In Korea and even Hawaii there are always foods I crave, and I jump at the chance to have them when I'm on the Mainland.
This includes Olive Garden, Marie Callenders, and add to that list In-n-Out.
When I was young, it was a popular thing to take the "in-n-out burger" bumper sticker and trim off the B and R to reveal a salacious hidden message. Hardly a thing a company that prints bible verses on its food containers would want to be associated with.
Anyway the cheeseburger and choco shake were 맛있다.
Olive Garden? Yuck. Marie Callenders? YUCK. I've never tasted it, but I don't have to. It's frozen food. Even jacked up with MSG-like flavor enhancers like autolyzed yeast protein, and hydrolyzed soy protein, frozen food still tastes mushy and bland. I'm shocked that a Hawaii transplant from California, with lifelong access to great food, would long for In-n-Out. It's the food equivalent of Liz Hurley's then boyfriend Hugh Grant paying for a BJ from a fat and ugly streetwalker.
ReplyDeleteWell, the short answer may be that I'm easy. The longer answer is that I start to miss foods I had easy access to before, even if I wasn't a super fan of them before.
ReplyDeleteHence my root beer phase when I had access to that bitter soft drink from on base.
Similarly, the longer I stay in Honolulu, the more I will tolerate even average-tasting sundubu, when I find it.
As for Olive Garden, I don't like all of their menu, but they have had particular menu items I really enjoyed, things that tasted pretty darn close to some hearty stuff I had back in Toscana.
As for Marie Callenders, it's a pie thing from when I was a kid. I love their pie, and I love their chili and corn bread. I can't help it; I just do.
I'm not sure, though, why you're beating up on In-n-Out. Is there something about their quality claims that you know they're lying about?
Anyway, Hawaii is full of California "transplants" (and at this point, I'm not really sure where I'm a transplant from; I'm beginning to feel like an army brat), most of whom crave the likes of In-N-Out. There is one conveniently located near the rent-a-car facilities close to LAX.
In-n-Out is the best burger chain on the West Coast. It comes in right after Whataburger in my book.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't put much stock in someone’s health food rants when they have never tasted the burger equivalent of ambrosia (sonagi92). In moderation, it’s called “living a little.”
It's a taste rant, not a health food rant. I eat burgers with a small side of fries on occasion. I serve up some outstanding marinated, grilled burgers, including basil-tomato, Szechuan chili-garlic, and teriyaki, all made from scratch.
ReplyDeleteWell, it's good to know it's not a quality issue. I hate being lied to by corporate America. Well, corporate anybody. Not that my dismay will stop them.
ReplyDeleteBut if it's just taste snobbery, well, all I can say is that they make a nice, simple, but good-tasting burger (and I like their shakes).
I'm going to have to stop writing about this, because each time I do, I feel a need (an urge, really) to go get one. They're cheap, but this is too much beef in too short a time. I try to limit my beef consumption, like that user-81 fellow.