What fast food do you get more often?

[stessier]

Daehawk and I are always out of place in the food discussions here. Most people here think nothing of spending more on one frank than we would on a whole package, or spending for a meal what we would spend for several days' food.

There's nothing wrong with that, but if we took some of the food suggestions we see, we'd run through our monthly food budget in a week!

Ive re-read this a few times but its not sticking. What is it Im doing thats expensive? When my food stamps come I buy 4 packs of the cheap hotdogs at 79 cents a pack and freeze 3 of those to thaw as needed.

I also buy canned meats at 50 cent a can to have one every other day. Trust me I dont have money to simply waste. Also I use plain lightbread for the dogs unless the foodbank has fresh(I mean frozen then thawed) hotdog buns to give away.

He's not saying you are doing anything wrong, he's saying you would have trouble understanding many of the first world problems people are complaining about.

[Daehawk]

Oh ...I read it again and the post was clear. Strange. I misread it at least 4 times. He is correct though. I'd feel weird paying more than such and such for something or other.

[Blackhawk]

He's not saying you are doing anything wrong, he's saying you would have trouble understanding many of the first world problems people are complaining about.

Maybe, except that I saying that it goes both ways - we don't have their problems, but sometimes their approach is unworkable for us, too. Folks on OO generally have a good bit of money to spend on food, so when they do things like discussing what is 'good' or ways to make prepare food, the answers invariably involve spending lots of money without them even realizing it (example: the incidental ingredients they mention without batting an eye often cost a significant amount of money.) I'm also saying that it makes poor folks like you and I into outsiders to the conversation.

For instance, practically every mention of hot dogs assumes buns rather than bread, despite a pack of buns handling eight uses, while a loaf of bread has that eight uses plus a dozen regular sandwiches for about the same price. People with money simply buy buns because they work better, and don't really consider that it raises the price of the meal. Poor people have to take things like that into account all the time.

On the other subject: I've never had Italian beef, so I have no idea how I'd like it, but you'd better believe I dip my French dip. With other sandwiches, though (hot dogs and hamburgers included), I go to great lengths to keep the bun (or bread!) dry.

[Daehawk]

A toasted hotdog bun is a delicacy. There was a flea market in East Ridge that had the best toasted bun plain hotdogs with mustard. I looked forward to going so the wife could shop and I could get a couple hotdogs for .89 cents each.

Of course we both had fun joking about the smoking psychic...."Dont have to be psychic to know those things will kill you" we'd say to each other.

[Jeff V]

I love kraut. I was reacting to the idea of intentionally making the bun 'nice and mushy.'

Yeah, kraut is one of the foundations of my food pyramid but soggy buns are bad enough when it happens incidentally, much less intentionally.

I even order Italian beef sandwiches dry to maintain the integrity of the bread.

What. The. Fuck.

There are only 4 possible answers for the 2 questions about an Italian beef. Sweet or hot and dipped extra or dipped regular. Dry is not on the list. FWIW I'm sweet and extra.

I can kind of understand a dry kraut dog. Kind of.

Why do you hate bread?

Since I usually eat such sandwiches with my hands, structural integrity of the bread is critically important. Having it disintegrate into a soggy mess is not a welcome thing. Rarely are there sufficient napkins to mitigate such a calamity.

[Kasey Chang]

I tried taking my own lunch today. I wrapped some deli sliced turkey with half of a fried egg and some chipotle mayo in a tortilla. Took two of those to lunch. Probably saved me about $7 today, as I still have plenty of turkey and other stuff left over enough to make a week's worth of stuff. Probably should have used a bit MORE mayo.

[gbasden]

I tried taking my own lunch today. I wrapped some deli sliced turkey with half of a fried egg and some chipotle mayo in a tortilla. Took two of those to lunch. Probably saved me about $7 today, as I still have plenty of turkey and other stuff left over enough to make a week's worth of stuff. Probably should have used a bit MORE mayo.

Congrats! Soon you will discover fire, and then maybe level up to boiling water!

[Victoria Raverna]

McDonald and KFC.

Also doner kebab, I think you guys call it gyro in US.

[Kasey Chang]

Congrats! Soon you will discover fire, and then maybe level up to boiling water!

I have a hot pot (hot water dispenser) for that.

[em2nought]

Also doner kebab, I think you guys call it gyro in US.

We call the Greek kind gyro. The other kind (would it be Persian, Arabic, Turkish, or what exactly?) is pretty hard to find in the U.S.A. unfortunately. I'd still call it doner, or doner kabab. The Greek kind isn't exactly on every street corner either. I've taken to making myself a gyro salad with onions, grape tomatoes, jumbo black olives, substituting Walmart meatballs, and finishing with Tzatziki from Aldi. Not bad. I leave out the Pita. They're expensive and they mold quickly. Maybe I'll try some pita chips.

Folks on OO generally have a good bit of money to spend on food, so when they do things like discussing what is 'good' or ways to make prepare food, the answers invariably involve spending lots of money without them even realizing it (example: the incidental ingredients they mention without batting an eye often cost a significant amount of money.) I'm also saying that it makes poor folks like you and I into outsiders to the conversation.

For instance, practically every mention of hot dogs assumes buns rather than bread, despite a pack of buns handling eight uses, while a loaf of bread has that eight uses plus a dozen regular sandwiches for about the same price. People with money simply buy buns because they work better, and don't really consider that it raises the price of the meal. Poor people have to take things like that into account all the time.

I'm a cheap bastard so most ingredients I recommend are as cheap as I can find. I shop Walmart after 9PM markdowns have occurred. Got some nice organic grape tomatoes for $0.99 per flat the other day.

[gameoverman]

On the cost thing, I regard fast food as a treat. So if I'm going to eat a hotdog, I'm going to eat ONE good hotdog. I won't be eating hotdogs all week, I know this. It's the sacrifice I make. Therefore, that one hotdog I do eat can be a pricey one as far as hotdogs go because it's not like I do that often.

One of the reasons I got into grinding my own beans and using a French press to make coffee is that it's probably the cheapest way I know of to make coffee. So I'm no stranger to maximizing the amount of value I can get out of each dollar. In the case of coffee, since I drink a lot of it every single day it's a cost I keep an eye on. Fast food is not an every day thing for me so I don't sweat the cost of it so much.

[NickAragua]

Burritos are the best - I usually go once a month or so. Chipotle is the most convenient, but there's a local semi-chain called Anna's which also makes pretty good ones.

Second favorite is shawarma wraps. There are about three Lebanese places near my work, so I'm not hurting for selection. Although, to keep me on my toes, at least one of those places goes out of business every few years, to be immediately replaced by another Lebanese restaurant. Sometimes they even forget to remove the signage from the previous place.

I guess technically the shawarma wraps aren't "fast" since they actually cook the meat.

[LawBeefaroni]

I love kraut. I was reacting to the idea of intentionally making the bun 'nice and mushy.'

Yeah, kraut is one of the foundations of my food pyramid but soggy buns are bad enough when it happens incidentally, much less intentionally.

I even order Italian beef sandwiches dry to maintain the integrity of the bread.

What. The. Fuck.

There are only 4 possible answers for the 2 questions about an Italian beef. Sweet or hot and dipped extra or dipped regular. Dry is not on the list. FWIW I'm sweet and extra.

I can kind of understand a dry kraut dog. Kind of.

Why do you hate bread?

Since I usually eat such sandwiches with my hands, structural integrity of the bread is critically important. Having it disintegrate into a soggy mess is not a welcome thing. Rarely are there sufficient napkins to mitigate such a calamity.

Have you never heard of the Chicago lean (AKA Chicago stance)? Who am I talking to here?

[Daehawk]

Some food show was in NYC and at a sandwich place. They took the sandwich in tongs and fully submersed the french dip in the au jus . The customer could ask for a double dunk. Id do it and eat it wit ha fork. Looked so good.

[LawBeefaroni]

Some food show was in NYC and at a sandwich place. They took the sandwich in tongs and fully submersed the french dip in the au jus . The customer could ask for a double dunk. Id do it and eat it wit ha fork. Looked so good.

[LawBeefaroni]

Some food show was in NYC and at a sandwich place. They took the sandwich in tongs and fully submersed the french dip in the au jus . The customer could ask for a double dunk. Id do it and eat it wit ha fork. Looked so good.

Also demonstrates standing counter with the Chicago lean (though the guy isn't the best demo).

[pr0ner]

The Chicago Lean almost looks like Guy Fieri's "hunch".

[Kasey Chang]

Any one tried one of those fancy hot dog slicers? Like cross-cut? Supposed to make the dog retain more of the trimmings.

[ImLawBoy]

I love kraut. I was reacting to the idea of intentionally making the bun 'nice and mushy.'

Yeah, kraut is one of the foundations of my food pyramid but soggy buns are bad enough when it happens incidentally, much less intentionally.

I even order Italian beef sandwiches dry to maintain the integrity of the bread.

What. The. Fuck.

There are only 4 possible answers for the 2 questions about an Italian beef. Sweet or hot and dipped extra or dipped regular. Dry is not on the list. FWIW I'm sweet and extra.

I can kind of understand a dry kraut dog. Kind of.

A dry beef is an abomination against nature and man (if you order dry at Portillo's, they'll actually put the beef in a mesh strainer and push out the jus [at least they used to when I worked there 25 years ago]), but I really don't understand the obsession with dipped sandwiches. Ordering regular or even wet (with some extra jus splashed over the meat) gives you a nice juicy sandwich that still has structural integrity and provides some chew from the bread.

But Portillo's, much as I love them, is never fast. For an assembly line hot dog/hamburger place you can easily wait 10+ minutes for your order. You can get faster if you only get hot dogs, but if you go chicken or hamburgers, you're definitely waiting a while.

But you still pick up at the counter and don't get a number to take to your seat or anything like that. Fast food, even if you have fudge the "fast" a bit.

[Jeff V]

Can't say I ever had one that dry, and I order combos at Portillo's several times a year. Between what still comes on the beef (typically, beef is removed from the liquid by tongs and held over the vat for about 3 seconds before putting the bread), what clings to the sausage, and what comes with the giardiniera makes the sandwich plenty moist.

I just can't abide by soggy sandwiches and purveyors of such tend to earn a lifetime ban. Most recently I got a soggy Reuben from Culvers. It was the last thing I will ever get from Culvers (although the wife and kids are likely to continue demanding it on occasion, I will abstain). I bought a carry out Buona Beef combo several years ago and despite ordering it dry, there wasn't even a trace of the bread visible when I got back to my office. Haven't been back since.

[pr0ner]

Sometimes it is truly a wonder that you are happy with anything in life, Jeff.

[Jeff V]

Sometimes it is truly a wonder that you are happy with anything in life, Jeff.

I am usually quite pleased with sandwiches that don't disintegrate upon touch.

[LawBeefaroni]

Sometimes it is truly a wonder that you are happy with anything in life, Jeff.

I am usually quite pleased with sandwiches that don't disintegrate upon touch.

If they desintigrate it's the wrong bread.

[pr0ner]

Sometimes it is truly a wonder that you are happy with anything in life, Jeff.

I am usually quite pleased with sandwiches that don't disintegrate upon touch.

If they desintigrate it's the wrong bread.

Bingo.

[Scuzz]

Sometimes it is truly a wonder that you are happy with anything in life, Jeff.

I am usually quite pleased with sandwiches that don't disintegrate upon touch.

If they desintigrate it's the wrong bread.

I would agree that one thing that can ruin even a good burger is a bun that dissolves before you finish the burger.

[Isgrimnur]

It's the one drawback I have when eating a grilled chicken sandwich at Braum's.

[Jeff V]

If they desintigrate it's the wrong bread.

Where do you get your beef sandwiches from that have a selection to choose from? I've had many, many sandwiches in my lifetime and have never encountered a liquid-resistant bread that maintains it's structure when doused in beef juice.

[LawBeefaroni]

If they desintigrate it's the wrong bread.

Where do you get your beef sandwiches from that have a selection to choose from? I've had many, many sandwiches in my lifetime and have never encountered a liquid-resistant bread that maintains it's structure when doused in beef juice.

I had one for lunch today from the cafeteria, thanks to this thread. Fully dipped. Ate the whole thing by hand. No disintegration.

[Jeff V]

So your cafeteria has this magical bread (number of times I've eaten in your cafeteria: approximately none). Are you sure it's made with natural ingredients and not some spongy polymer? I'd be suspicious...

Also, in part because of this thread, I spent my lunch doing a 3 mile walk, eschewing food, fast or otherwise.

[LawBeefaroni]

So your cafeteria has this magical bread (number of times I've eaten in your cafeteria: approximately none). Are you sure it's made with natural ingredients and not some spongy polymer? I'd be suspicious...

The same type of magic bread that most dipped beef sandwiches in the city are made on. Where thousands of people a day somehow manage to get the sandwich into their pieholes. It's a daily miracle.

Also, in part because of this thread, I spent my lunch doing a 3 mile walk, eschewing food, fast or otherwise.

Heh, yesterday for lunch I did a 2 mile run and drank a Coke. Wife made vegetarian dinner. That's like a whole proteinless day. I needed a beef for lunch and it so happened to be the special. Things work out.

[LordMortis]

Also doner kebab, I think you guys call it gyro in US.

Arby's make fast food gyro. I should really try it one day. I love me some gyros but I only ever get them at a Coney, which is a step above fast food... and being a sit down restaurant, I get out to eat about... never....

We call the Greek kind gyro. The other kind (would it be Persian, Arabic, Turkish, or what exactly?) is pretty hard to find in the U.S.A. unfortunately. I'd still call it doner, or doner kabab. The Greek kind isn't exactly on every street corner either. I've taken to making myself a gyro salad with onions, grape tomatoes, jumbo black olives, substituting Walmart meatballs, and finishing with Tzatziki from Aldi. Not bad. I leave out the Pita. They're expensive and they mold quickly. Maybe I'll try some pita chips.

They are on almost every corner here. What the rest of country would call diners, are all Coney's here and the Gyro is a staple of the Coney almost as much as is a coney dog or chili cheese fries, as is lemon soup. You be hard pressed to drive more then a half mile without seeing a Coney in most urban/suburban areas.

That said, I'd never heard "Doner Kabob" until OO said it. We call it schwarma and being such a large Arabic and Mediterranean region translpant population around here, we can get many many different ethnic varieties of schwarma and flat breads and peppers. And everyone here is chick pea snob. <blyech> OTOH, garlic paste in its many varieties is the absolute whip but is best when it comes from what used to be La-Shish. So good. Forget a meal. Just bring me a plate of fresh pita and garlic paste and I'm good.


Lawbeef, you need to get me to Al's when I am in your town. This keeps not happening and then I keep forgetting until it comes up again.

[Isgrimnur]

We got an Al's on the main drag of one of the major shopping towns in the area. It lasted less than two years.

[Daehawk]

Arby's make fast food gyro. I should really try it one day.

Only try the Greek one.

[em2nought]

Arby's make fast food gyro. I should really try it one day.

Only try the Greek one.

...and bring your own tzatziki from Aldi. Arby's has horrid tzatziki.

[Daehawk]

I liked it. I ask for double on mine when I got one. But Ive never had homemade.

[Jeff V]

Wife made vegetarian dinner.

Wife offered me half her vegetarian Jimmy Johns for dinner today. I declined her generous offer (I was about to say "thoughtful" but if it were that she'd have ordered it with bacon). It seems to be her new fast food obsession after being gifted a freebie at a charity walk/run we attended Sunday.

I don't always have protein with my dinner but when I don't, you can bet little else other than alcohol is being served.

[Jeff V]

I liked it. I ask for double on mine when I got one. But Ive never had homemade.

Why not? It's incredibly cheap and simple to make. When I need to bring picnic foods to an event, I'll pan fry a few bags of pitas and cut them into triangles, then bring along a container of fresh-made tzatziki, another of tuna salad, another of hummus (home made if I have the ingredients in stock) and another of taromasalata (all my sources no longer carry it...I wonder if Kronos discontinued it?)

[Daehawk]

Its just not food I ever have. That Arby Gyro and some kinda wrap at the mall over a decade ago was the only mid east food Ive ever had...or Greek or arab or whatever type food that is.

[Jeff V]

If it's made by Arby's, I don't believe any legitimate culture is going to claim it as their own (unless it's the Turdpeople and even then, only maybe).

A lot of these foods don't require a grandmother's lifetime of skill to make, can be much cheaper than a fast-food approximation (although cooking for one does require some foresight with regards to freezing or otherwise storing portions for future use) and have numerous recipes available online.

Recently I joined a Cajun cooking group on Facebook. The experience has been nothing short of delightful, lots of supportive people, lots of good ideas (even though I have a pretty solid understanding cooking that kind of food, there is always things to learn). A few weeks I posted my most-commented upon FB post in years that was a story on how I threw together a shrimp etoufee in the time it took to heat up a frozen biscuit...a process that included harvesting fresh ingredients from the garden all within that time window. I'd suggest joining one or more of these ethnic cooking groups not only to get a lot of good ideas and basic skills in that cuisine, but also to get ideas from random questions like "I just got 2 lbs of squirrel meat, what should I do with it?"

A legitimate ethnic restaurant could be a decent introduction, but it needs to be validated by someone familiar with the cuisine. My dentist is Greek and has nothing good to say about the restaurants in Greektown. I am ethnic Czech and even the restaurants in the Czech ghetto where I grew up were weak imitations of the food being prepared at home. I once went to dinner in a professed Czech enclave in West, TX and was thoroughly embarrassed for them.

[Kraken]

Wife made vegetarian dinner.

Wife offered me half her vegetarian Jimmy Johns for dinner today. I declined her generous offer (I was about to say "thoughtful" but if it were that she'd have ordered it with bacon). It seems to be her new fast food obsession after being gifted a freebie at a charity walk/run we attended Sunday.

I don't always have protein with my dinner but when I don't, you can bet little else other than alcohol is being served.

We had a JJ's here in our town square. It lasted about a year. I tried it once, when they were giving away freebies, and rated it one notch above Subway, which is the lowest-level sub shop (IMO). I was only sad to see it fail because I couldn't boycott it anymore (JJ is a notorious big game trophy hunter...if you care about such things, don't give this man money, and if you don't care, you just made an elephant cry).