# 'Letdown' Foods?



## ronjohn55 (Aug 11, 2006)

We were at a Mexican restaurant last weekend, and a waitress walked by with a plate of fajitas. As they sizzled away, leaving a woderful aroma of smoke behind, I made a comment that I considered fajitas to be one of the ultimate letdown foods.  

I was forced to explain my theory that no matter how good the fajitas you get are, they will never live up to that wonderfull smell. Especially when you are sitting there hungry, debating what to get as an order goes sizzling by. 

By the time you get your order, you've usually had a drink, some chips and salsa, possibly even an appetizer, and they just can't live up to that wonderful smell. 

Anybody else ever experience anything like that? (Don't get me wrong, I'm still a big fan of fajitas)

John


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## Half Baked (Aug 11, 2006)

Desserts are my letdown food.  I'm sitting there watching the waiter bring trays of desserts to a waiting table.  Oh, they all look so wonderful and I think about which one I'll pick after dinner.

After appys and dinner, when the waiter brings the tray to me and I survey the beautiful plates, pick my favorite and then the letdown.  I should've eaten dessert first maybe.


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## Bangbang (Aug 11, 2006)

I have had to many bad steaks.


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## phu (Aug 11, 2006)

Kimchi. Way back when I first got a taste of Korean food, I heard all these great things about this staple called kimchi; it's supposed to be spicy and delicious.  Kimchi, it turns out, is the single most revolting thing I've ever eaten, with the possible exception of part of a Heath bar.


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## Bangbang (Aug 11, 2006)

Chitlins really suck. Just the smell should tell ya something. Ughhhhhhh


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## arlienb (Aug 11, 2006)

i agree with bangbang...restaurant steaks...it's either tasteless or they just don't get the doneness you specify...the latter must have something to do with transit time between the cooking area to your table


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## ChefJune (Aug 11, 2006)

Bangbang said:
			
		

> Chitlins really suck. Just the smell should tell ya something. Ughhhhhhh


I've never been able to get them down!  The smell is so revolting!  I've even prepared them (on a dare) and was told they were "smokin'!"  but I couldn't even taste them.  I remember one time a woman who lived in a building I was living in in Medford, MA made them and someone called the fire department!


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## arlienb (Aug 11, 2006)

what are chitlins?  the way you've described them, it is something to avoid!


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## SNPiccolo5 (Aug 11, 2006)

Some restaurant's dessert's are just horrid...  One time I was at an Italian restaurant and ordered, with a friend of mine, their warm chocolate torte.  It came at room temperature and a little piece of ice cream.  That's fine, but I swear the frosting it had on it was one of those store bought tubs.  Not what I expect for a desert.  Whatever, we ended up eating less of it, so maybe it was a good thing...  lol!

-Tim


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## Bangbang (Aug 11, 2006)

arlienb said:
			
		

> what are chitlins? the way you've described them, it is something to avoid!


 
:  chitterlings, *chitlins*, chitlings (small intestines of hogs prepared as food)


*Fried Chitterlings (Chitlins) and Hog Maws*​ 
In my part of the country, chitterlings come in 10 pound buckets. Hog maws come in smaller packages found in the freezer case. If you can find the larger containers and like the recipe, simply use several times the ingredients to end up with the same percentages. Local supermarkets also carry smaller packages. After cleaning the chitterlings of the fat you will only end up with about half as much volume.
*Ingredients:*
2 pounds hog maws (pig stomach)
2 pounds chitterlings (pig intestines) 
3 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (flakes)
1 medium peeled onion (white or yellow)​ 
The hog maws are the thickest and will therefore take the longest to cook. Rinse them thoroughly as you trim off the excess fat. Put them in a 6 quart pot along with your 3 quarts water, onion, pepper, and salt. Bring them to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes.
While maws are cooking, rinse chitterlings thoroughly and trim the extra fat off them. Like most organ meats, they have a lot of fat. Add chitterlings to pot after maws have cooked for 1 hour 15 minutes. Cook another 1 hour 30 minutes or until tender. Add a little extra water if necessary.
Prepare a large cast iron skillet with 1/4 stick of butter. Remove maws and chitterlings from pot and slice. I use to slice them right in the preheated skillet although you can use a cutting board. Then stir with a large metal spoon as you lightly brown them. You can pour out the water from the pot, including the onion. The onion added a little flavor and made them smell nicer while simmering.
A variation on this recipe is to slice the chitterlings and hog maws into pieces as above, but them put them back in the pot with the stock. Again, you can get rid of the onion. Cover the pot and simmer the cut up mixture for another 50 minutes. 
If you don't like onion or don't have onion, you can add four or five bay leaves to the mixture instead.. Again, you throw the bay leaves away before frying or cooking down the chitterlings. 
By now the hog maws and chitterlings should be thoroughly done and almost falling apart. You can serve them with your favorite side dishes such as greens, maccaroni and cheese, or rice. I actually prefer to eat them by themselves, with several splashes of hot sauce. However, they are fattening and it's tough not to eat too much. So you probably should have a side dish.
Store the leftovers in the refrigerator. Like so many other great soul food dishes, chitlins taste even better after the flavor has soaked in for a few hours. The leftovers won't last long.​


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## jennyema (Aug 11, 2006)

phu said:
			
		

> Kimchi. Way back when I first got a taste of Korean food, I heard all these great things about this staple called kimchi; it's supposed to be spicy and delicious. Kimchi, it turns out, is the single most revolting thing I've ever eaten, with the possible exception of part of a Heath bar.


 
Try durian! 

*I love kimchi.*  There are many different types, maybe yours was too fermented.  Fresh kimchi is, IMO, refreshing and delicious.


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## GB (Aug 11, 2006)

I do not eat at fast food restaurants much (maybe 4 times a year at most), but I think those are my biggest letdown. The pictures look great on the menu, but never have I seen any of their food look even remotely like the pictures or commercials.


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## pdswife (Aug 11, 2006)

Lately... it's been sushi.  It's been a while since I've had the good stuff.


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## auntdot (Aug 11, 2006)

I think my biggest letdown food is coffee.

While it is brewing nothing smells as appetizing (OK, OK, maybe cooking bacon), but for some reason what's in the cup never seems to live up to the smell.


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## mudbug (Aug 11, 2006)

I have the same reaction to baking bread, auntdot.  Not all loaves are equal, but they all smell luscious while they are still in the oven.


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## phu (Aug 11, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> Try durian!
> 
> *I love kimchi.*  There are many different types, maybe yours was too fermented.  Fresh kimchi is, IMO, refreshing and delicious.



No way.  I am quite convinced that (to my tastes) kimchi is just utterly horrid.


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## kimbaby (Aug 11, 2006)

PIZZA does me the same way... smells like heaven but by the time it gets 
to me it just can't live up to the aroma 
good thread...


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## marmar (Aug 11, 2006)

For me it would have to be desserts as well.
They never seem to be as good as you hoped, or by the end of the meal you've eaten so much and get a stomachache because you dared to eat the delicious-looking dessert.


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## VeraBlue (Aug 11, 2006)

I think the fact that I'm taking Hoodia now is a testament that I've never been let down by food.  It's been a love affair since that first bowl of macaroni.


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## SNPiccolo5 (Aug 11, 2006)

auntdot said:
			
		

> I think my biggest letdown food is coffee.
> 
> While it is brewing nothing smells as appetizing (OK, OK, maybe cooking bacon), but for some reason what's in the cup never seems to live up to the smell.



True True True!  Coffee smells absolutely delicious while brewing, but then tastes so-so when drinking, although I do love coffee...

-Tim


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## Half Baked (Aug 11, 2006)

I don't drink coffee but I love to wake up to the aroma... 

Yes Aunt Dot...laying in bed and smelling that bacon wafting up the stairs is wonderful.


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## QSis (Aug 11, 2006)

auntdot said:
			
		

> I think my biggest letdown food is coffee.
> 
> While it is brewing nothing smells as appetizing (OK, OK, maybe cooking bacon), but for some reason what's in the cup never seems to live up to the smell.


 
Yes, this is what I was thinking, too.  Coffee beans, whole then ground, and then brewing, all smell better than the taste of the coffee (I drink it black, no sugar).  

Even so, I do savor every sip of my good, hot coffee (iced coffee, although delicious, is not even close to satisfying my coffee fix). 

Bacon, on the other hand, ALWAYS lives up to it's olfactory billing!

Lee


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## buckytom (Aug 12, 2006)

VeraBlue said:
			
		

> I think the fact that I'm taking Hoodia now is a testament that I've never been let down by food. It's been a love affair since that first bowl of macaroni.


 
again, my sentiments exactly, except the hoodia stuff.


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## Dove (Aug 12, 2006)

phu said:
			
		

> Kimchi. Way back when I first got a taste of Korean food, I heard all these great things about this staple called kimchi; it's supposed to be spicy and delicious. Kimchi, it turns out, is the single most revolting thing I've ever eaten, with the possible exception of part of a Heath bar.


 
   
I agree 100 percent !! when we lived in Korea for 2 years I tried it several times and again whe DH was sent back to the States and never again...


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## ironchef (Aug 12, 2006)

Wow, I can't believe coffee is actually a let down for some. To me, the smell is just a prelude of what's to come. I love the richness and the complexity of the flavors, from the different roasts and different beans. What kind of coffee do you guys buy? I usually French and Italian dark roast.

I think the biggest letdown to me is pasta. I hardly every order it in a restaurant anymore unless I know the place makes good pasta. Even at some Italian restaurants, there is A LOT of bad pasta dishes out there.


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## DaCook (Aug 12, 2006)

ironchef said:
			
		

> I think the biggest letdown to me is pasta. I hardly every order it in a restaurant anymore unless I know the place makes good pasta. Even at some Italian restaurants, there is A LOT of bad pasta dishes out there.


Mine too, so I never order pasta at a restaurant anymore. My most recent disappointment was about a year and a half ago, when my boyfriend and I had just enough time to get something to eat before we caught a live concert and decided to go to the local Boston Pizza. I had never been there and thought it would be a great idea (They only opened up about 6 months prior to that up here). I didn't have the pasta, but he did. Great bloody big plate of some gluey substance, not like any pasta that I have ever cooked.  We run pasta dishes in our restaurant once in a while and I will have it there, because I really do love it.


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## arlienb (Aug 12, 2006)

don't go to a british restaurant and order pasta...especially pubs...they just don't get it. i don't know what happened and continents like america and asia know how to make good pasta whereas a country like the UK which virtually sits beside the original pasta country seem to have missed the idea!!! i tried it once and it was just plain rubbish, so i just go for the usual british fayre in british restaurants to get my money's worth.


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## Banana Brain (Aug 12, 2006)

To be honest, most foods with garlic never live up to their smell to me.


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## buckytom (Aug 12, 2006)

arlienb said:
			
		

> i don't know what happened and continents like america and asia know how to make good pasta whereas a country like the UK which virtually sits beside the original pasta country...


 
i'm curious arlienb, what do you consider the originator of pasta?

latest theories, afaik, are that the first noodle dishes were made by arab peoples in or around turkey, and possibly even earlier, going way back to ancient greece.


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## arlienb (Aug 12, 2006)

well, buckytom, when i think pasta, i think italian (i guess most laymen would too)...but even if it were like what you said (coming from turkey and/or greece--thanks for this input btw, i didn't know this! lol)...these countries would still be in the same continent as the UK...so it still boggles the mind...


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## buckytom (Aug 12, 2006)

lol, i was hoping you were gonna say that the vikings invented pasta. (btw, i'm 1/2 norskie). we did invent or inspire just about everything else... 

and i've heard that about english pasta, and had some pretty bad stuff in northern ireland a few years back. and don't get me started on their tomato sauces.

where's ishbel? she should be chiming in on this one, defending her peoples and cuisine once more.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 12, 2006)

For me, it's pepperoni and cheeses.  I have had some amazing cheeses, but they are rare and hard to find.  The locally available supermarket stuff is all I can usually get and it doesn't even come close to the quality and complexity of a truly great artisan cheese.  The same is true of pepperoni.  As a child, all pepperoni seemed hot and spicy, with a taste I craved.  Most of the stuff in the supermarket is fairly bland these days, with just a hint of the bold flavor that was so common when I was younger.

And yes I know that 50 year-old taste buds aren't as sensitive as are 10-year old taste buds.  But that isn't the whole answer because occasionally, I'll find a pepperoni that is really good.  But it's always been an off-brand, not usually carried by the stores, and is soon discontinued.  I have often stated that I live in a cullinarily retarded part of the country.  When people think that throwing in a can of pork & beans into a pot of chili enhances its flavor, you know you're in trouble.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## thumpershere2 (Aug 12, 2006)

When working away from home we use to go out and TRY and get a good bowl of chili with no luck at all. Also hardly ever get a good steak eating out.


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## Claire (Aug 12, 2006)

I live in a tourist town with many lovely restaurants.  But yes, I know what you mean.  Quite often the anticipation is better than the results.  I'm the opposite of you with fajitas; I think the skirt steak in a fajita is the best steak flavor I know, and the peppers and onions are to die for.  But many (actually all) the restaurants in town here are so erratic that I find myself embarassed when I take company out to dinner.  A place that was great last week or month may be mediocre this week.  I'll be practically salivating at the thought of a meal to come and it's "Aw ****" when I take a bite.  I always order stuff I can't do well at home (for example, restaurants can get much higher quality beef than the home cook, and some cuisines require so many spices that it is impractical to keep them in my pantry since I only cook that particular cuisine every few months, so it is better to eat them in restaurants).  Even so, sometimes I get very disappointed.


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## bubba_sybo (Aug 12, 2006)

has to be breakfast..... you know you order the special , eggs, bacon, sausage , or ham, toast hash browns ect. something is usually over cooked undercooked, greasy, cold. or just not the way you wanted it. It is a task to make all those things at home and perfectly plate them at the right moment and then u have all the dishes and stuff, so I should respect the effort. But for as guilty a pleasure as it is you want it to look like the picture ......or just be right maybe I need to find a new diner


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## Harborwitch (Aug 12, 2006)

SNPiccolo5 said:
			
		

> True True True!  Coffee smells absolutely delicious while brewing, but then tastes so-so when drinking, although I do love coffee...
> 
> -Tim



True!  Once we started roasting our own it cured that - never a dull cup!

I think fruit, lately, is the biggest letdown food.  It's beautiful, ripe, and tastes like sawdust.  No juice dripping, no luscious flesh -- just sawdust.  Either that or it's freakn' rock hard the day you buy it and the next day it's a pile of mush in the fruit bowl.  Uck!


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## expatgirl (Aug 12, 2006)

ronjohn55 said:
			
		

> We were at a Mexican restaurant last weekend, and a waitress walked by with a plate of fajitas. As they sizzled away, leaving a woderful aroma of smoke behind, I made a comment that I considered fajitas to be one of the ultimate letdown foods.
> 
> I was forced to explain my theory that no matter how good the fajitas you get are, they will never live up to that wonderfull smell. Especially when you are sitting there hungry, debating what to get as an order goes sizzling by.
> 
> ...



Dear Ronjon55,
I can't believe the brain cells are still there but this sounds like the classic economics "law of diminishing returns"---as the input goes up (examples:  chips, salsa, aromatherapy from passing enrees, drinks) the the output ratio goes down  (example:  appetite).  Yes, and according to current research it takes the stomach 20 minutes to receive the signal from the brain that it's full----plenty of time for salsa, chips, margaritas, large iced teas to send a definite message to your full stomach.


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## SierraCook (Aug 12, 2006)

My greatest letdown food is prime rib.  All my coworkers just love it and I just don't see what the big deal is about.  Too me it is just another boring poorly seasoned slab of meat.  I never order prime rib or rarely any other cuts of beef in a restaurant, because usually I am disappointed.  I would rather spend the money in the grocery store and cook them myself at home.  Then at least I have nobody to blame, but myself if it is not prepared to my liking.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Aug 13, 2006)

SierraCook said:
			
		

> My greatest letdown food is prime rib. All my coworkers just love it and I just don't see what the big deal is about. Too me it is just another boring poorly seasoned slab of meat. I never order prime rib or rarely any other cuts of beef in a restaurant, because usually I am disappointed. I would rather spend the money in the grocery store and cook them myself at home. Then at least I have nobody to blame, but myself if it is not prepared to my liking.



I have to agree with you on restaurant fare.  The times I have had truly spectacular beef are too few.  But I have had it.  And prime rib is one of those cuts that can be truly spectacular.  But you have to be lucky if you're purchasing it from a standard supermarket.  It may be tender and juicy when cooked properly, and still be bland.  The good stuff can be had if you know a local butcher who corn-finishes his beef and hangs it properly.  Then, he also has to be able to tell prime grade from choice, or even select.  But when you find it, it is soooooo good, whether barbecued over natural charcoal, or roasted to perfection in the oven.

Prime Rib has to be USDA prime or it's just another standing rib roast.  The truly prime rib has enough fat marbling to combine with the corn-fed meat flavor to create an extremely moist and tender chunk of meat, with exceptional flavor.  If you ever get to New York, I understand that Delmonicos offers some of the best meat in town.  I've never had the opportunity to get to the Big Apple myself, but I'm sure BuckTom knows the best places in his town.  If in San Diego, look for Iowa Meat Farms outlet for the best meat.  I have bought meat there, both in El Cajon, and Santee.  That meat was far better than any offered in the local supermarkets.  If in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, you have to puchase a side, or quarter cow from Love's Meats in the nearby farming town of Rudyard.

Prime rib is good stuff, if you get the good stuff.  Otherwise, you get range-fed bland meat, like that which is sold in supermarkets accross the U.S. and Canada.  Hope you can one day get your lips around some truly great Prime Rib.  Like a great rib steak, it's a thing of beauty.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## wasabi (Aug 13, 2006)

Watermelons. Just when you are aready for a huge slice of cold, sweet watermelon, you find that it isn't sweet and there is still the left overs of a whole melon in the fridge.


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## buckytom (Aug 13, 2006)

that's too bad wasabi.

i have been eating a ton of watermelon this summer. they say it has been one of the best years in a long time for watermelons, not sure why. i'd have to agree tho.

they are as sweet and bursting with "water" as i remember as a kid.


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## wasabi (Aug 13, 2006)

Have you seen those really small watermelons? I think they are from Thailand.


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## SierraCook (Aug 13, 2006)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> I have to agree with you on restaurant fare. The times I have had truly spectacular beef are too few. .......


 
Once I ordered filet mignon at my favorite restaurant, The Coyote Bar & Grill.  It had to have been the best beef entree that I have ever ordered.  The meat was tender and flavorful.  I was in heaven.


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## Zlatko (Aug 13, 2006)

the last beer in the box, is always a letdown (but it always tastes the best)


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## Half Baked (Aug 13, 2006)

The 2nd sip of a beer is always a letdown. The first sip after opening the bottle is cold, crisp and spectacular...then it goes downhill with each sip thereafter.


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## MJ (Aug 13, 2006)

Half Baked said:
			
		

> The 2nd sip of a beer is always a letdown. The first sip after opening the bottle is cold, crisp and spectacular...then it goes downhill with each sip thereafter.


LOL... are you sure? Sometimes that first sip tastes so good I have to have many, many more. Like when football is on.


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## expatgirl (Aug 13, 2006)

Beer is one exception to the "law of diminishing returns" the more you drink the more you return to the john.


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## Half Baked (Aug 13, 2006)

MJ, I'd drink the first sip of everyone's beer in a football stadium.


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## expatgirl (Aug 13, 2006)

Jan, for quality control so would I--as long as it's not Coors----that's not beer in my stadium!!LOL


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## Half Baked (Aug 13, 2006)

People certainly love their own brand, for sure.


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## expatgirl (Aug 13, 2006)

That's for  sure, Half-Baked!!

If you've ever been to a pub in the British Isles---OMG---the varieties of beers and ales are to die for--------American beers tend to pale in comparison, though not bad, just not in the same league.   My humble opinion.  Pass me a pint, please.


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## buckytom (Aug 14, 2006)

boy, did you say a mugful expatgirl.

once, america was in the forefront of beers, in both quality and production. of course many german, belgian, english and irish beers have always been world class (i left out canadian just to annoy them... ) 
a little over a century ago, mechanization from the industrial revolution - with all of it's socio-economic effects on the country, and a large german emmigration to the u.s. created a boom in beer. men like adolphus busch, frederick pabst, george ehret, jacob ruppert, joseph schlitz, and philip best created beers that won gold medals in every beer competition around the world.

but prohibition, the temperence movement, and an anti-german sentiment after wwI was the end of the great years in american brewing. 

the bright side is that in the last 20 years, many small breweries are springing up as a market grows for higher quality beers. hopefully, we're in the beginning of a new era of what will become another great beer age.


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## Claire (Aug 14, 2006)

OK, I'll inject a little food history here.  Once upon a time, many years ago (i.e., when I was in my 20s), Coors was only available legally west of the Rockies!  It was because the company insisted that the beer be refridgerated, and that's as far as refridgerated trucks could go.  I lived at the time in North Dakota, but we had a HQ in Colorado Springs.  So when someone had a TDY (Temporary Duty) at that location, every one would pitch in for tons of ice and Coors.


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## ronjohn55 (Aug 14, 2006)

Half Baked said:
			
		

> People certainly love their own brand, for sure.


 
Well I do try!! But it's been far too long since I've made any, and I'm starting to run low and, um.., you weren't talking about making your own brand of beer, where you?  

John


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## buckytom (Aug 15, 2006)

that's it ronjohn?

no comment about my historical retrospective of beer? nothing? nada?

i'm depressed. i am _*totally*_ not going to enjoy the next six pack of your homebrew you send me all that much.

and i looked all of that stuff up to impress you. you unappreciative b!tch...

_*i'm*_ gonna have *wine...*


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## ronjohn55 (Aug 15, 2006)

buckytom said:
			
		

> that's it ronjohn?
> 
> no comment about my historical retrospective of beer? nothing? nada?
> 
> ...


 
What, you wanted me to delve into how the alkaline waters of some regions made darker beers a better choice, or how India Pale Ale came about as a means of making beer that withstand the journey around the cape from England to India? Or how classic american pilsner was developed using corn because the six row barley that the settlers had access to here in the US had such a high protien content that they needed to cut it with something?

What's that have to do with "letdown" foods?  

John


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