places regardless of their own styles, just as everyone in the nation knows about Maine lobster despite their own local lobster fisheries. This is what I originally meant, and if I've strayed outside of this at any point during this back-and-forth, I apologize for getting too caught up in the weeds.

I don't even think it was your original argument. If you want to catch me on using the word true in what was obviously a bit of hyperbolic silliness and try to accuse me of a fallacy (still isn't) then you're going to have to own up to having said


All I'm saying is all the places famous for barbecue (eg Texas, Memphis, etc) are in the South. Ain't nobody bragging on New Hampshire- or Michigan-style barbecue.

That was your original argument. Except all the places famous for BBQ aren't in the South (Kansas City and St. Louis) as I've pointed out even before getting to places like Hawaii which frankly is famous for their BBQ nation wide. A Luau is BBQ, not just in style but in parlance and practice. The roast pig common to Luau weren't endemic to Hawaii, they were brought over by the British and the American influences of BBQ created the modern Luau when they blended with indigenous practices. The modern Luau is one of the most culturally identifiable elements of Hawaiian culture on the mainland. To say that it doesn't count, and I'm not saying you're saying it but if you are, is actually a no True Scotsman. If you're only counting Southern BBQ as BBQ you're in shooting distance with being engaged in the very fallacy you wrongfully accused me of. :smalltongue:

Fallacies though have nothing to do with food. Barbecue is still a cooking method more often than it is a specific food. :smalltongue:

[Peelee]

I also brought the US in. The South is still only a portion of the country.
...I never said it wasn't?

It's still not a No True Scotsman because
Mhm. "If you want a real, true thing" is not a real, true NTS for many varied reasons, I'm sure.

If you want to talk about actual fallacies being made, you're doing pretty good moving the goal posts here.
I fail to see how openly recanting on one line of the argument and rephrasing my original intent to be more clear is moving goalposts. It's been quite a long time since I've been shy on these boards about admitting that an argument does not work, abandoning that argument for that reason, and moving to a new argument that does work. Typically that's called "acknowledging that I was wrong and shifting my position due to that", though. If we want to start calling acknowledging that one was wrong "moving goalposts", I suspect debate will suffer for it.

I don't even think it was your original argument. If you want to catch me on using the word true in what was obviously a bit of hyperbolic silliness and try to accuse me of a fallacy (still isn't) then you're going to have to own up to having said

That was your original argument.

Actually, this was my original argument:

Barbecue isn't a food. It's a cooking method.In the South, you flip that around.
And, as I said, I recanted going further on that and admitted I was wrong to do so. If you want, I can even make it all officialized: I recant going further on that, and I was wrong to do so.

And you have yet to apologize for telling people to go to Cleveland.

[BisectedBrioche]

I have a deep, abiding love for croissants. Ideally served with coffee.

[Peelee]

I have a deep, abiding love for croissants. Ideally served with coffee.

No brioche?

[BisectedBrioche]

No brioche?

I mostly just enjoy making it.

[Peelee]

I mostly just enjoy making it.

Well, if you ever feel like it, pop some in a box and send it over here! You can just address it "Peelee", the Royal Mail will know what to do with it.