The Food and Drink Thread

Topic

Bon appetit and salut!

The Texas grocery store chain, H-E-B, has a Mexican Hot Chocolate ice cream from their store brand line. It is fantastic.

Replies

I also enjoy bison burgers.

Years ago, Christel made Chicken Cordon Bleu burgers with ground chicken that were really good.

Lamb’s good, pretty popular here – both in production and consumption.

I gotta say I’ve never seen a turkey burger on offer. We only really have turkey at Christmas (with my wife’s family; mine don’t really do that kind of northern hemisphere traditional Christmas spread), and even then I think it’s usually not worth it.

(I should clarify that what I’m calling a chicken “burger” would probably be called a chicken “sandwich” in the US. It’s not made with chicken mince – I’m not sure if that’s widely available.)

Andrew wrote:

(I should clarify that what I’m calling a chicken “burger” would probably be called a chicken “sandwich” in the US. It’s not made with chicken mince – I’m not sure if that’s widely available.)

Yep.  That’s just a chicken sandwich.  Heathen.

Here the bread tends to determine what it’s called. A chicken sandwich would be a chicken fillet plus whatever else in between two pieces of sliced bread. If it’s on a burger bun? Its a burger. KFC sells burgers – no sandwiches.

Are chicken burgers a thing? Chicken mince (ground chicken) fried in disc form and slipped in between two pieces of a burger bun?

Andrew wrote:

Are chicken burgers a thing? Chicken mince (ground chicken) fried in disc form and slipped in between two pieces of a burger bun?

They’re not super common but they do exist.  We make them quite a bit on the grill during the summer.

I eat some pretty hectic (huge, extravagant) chicken burgers by virtue of living in Newtown and I’ve shared them with a few Americans from tine to time.  I don’t think anyone’s thinking “samdwich” when you’ve got your mouth around one of the bad boys from Marys, Bar Luca or Thirsty Bird.

I don’t understand big burgers. They’re pretty much impossible to eat without making a mess, sauce squirting out, tomato slices dropping out etc.

Anonymous wrote:

I don’t understand big burgers. They’re pretty much impossible to eat without making a mess, sauce squirting out, tomato slices dropping out etc.

The secret is to unhinge your jaws first.

Hamburgers are named after Hamburg. By that logic cheeseburgers should be named after the city of Cheeseburg.

Andrew wrote:

Lamb’s good, pretty popular here

I’ve heard that Sheep are pretty popular too there.   so if you “enjoy” a lamb like you “enjoy” sheep shouldn’t you get in trouble because lambs are underage.

I have a horrible cold and can’t taste much. So last night I had a homemade chicken curry, with slightly too much chilli in it, but at least it wasn’t bland.

This evening I was late getting home, so I kept it simple and did chicken wings, tossed in oil, salt, garlic, chilli (just a bit this time) and a sprinkling of sugar. They were baked with “popcorn” broccoli. Which are broccoli florets tossed in oil, salt and grated parmesan.

They went in the oven until the chicken was done, and the wings themselves were finished off under the grill for a few minutes to make them crispier.

I’ve got two bottles of Weihenstephaner Weizenbock. So the weekend is off to a great start.

 

Rocket wrote:

Andrew wrote:

Lamb’s good, pretty popular here

I’ve heard that Sheep are pretty popular too there.   so if you “enjoy” a lamb like you “enjoy” sheep shouldn’t you get in trouble because lambs are underage.

I believe you are referring to the land of the long white cloud a.k.a the land of the Velcro glove a.k.a Niew Zuland.

SteveUK wrote:

I have a horrible cold and can’t taste much. So last night I had a homemade chicken curry, with slightly too much chilli in it, but at least it wasn’t bland.

This evening I was late getting home, so I kept it simple and did chicken wings, tossed in oil, salt, garlic, chilli (just a bit this time) and a sprinkling of sugar. They were baked with “popcorn” broccoli. Which are broccoli florets tossed in oil, salt and grated parmesan.

They went in the oven until the chicken was done, and the wings themselves were finished off under the grill for a few minutes to make them crispier.

That sounds lovely. I’m similarly afflicted with a cold at the moment but it’s made me very lazy with food – usually I cook from scratch but I’ve relied on ready meals for the past couple of days. I need to make a bit more of an effort this weekend.

I’m eating the world’s greatest sandwich. A Key West Cuban.

Sausage in bread!

She also gave me a bag of biscuits to share with my friends so you all can have a biccy. It can be handy being me: I often get free stuff. The nice man in the coffee shop gave me an extra shot for free. Must be my lucky day.

I am on a German beer kick and I’m enjoying a Schneider Weisse. This has to be one of the better weizen beers I’ve had yet. It is deliciously full in taste, with a pleasant spiciness. It is also a bit darker than the normal weizen.

 

Dave wrote:

SteveUK wrote:

I have a horrible cold and can’t taste much. So last night I had a homemade chicken curry, with slightly too much chilli in it, but at least it wasn’t bland.

This evening I was late getting home, so I kept it simple and did chicken wings, tossed in oil, salt, garlic, chilli (just a bit this time) and a sprinkling of sugar. They were baked with “popcorn” broccoli. Which are broccoli florets tossed in oil, salt and grated parmesan.

They went in the oven until the chicken was done, and the wings themselves were finished off under the grill for a few minutes to make them crispier.

That sounds lovely. I’m similarly afflicted with a cold at the moment but it’s made me very lazy with food – usually I cook from scratch but I’ve relied on ready meals for the past couple of days. I need to make a bit more of an effort this weekend.

I hope you’re both feeling better today.

I’m making chicken soup. There’s more than enough to go round.

There is an understanding amongst bartenders in London that you are judged on how well you can make an old fashioned.

I quietly judge bartenders in Australia on similar criteria and most fail.  Usually they make them better in the UK (but they do universally use ice).

Next time I order an old fashioned, I’ll lob one in the sea for you (so long as you don’t mind it in a bottle).

Anonymous wrote:

There is an understanding amongst bartenders in London that you are judged on how well you can make an old fashioned.

The best Old Fashioned is a Smoked Old Fashioned. Word of honor.

Anonymous wrote:

I hope you’re both feeling better today. I’m making chicken soup. There’s more than enough to go round.

Feeling a bit better today thanks.

It’s funny how when you’re unwell your body makes you eat better. I took the kids to a fast-food place for lunch today as a treat and I couldn’t face having any of it myself. I feel like I’m crying out for salad and fresh veg and plain chicken tonight so that’s what I’m going to have.

Yay more freebies! I was unexpectedly invited to the pub of the cherry blossoms. It’s ever so fancy.

I ordered an old fashioned but they’d run out of some ingredient or other, so I randomly picked a blossom tree because (you might have guessed) the bar is built around cherry blossom trees. The barman had never made it before, so he said to try it for free. I tried to pay him. He refused.

It was very nice, but more of a summer drink, and left me a bit chilly plus it’s doing its best to snow, so then he suggested a Jameson Swizzle. He gave me extra Jameson’s (Caskmates).

Last time I was there I ordered a whiskey, I forget which one, but they only had a teensy bit left. I do recall the barman (different one) gave me a triple shot of Teeling as recompense. I’d only ordered the one.

I am now slightly swizzled.

I felt better yesterday so I was out all day with friends and today… I felt crap again.

Food yesterday started well too; fruit for breakfast (with coffee) and a cheese and pickle, salad baguette for brunch.

But by 5pm it was a McDonald’s meal and then whisky in a bar.

Today I was back on healthy food and I made myself get some exercise. I feel tired, but I’m hoping I’ll benefit from being a bit more careful with things again.

Feel better soon.

McDonalds isn’t food. You need a proper sandwich.

I’m now eating my dinner: cheese and onion crisp sandwich. And not just any ole crisps – O’Donnell’s Ballymaloe Relish and Cheese combined with Tayto craft cheddar and onion.

Forgot to add – here’s their blossom tree recipe: Hanami gin (I’ve just looked it up, contains cherry blossom essence), St. Germain elderflower, melon liquer, pineapple juice and a pinch of rosemary.

Swizzle: Jameson caskmates, amarretto, lemon juice, sugar syrup, peychaud’s bitters, chocolate bitters with a float of Guinness on top.

i’ve had Caskmates before. I love the combination of the stout barrel and and whiskey.

SteveUK wrote:

then whisky in a bar.

Steve, I fear you’ve misheard the lyrics.

 

 

Irish people working hard to dispel all the Irish stereotypes:

(And if you think it’s going to be SFW, you’ve clearly never met any drunk Irish people.)

How does he know what a washing machine tastes like?

Anonymous wrote:

Forgot to add – here’s their blossom tree recipe: Hanami gin (I’ve just looked it up, contains cherry blossom essence), St. Germain elderflower, melon liquer, pineapple juice and a pinch of rosemary.

Swizzle: Jameson caskmates, amarretto, lemon juice, sugar syrup, peychaud’s bitters, chocolate bitters with a float of Guinness on top.

Sounds good.

Like Don I like caskmates too. I think I prefer the Stout expression to the IPA expression

McDonald’s Japan is mocked for launching Adult Cream Pie dessert

Fuck the Daily Mail. Here’s a different link;

https://soranews24.com/2020/01/16/we-taste-the-adult-cream-pie-from-mcdonalds-japan/

Anonymous wrote:

I quietly judge bartenders in Australia on similar criteria and most fail.  Usually they make them better in the UK

How does that work when all the bartenders in London are Australian?

garjones wrote:

How does that work when all the bartenders in London are Australian?

Many of the ones I’ve met are Irish.

It is a little exaggeration but the UK and Australia have a programme where young people (I think it’s under 26) can travel between the two countries and are also allowed to work to support their travels (which without that deal can’t normally be done). Since bar jobs are pretty easy to pick up casually it was frequently Aussie dulcet tones confirming your order.

The Aussies have sweet, dulcet tones that can charm the birdies down from the sky?

Can’t say I’ve ever noticed.

I think it’s actually under 31 *said sweetly and in dulcet tones*

Gareth makes a good point but many of the bartenders here are foreigners like Spanish and Eastern European.  Evidently the Australians went to the UK to booze and party and then came back to become lawyers.

I’ve run out of tea

Looking forward this evening to our first proper night out of the new year, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. First, cocktails at Jungle Bird for an hour or so, followed by dinner at a “kaiseki speakeasy” called Odo.

Great Gatsby! We’re definitely in the Twenties since you’re away to a speakeasy.

Have a lovely evening.

Somehow I never had the Maredsous tripel before…but this is a great one. A powerful drink at 10 % abv.

 

I like the label too. Beautiful typography. And no cursive script.

 

Stupid Oscar Isaac and his stupid face and guitar and cat.

I’ve been simmering some veggie soup all evening then Ex Machina reminded me I hadn’t watched Inside Llewyn Davis.

So I’m all tra la la folksy guitar and now the butternut squash tastes like a burnt whin. Oddly, the other ingredients taste better.

I’m sure I can fix it.

Oscar Isaac is a really good actor.  Totally weird in Apocalypse though and I hope Star Wars doesn’t tarnish his career.

Maybe he needs to do a movie with Jessie Plemons

He is really good. He was a tad blue in Apocalypse. I’ve yet to see the latest Star Wars.

I watched Synecdoche, New York and there’s something about Plemons eerily reminiscent of Seymour Hoffman.

Oscar should do a Kaufman Plemons movie.

Folks, I have to share this as a cautionary tale.  There are some very upset shepherds ticked off about being associated with the name of this dish. Now, there is a family tradition of “shepherd’s pie” that basically meant leftover covered with taters and baked. (My godmother could turn this into Michelin cuisine.) But it was occasionally lamb, often beef, and  never ever chicken. I did not know broccoli existed until I moved out.  Vegetables are peas, carrots and onions, of course. But somebody came up with this idea. Other people approved it. It moved forward in a proactive manner to standard manufacture and distribution. Heads should roll.

 

I’ve just been told that I couldn’t have eaten my lunch outside because the only thing I’d be able to eat is a banana.

She got a bit upset when I tried to say otherwise.

Shepherd’s pie should  always be lamb, that’s why it’s called that, they guy who herds the sheep. Changing the meat to beef renames it to ‘cottage pie’.

I have no idea with chicken, this seems a new concept, maybe it should be coined ‘fowl pie’.

This is a thing:

That doesn’t belong in the Food and Drink thread.

It belongs in the Most Awesomest Thing You’ve Ever Seen thread.

I thought you were going to say the How’s Your Health? thread.

Or the funny picture thread.

Or the weird news thread.

It works everywhere!

Though if he keeps eating the sheep he’ll be out of a job. Better to stick with beef or lamb (or lentils).

I was talking to one of the guys at work about hangovers. As you do.

He suggested this;

https://survivorlife.com/product/survivor-ten-capsule-pack/

It was a crowdfunded project and now it’s commercially available. From the instructions it looks like you’d get through a whole 10 capsule pack in a night, assuming you were out until 2 am-4 am. That’s £13.99.

My most recent experience with hangovers was New Years Eve and then a friend’s birthday party last weekend. In both cases I turned to isotonic sports drinks to rehydrate, rather than just plain water, and I believe they reduced my level of feeling crap the next day. Those bottles were 500ml each and cost me £1 per bottle.

So this would be a significant increase in cost.

Fortunately I wouldn’t need them every week, but I can see myself getting through a few packs in a good year.

Trying to make real Mongolian food (“Mongolian” beef was invented in Taiwan after the Chinese Civil War- it got its name because the inventor claimed that the method was an extension of culinary practices created by Chinese people in Beijing during Mongol rule), with Tsuyvang- a vegetable/meat/noodle stew.

I think real Mongolian food would be lotsa meat and yoghurt. A bit like Tibetan food.

It doesn’t change my life or anything but I only found out just recently that the sausage and egg McMuffin is a pork product in the US.

 

Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey.

Truly tremendous. Expensive, but one of few non aged varieties worth the import tax.

Nikka owns the patent of a coffey still from Scotland, from like, 100 years ago or something. That still design is the primary distillation method and, naturally, the reason for the name.

Truly unique with a sweet mid note and strong finish. One of the best commercial grade whiskeys available from Japan at a reasonable price.

Sláinte

Andrew wrote:

It doesn’t change my life or anything but I only found out just recently that the sausage and egg McMuffin is a pork product in the US.

It is in the UK too. I’m now surprised it isn’t in Australia. Sausage in Britain tends to be assumed to be pork by default, if it isn’t it tends to get prefaced with chicken/lamb/beef/vegetarian etc.

It’s chicken here but that’s as expected in a Muslim majority country.

 

I keep seeing more and more ‘vegan’ products in the UK right now, it’s definitely that latest fad, replacing the recent obsession with labelling everything as “a good source of protein”.

Hopefully when the craze dies down there will be some good products left on the shelves and a wider range available in restaurants and cafes.

I’m not vegan but some of my friends are, or would like to move from being vegetarian to vegan.

garjones wrote:

It doesn’t change my life or anything but I only found out just recently that the sausage and egg McMuffin is a pork product in the US.

It is in the UK too. I’m now surprised it isn’t in Australia. Sausage in Britain tends to be assumed to be pork by default, if it isn’t it tends to get prefaced with chicken/lamb/beef/vegetarian etc.

It’s chicken here but that’s as expected in a Muslim majority country.

The Halal cart near my office uses beef sausage or turkey bacon in their breakfast sandwiches. I buy breakfast from them once a week, and really look forward to it.

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Chinese New Year with our annual face-stuffing food fest with family and friends. Liz has been cooking up a storm and prepping all week, and I’ve been the recipient of copious amounts of dumplings, spring rolls, and scallion pancakes as her official taste-tester. I’m not complaining, I’m just trying to make the rest of you jealous. 

So happy Lunar New Year to Gar and Audrey and everyone else who celebrates this holiday!!

 

What’s turkey bacon?

Turkey bacon is a meat prepared from chopped, formed, cured, and smoked turkey, which is commonly marketed as a low-fat alternative to pork bacon. Turkey bacon can also be used as a substitute for bacon where religious restrictions forbid the consumption of pork.<sup id=”cite_ref-flock_1-0″ class=”reference” style=”line-height: 1; unicode-bidi: isolate; white-space: nowrap; font-size: 11.2px; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif;”>[1]</sup>

Could be political – we have much larger cattle stock than pig stock. I’m surprised at the disparity in share compared to the US.

(These aren’t like-for-like as the Australian stats are headcounts rather than processed meat volume, but you get the picture.)

Pork is not super big here from my experience – sure, ham and bacon sell well and appear on takeaway and dine in menus, but pork chops aren’t really a thing. I didn’t grow up with pork (mum never cooked it), and wife’s not too familiar with it either. And sausages (like, proper tube sausages, not McDonald’s style patties) here are more often than not beef.

Pork is probably the cheapest meat here. Or at least, the cheapest edible alternative. You can get cheap cuts of beef but it’s like eating shoe leather. And lamb is always ridiculously overpriced.

I’m not sure if that’s always been true. When I was a kid, we probably ate more lamb than anything else, and we we’re rich, so I’m sure lamb was the cheap option. I don’t know why that’s changed. I’ll blame the EU, and assume it will be cheap again when we get all our awesome new trade deals with Australia

Its amazing the ratio of sheep to beef in Australia. It is like Wyoming got supersized.

Anonymous wrote:

What’s turkey bacon?

A shit tasting alternative to the real thing, avoid if possible.

It does not sound like real food.

I’d much prefer to sample Mrs. Jerry’s cooking.

Anonymous wrote:

What’s turkey bacon?

It’s on the shelf next to the pig wings.

garjones wrote:

Sausage in Britain tends to be assumed to be pork by default, if it isn’t it tends to get prefaced with chicken/lamb/beef/vegetarian etc.

Same in the US.

This place is a bit of a sausage fest.

The poultry butcher here sells prepared meat with sauce and vegetables, Indonesian style. They have chicken pedis or spicy chicken, chicken kecap or chicken in sweet soy sauce,  and chicken sate or chicken in peanut sauce. I buy a lot of them these days, it makes a good and easy meal with a bit of rice.

Rocket wrote:

Its amazing the ratio of sheep to beef in Australia. It is like Wyoming got supersized.

For a century wool was our biggest export, but that’s no longer the case. Lamb makes sense as it’s safe for Muslims, Jews, and beef avoiding Hindus.

 

garjones wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What’s turkey bacon?

A shit tasting alternative to the real thing, avoid if possible.

Quoted for truth.

The main thing is Jerry enjoys his sandwich.

This morning my flask has decided to stop flasking. Lukewarm coffee is not my cup of tea.

Andrew wrote:

Lamb makes sense as it’s safe for Muslims, Jews, and beef avoiding Hindus.

That’s a big thing here because the country is one of the most religiously diverse in the world. A majority are Muslim and a good chunk are Hindu (the rest a mix of Buddhist and Christian). I know those exists pretty much everywhere but in Malaysia they count in very large proportions of the population. So in any normal social event you can’t serve pork or beef, however because it’s too hot here for sheep we have import that from Aus/NZ/Europe which makes it really expensive.

So the meat answer is chicken, lots of chicken. They get very inventive with chicken and fish dishes.

 

garjones wrote:

So the meat answer is chicken, lots of chicken. They get very inventive with chicken and fish dishes.

The US doesn’t have those issues in the same proportion but we tend to eat a lot of chicken.  It’s not that we don’t eat other things.  Chicken just tends to be the most prominent meat.

RonnieM wrote:

Chicken just tends to be the most prominent meat.

The US is actually massively Christian (or agnostic/atheist raised in the Christian tradition) , it’s very diverse ethnically but not so much by religion.

Chicken will always be the cheapest option though, it can be factory farmed unlike lamb. Even when they do that with beef and pork it takes more resources.

I think it’s fairly normal to have chicken as the most prominent meat, I can’t think of anywhere I’ve been that it isn’t, but it is kind of essential here in every major public event to ensure you never serve pork or beef .

Ethnic Chinese tend to eat anything but I have encountered a strange dislike of the smell of lamb so outside the cost it rarely features in that cuisine either. If lamb is eaten in my house it’s because I cooked it (coming from the exact opposite tradition where sheep farming is the most common type).

 

 

garjones wrote:

The US is actually massively Christian (or agnostic/atheist raised in the Christian tradition) , it’s very diverse ethnically but not so much by religion.

Oh, I don’t disagree with that.  I was just saying that the intersection of multiple religions with dietary restrictions is less common likely because of that.

garjones wrote:

Ethnic Chinese tend to eat anything but I have encountered a strange dislike of the smell of lamb so outside the cost it rarely features in that cuisine either. If lamb is eaten in my house it’s because I cooked it (coming from the exact opposite tradition where sheep farming is the most common type).

One of my professors in college was Taiwanese and set up a banquet in Chinese Wedding style at a local Chinese ran, Chinese restaurant.  It seemed to mostly be fish.

Apologies for all the pop-up ads. Local newspapers suck. But a little brews news:

https://www.dailycamera.com/2020/01/24/rebranded-left-hand-brewing-forges-ahead-in-longmont-following-tumultuous-year-in-boulder-county-beer/

 

garjones wrote:

Ethnic Chinese tend to eat anything but I have encountered a strange dislike of the smell of lamb so outside the cost it rarely features in that cuisine either.

Anecdotally I know quite a few meat eaters who dislike lamb due to that extra-rich ‘meaty’ smell/taste. I have to say I love it but I can appreciate it’s a strong flavour for meat.

I love lamp. I mean lamb.

I’m drinking this red wine, it’s one of my favorites. It’s affordaable but it’s got a real bite. They’re made with Italian Zinfandel grapes and aged in American oak. (I know that because it says so on the bottle…)

 

garjones wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

What’s turkey bacon?

A shit tasting alternative to the real thing, avoid if possible.

Yeah, most Kosher places use Beef Bacon over Turkey Bacon. Though I’m not sure how you feel about beef bacon….

I feel that I’d rather eat the turkey bacon, beef bacon is an abomination.

Beef bacon??

Are you sure yous aren’t just putting random words together?

Attack of the Mutant Cows territory.

 

Anonymous wrote:

Beef bacon?? Are you sure yous aren’t just putting random words together?

It’s not a patch on lamb beak.

Lamb Beak is ok, but it’s no Crab Wings.

You can get antibiotics for that now.

Yous funny.

Now Jerry’s going to say they’re his other favourite sandwich and I’ll have to appease him with idk buffalo wings!

why do American buffalos have wings?

Honestly they serve this nonsense beef bacon quite frequently. Look at it:

What’s the point? I am good with people choosing what they want to eat or not for religious reasons or any other but if you are Muslim or Jewish and observant then you won’t have eaten bacon so won’t miss it. None of these substitutes taste nice so it’s better just not to bother.

You can go the McDonald’s route which is whatever meat they use in the sausage McMuffin it tastes exactly the same because it’s all done with flavourings. Andrew never said what it was in Australia but I’d bet my house he would fail a blind test trying to tell it apart from a pork one in the UK or US, I can’t.

Like roast chicken or smoky bacon crisps which also have been nowhere near any meat.

I’m currently drinking an Ichiros Malt & Grain Whiskey from Saitama, Japan.

You’ll all be happy to know that it does not contain turkey bacon.

I’m having the house red with some Chinese food. it’s working remarkably well. Sweet wines are usually recommended for drinking with asian cuisine.

My friend has ordered prosecco, and that works too, but this bog-standard red is sweet enough to compliment the (slightly) spicy pork stir fry I’m having.

Actually, for Jews, non-Orthodox might not keep kosher, so there’s enough of them who become Orthodox combined with converts to Judaism that there is a market, and when those Orthodox from birth see there is a kosher “substitute”, we want to try it.

You also have to understand that there is an old Jewish idea that if one is disgusted by non-kosher food, they’re doing it wrong; A Jew should say that they would want to eat pork if the Torah didn’t say not to. So availability of kosher “substitutes” may cause a subconscious attitude that to eat them is to fulfill that idea.

I’ve never had a sausage McMuffin, but I could probably win House Jones.

I’ve only recently learned that not everyone can detect the difference in water.

Beef Bacon: No

Beef Jerky: Yes

Todd wrote:

I’ve only recently learned that not everyone can detect the difference in water.

I like the beef flavour water myself.

 

Todd wrote:

Beef Jerky: Yes

How about pork jerky?

garjones wrote:

How about pork jerky?

Worst chat-up line ever.