Most overrated food

[zinfamous]

Fondu.

You might be changing your tune if you've ever had real fondu, which is really tough to find in the states. It's also very expensive. I mean, who doesn't like melted gruyere + emmenthaler + dry white wine + garlic with crusty sour dough bread? It's amazing.

 

[Ns1]

mayo hating heathen that eats shitty pastrami would prefer shin ramen over a $12 bowl of the good stuff

Why am I not surprised.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I guess the only good Southern BBQ is made by black guy in Alabama.

No...Southern BBQ is either Memphis(dry rub or spicy sauce) or NC style (sweet sauce/vinegar sauce)....and it's really more about the sauce than the cooking method if you ask me...(though pulled pork vs sliced pork is totally different on a sandwich).

I'm going to add to the list and say that California Rolls are overrated Sushi. I don't know why people waste their money on a roll that's made from imitation crab meat that comes in stick form from the freezer. I've seen them as high as $25 on a menu right next to the Tuna 3 ways....why would you ever not get the Tuna?

I get sick of seeing pasta dishes priced at $15-20 on a menu when there's no featured meat like veal or chicken parmesan. You can make a lb of pasta for $1 and buy a can of pasta sauce for $1.50. At some point, these dishes are marked up way too high from the ingredients cost....why order those foods in restaurants when you can probably score them from from a soup kitchen.

 

[zinfamous]

mayo hating heathen that eats shitty pastrami would prefer shin ramen over a $12 bowl of the good stuff

Why am I not surprised.

I just value money and actual food over ephemeral and non-quantifiable experience. In the end, you aren't going to be convincing anyone that that perfect Ramen noodle kissed by the blessed hands of David Chang is worth $20 compared to a 50 cent freeze-dried bag of noodles (something that Chang also popularized again, lol). The value simply isn't there and the "effort" that goes into these preparations can never be defended by even the most cynical hipster.

 

[zinfamous]

No...Southern BBQ is either Memphis(dry rub or spicy sauce) or NC style (sweet sauce/vinegar sauce)....and it's really more about the sauce than the cooking method if you ask me...(though pulled pork vs sliced pork is totally different on a sandwich).

I'm going to add to the list and say that California Rolls are overrated Sushi. I don't know why people waste their money on a roll that's made from imitation crab meat that comes in stick form from the freezer. I've seen them as high as $25 on a menu right next to the Tuna 3 ways....why would you ever not get the Tuna?

I get sick of seeing pasta dishes priced at $15-20 on a menu when there's no featured meat like veal or chicken parmesan. You can make a lb of pasta for $1 and buy a can of pasta sauce for $1.50. At some point, these dishes are marked up way too high from the ingredients cost....why order those foods in restaurants when you can probably score them from from a soup kitchen.

Uh, there's way more types of BBQ than just Memphis or NC. Granted, nothing is superior to eastern NC, but that's a given.

I'm honestly not sure that anyone ever rated CA rolls as anything...they are just considered standard, cheap, crap "sushi" rolls. It's meant to be cheap and ubiquitous. If someone says that's their preferred sushi, then you know they haven't had sushi before

 

[Scarpozzi]

Uh, there's way more types of BBQ than just Memphis or NC. Granted, nothing is superior to eastern NC, but that's a given.

I'm honestly not sure that anyone ever rated CA rolls as anything...they are just considered standard, cheap, crap "sushi" rolls. It's meant to be cheap and ubiquitous. If someone says that's their preferred sushi, then you know they haven't had sushi before

ON the BBQ comment, I know there are way more kinds of BBQ. I was really just suggesting that Alabama isn't known for it that I'm aware of...I don't doubt they probably have some good BBQ down there...it's not rocket science to make it. It's just about internal meat temps and making sure you break down the chewy parts of the fat by slowly melting it or charring it. I actually prefer NC-style over memphis unless you're talking about ribs. I don't talk about St Louis BBQ....Texas is beef...so it's a different animal.

Another thing that's overused these days is deconstructed anything. I've ordered a deconstructed Caesar salad before....and occasionally I've had ribeyes come as "deconstructed" though they aren't mentioned that way on the menu. The deconstructed salad is really just young, unsliced romaine and dressing on the plate. I prefer to call it "UN-constructed" because it's lazy if you ask me. For the ribeye, it's a way the kitchen can charge you $60 for a steak that they pre-slice and spread out on the plate instead of giving you an 18oz steak like you expected. I prefer a solid steak....like the Outlaw Ribeye from Longhorn. Fancy restaurants that serve aged beef just don't get it....I actually prefer the Longhorn steak (rare-medium rare) to proper grass-fed aged beef.

Finally I'm going to add another "FOOD", but it's really a drink. Ever since that damned movie "Sideways" came out, everyone has been bashing Merlot and propping up Pinot Noir like they know their stuff with wine. I'm not a Merlot guy, but think it's great in some blends and have had some really good ones. Pinot Noir can also be a good wine, but I've seen the price per glass/per bottle skyrocket in the restaurants compared to elsewhere in the supply chain...so I really do think it has to do with that movie boosting its ratings among posers who don't booze it up as often as I do. I saw a menu last weekend in a major tourist city that had all the Merlots at $9/glass and the Pinot Noirs at $15-16/glass. Knowing it's a tourist town confirms my suspicions that this is probably a wide-spread mass assumption that they made as they saw demand for Pinot Noirs rise. Hah....suckers. I prefer a Cab or red blend to either of those if it's from a reputable label.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I just value money and actual food over ephemeral and non-quantifiable experience. In the end, you aren't going to be convincing anyone that that perfect Ramen noodle kissed by the blessed hands of David Chang is worth $20 compared to a 50 cent freeze-dried bag of noodles (something that Chang also popularized again, lol). The value simply isn't there and the "effort" that goes into these preparations can never be defended by even the most cynical hipster.

Since I started cooking I feel like most things are easy to make but I still understand the value of the dish.

 

[Ns1]

ITT: Zinfamous further buries his food cred

 

[MaxDepth]

I feel ya! I've been seeing TV ads for the avocado. It's the "new mayo"!
I'd like to see the ad men say that to the rednecks around here. I mean it's a fucking holy war already between people who like Duke's and those who like Blue Plate. Although I can get both groups to agree that Miracle Whip is Yankee Aggression and the Devil's jizz.

After 8 years in CA, I couldn't agree more. Those bastards put avocado on everything, and there really is no place for it other than guacamole. "No, I do not want the fucking avocado on my omelette. I do not want the fucking avocado on my chili fries. Or my lamb burger. Nor do I want avocado in my bloody mary, you fucking assholes!"

 

[Thebobo]

Beef Tripe

 

[monkeydelmagico]

Never heard of anyone considering Tripe "overrated". It's guts and most people throw it away.

 

[ponyo]

No...Southern BBQ is either Memphis(dry rub or spicy sauce) or NC style (sweet sauce/vinegar sauce)....and it's really more about the sauce than the cooking method if you ask me...(though pulled pork vs sliced pork is totally different on a sandwich).

I'm going to add to the list and say that California Rolls are overrated Sushi. I don't know why people waste their money on a roll that's made from imitation crab meat that comes in stick form from the freezer. I've seen them as high as $25 on a menu right next to the Tuna 3 ways....why would you ever not get the Tuna?

I get sick of seeing pasta dishes priced at $15-20 on a menu when there's no featured meat like veal or chicken parmesan. You can make a lb of pasta for $1 and buy a can of pasta sauce for $1.50. At some point, these dishes are marked up way too high from the ingredients cost....why order those foods in restaurants when you can probably score them from from a soup kitchen.

I'm familiar with different BBQ styles. I picked Alabama because I associate Alabama with deep South. It was directed at people who seems to think only Japanese can make good ramen in the US. Which is absurd because if we apply the same logic, only blacks can cook true Southern BBQ. Think about the origin of Southern BBQ and who did the cooking. In plantations, blacks did the hard work and the cooking. Black men were the original BBQ pitmasters. They could cook whole hogs with just chopped tree and a hole in the ground. They ate the undesired cuts of meat like pig snouts, pig feet, and organ meats while the white owners ate the prime cuts. Some of the early BBQ cooking techniques might have been brought over from Africa. Now BBQ popularity is booming in the US and hipsters have fully embraced the fad. And everyone seems to be jumping on the BBQ train and there are lot of famous BBQ pitmasters now, many are white males.

Years ago, I was at a stripclub in Florida with friends. It was late at night and we were drunk and hungry and this big black guy was cooking and selling BBQ ribs and chicken right in the parking lot. He was cooking on one of those big trailer BBQ smokers. We figured the guy was black and he was cooking on impressive smoker, it had to be good. It could only be good. So we all bought big slabs of ribs and chicken expecting it to be great. We couldn't have been more wrong. That was probably the worst BBQ I've ever had. It was so bad we ended up throwing most of it away. So that killed the theory all black guys can cook good BBQ.

 

[Ns1]

Another one:

Jewish Delis. Thanks for the pastrami, no thanks for the $15 turkey sandwich and $7 onion rings. And 99% of them are terrible anyway.

It was directed at people who seems to think only Japanese can make good ramen in the US. Which is absurd because if we apply the same logic, only blacks can cook true Southern BBQ.

This shit is 100% true. Look at the proof: 2 koreans cooking "the best fucking ramen" in Atlanta can't make you a believer. Not even k-pride can overcome their inability to cook good ramen.

Related: all the korean owned ramen shops in LA are terrible.

 

[nakedfrog]

I feel like the word "hipster" has lost all meaning at this point.
What is this BBQ fad being referenced? Maybe I don't see it because I'm so close to KC (mmm, burnt ends...) and we've always had a bunch of BBQ joints.

 

[Ns1]

Haru Ichiban

Opinion immediately invalidated by the copius amounts of sushi served at this restaurant.

I feel like the word "hipster" has lost all meaning at this point.
What is this BBQ fad being referenced? Maybe I don't see it because I'm so close to KC (mmm, burnt ends...) and we've always had a bunch of BBQ joints.

OG bbq = commodity meats, served in low-key restaurants. 99% of all restaurants that serve generic white bread with their bbq would fall under this category.
Hipster bbq = snake river farms hormone free spare ribs, served by white male chefs (almost always with a beard or tattoos) in sit-down restaurants with full alcohol licenses

 

[nakedfrog]

OG bbq = commodity meats, served in low-key restaurants. 99% of all restaurants that serve generic white bread with their bbq would fall under this category.
Hipster bbq = snake river farms hormone free spare ribs, served by white male chefs (almost always with a beard or tattoos) in sit-down restaurants with full alcohol licenses

I see... yeah, I don't know if we've got any of the latter (but I might not necessarily know even if we did).

 

[BurnItDwn]

All goods need transportation. Lettuce isnt special. You need trucks for beans and corn chinese t-shirts.
Almost all plants need irrigation, again lettuce is not really special.
There is ALWAYS opportunity cost with any produced good. Once again, lettuce is not special. If people are planting it, its cuz people are buying it.
If you planted wheat EVERYWHERE an no other crops, wheat would shoot down in price and everything else would shoot up.


I dont think you've ever had an economics class and I know for a fact you've never spent time on a farm.

Having said all that, I would be damn foolish to argue the issue of flavor.

Lettuce is more or less just water,
It doesn't really have much in terms of nutritional value. Beans and Corn are much more efficient to transport due to having a much richer density of nutrition. A pound of corn or bean is worth 10 pounds of lettuce. The same is true for land use and irrigation. Wasting land on a useless crop with almost no nutritional value means land that could be used for a better crop is wasted.

Im not saying the farmers are making an opportunity cost, I am saying humanity as a whole, is squandering precious resources in order to make their sandwiches crunchy or to make salads bland.

 

[Ns1]

It's always a white dude with a beard.

but damn those mother fuckers can cook.

I mean just look at that tag. It just screams "this joint is hipster as fuck"

 

[Scarpozzi]

heh

It's always a white dude with a beard.

but damn those mother fuckers can cook.

I mean just look at that tag. It just screams "this joint is hipster as fuck"

In many cases, those kinds of kitchens buy the industrial commercial smokers that are meant to be vented and used indoors. (like potentially in a kitchen that has no outside walls to vent through) I've seen a lot of high-end kitchens with these stainless smokers that look like they've never been used (on the outside), but they do the job and produce great food. That's throwing money at the problem because they have sophisticated thermometers and timers, etc... Chefs often attack the problem using their culinary knowledge of meat and science...

I know what Ponyo's saying about some bbq being bad...the problem with bbq is that it's always a combination of time and temp....you can cook bbq fast, but the inside meat temp has to be where you need it (180-200 degrees) That picture of the beef brisket is an example of a 10-18 hour job if you smoke it instead of roasting it at a higher temp....or letting the meat start at room temp rather than pulling it from a cold fridge and dumping it in a smoker can change optimal cook times significantly in thicker cuts. Guys that are simply selling food to make a buck in a parking lot aren't typically regulated by the health department, so you don't know what temp the meats were kept at before or during the cook. In a restaurant setting or fixed location, they usually have more business come to them and they cook it long before people order. Ribs take 3+ hours to cook... 7-8lb pork roasts can take 6-10 hours to smoke... It's better to know they throw stuff in the smoker or pit and can leave it going overnight. (as my local bbq joints all do....running at 5-6am, you can smell the hickory smoke most mornings)

 

[ponyo]

I like hipsters joining the BBQ world. Many have classic culinary trainings and backgrounds and they bring new insights. You need new blood and experimentation for the field to advance. As someone who loves BBQ, I welcome it as long as I can still buy cheap meats.

Ns1, at Mensho Tokyo SF, hispanics were doing the prepping and the cooking in the kitchen. I watched them as they made my ramen. So does that mean it's not good ramen shop as well?

 

[OutHouse]

Can't stand this hipster, overhyped crap. It doesn't even taste spicy, and the rest of it is just bad. And these morons are the millennials who say Tabasco sucks. While Tabasco isn't my favorite, it is leagues above Siracha, because Tabasco actually has flavor.

fail

I cant stand red Tabasco. nevery have and my dad ate it on just about everything. I really like Siracha it adds heat and builds on flavor, unlike red Tabasco where all you taste is vinegar. Green Jalapeno Tabasco is one of my other favs.

 

[Ns1]

I did find out the guy in that picture is using a legit smoker from J&R wood smokers.

Ns1, at Mensho Tokyo SF, hispanics were doing the prepping and the cooking in the kitchen. I watched them as they made my ramen. So does that mean it's not good ramen shop as well?

mexicans form the backbone of every good kitchen. everybody knows this. they area the mother fucking oil that makes the restaurant industry work.

 

[MixMasterTang]

Pulled pork. Good ol' stews and grilled pork chops are much better.

Ummm wow, you've never had BBQ pork that's been smoked at 200 degrees for 24 hours then.

 

[Genx87]

Pretty much any food fad on the Food Network.

 

[OutHouse]

heh

In many cases, those kinds of kitchens buy the industrial commercial smokers that are meant to be vented and used indoors. (like potentially in a kitchen that has no outside walls to vent through) I've seen a lot of high-end kitchens with these stainless smokers that look like they've never been used (on the outside), but they do the job and produce great food. That's throwing money at the problem because they have sophisticated thermometers and timers, etc... Chefs often attack the problem using their culinary knowledge of meat and science...

I know what Ponyo's saying about some bbq being bad...the problem with bbq is that it's always a combination of time and temp....you can cook bbq fast, but the inside meat temp has to be where you need it (180-200 degrees) That picture of the beef brisket is an example of a 10-18 hour job if you smoke it instead of roasting it at a higher temp....or letting the meat start at room temp rather than pulling it from a cold fridge and dumping it in a smoker can change optimal cook times significantly in thicker cuts. Guys that are simply selling food to make a buck in a parking lot aren't typically regulated by the health department, so you don't know what temp the meats were kept at before or during the cook. In a restaurant setting or fixed location, they usually have more business come to them and they cook it long before people order. Ribs take 3+ hours to cook... 7-8lb pork roasts can take 6-10 hours to smoke... It's better to know they throw stuff in the smoker or pit and can leave it going overnight. (as my local bbq joints all do....running at 5-6am, you can smell the hickory smoke most mornings)

the restaurant business is tough, but a BBQ pit Restaurant is a whole other level of tough. the meat is expensive (prime everything. pork, poultry), estimating sales and what to put in the pit for the next day so you dont lose money is hard. it takes a lot of time and man hours to turn out good pit BBQ. I have a pit BBQ at home, I love doing briskets in the summer and have gotten quite good at over the decades, but i would never consider doing it commercial.