Food/Food Culture Pet Peeves

Women of a certain generation often pride themselves about getting something on sale, mostly clothes.  If someone says "oh I like your purse" the woman might often respond by saying "oh thanks, can you believe I got it 50% off?"

It does annoy me though when people tell me they get food on sale, especially meat.  I know a woman who prides herself on getting meat on sale and it usually tastes like it costs.  The other day she found porgies on sale for $1.99 per pound and wouldn't you know it, we couldn't eat them they tasted like absolute nothing.  I like to spend a little extra when I can so that I can get food that tastes like something.  You get what you pay for.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nlpavalko 

 

Mine? Is the two phrases often spoken by my grandma;

Everyone has a reason.  Sometimes the generation before us hangs on to habits that we may deem foolish.  It might bug you now, but in the end, it turns out that we're the foolish ones.

My MIL to this day still washes and saves ziploc bags.  We used to give her grief about it but she didn't care.  She just kept on doing it.  Over the last few years we've realized that the world is becoming polluted with plastic.  Hawaii, for instance, acts as a filter for plastics.  Tons of stuff that they've never used ends up on their beaches.

Anyway, while I still don't wash ziploc bags, I try to minimize my use of plastics.

My pet peeve is actually Whole Foods.  For example, they sell Chilean Sea Bass.

My bigger pet peeve is the people who buy Chilean Sea Bass.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nlpavalko 

Kuan, are you implying that Chilean Sea Bass isn't the fish's real name and that it's an advertising gimmick!?!! O_O

No, but Chilean Seabass is an endangered fish (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=6) and WF shouldn't be selling it, especially considering their "animal welfare" stance... (they do not sell capons, no foie gras, etc...).

Yummo!, EVOO.

yuck

Quote:

Originally Posted by French Fries 

No, but Chilean Seabass is an endangered fish (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=6) and WF shouldn't be selling it, especially considering their "animal welfare" stance... (they do not sell capons, no foie gras, etc...).

 

Nice catch on this one (no pun intended).  Patagonian toothfish are definitely a no-no for anyone to buy or sell.

To keep on topic...

...For me it is two things, Gormet salt and bottled water. The water thing is just because the water supply locally is overall quite good and to see people cook with bottled water around here is senseless especially when the bottled water is just filtered tap water.  And one last thing is people who say yuck to a food that they have never tried...as the old saying goes, don't knock it till you try it!

My pet peeve is when someone makes their idea of cooking "whatever" good, bad, or wrong and trys to tell others thay are doing it wrong.. We as the animals we are have been eating almost every living thing on this planet from the beginning of time. So when you have to say that people are being cheap because of what they use and that of that we don't know how to tell the difference between good or bad food remember that taste is subjective and what might make you puke may make someone else salivate. Many of the great dishes sold today are meals of the peasants from years ago and many dishes that were once considered top of that food chain have been lost forever..

In my opinion a "REAL" chef makes food that most everyone (because you can't make everyone happy) enjoys and walks away satisfied and when it comes to the ingredients, a good chef can make whatever they have work.. So for all of you foo-foo chefs out there that won't use foods of a certain level remember someday you might have to eat whatever you can catch or kill and then you'll be happy to have it to use..

"Being a good chef is knowing how to cook good, Being a great chef is taking what you have and making something great from it!"

"My pet peeve is when someone makes their idea of cooking "whatever" good, bad, or wrong and trys to tell others thay are doing it wrong..  "

well... if you're "cooking" it wrong, I'll tell you so. Some meats need dry heat, others wet. herbs lose flavour is they're cooked too long etc.  Contrary to what you say, there is a "wrong" way to cook, and i see it all the time. Yes, the measure of a "cook" (not a Chef, but that's another thread...) is their ability to cook what they have... PROPERLY.

Now, as for cuts/ peasant food? Psssh... it's all in HOW it's cooked. Cod tongues, caribou heart, chicken feet, tripe... it's all good, if the cook knows what they are doing. However, some things are acquired tastes... and no amount of skill on the cook's part will make it palatable to those who haven't grown up with it. Seal meat is one for me... I grew up with it, and i still hate it. Same goes for salt water ducks. Can't stand the flavour.

As for "food culture" pet peeves? I simply hate the bandwagon... today it's pulled pork. Yesterday it was pho. The month before it was butter chicken and naan... now it's anything served from a truck. "Wolf nipple chips!! Wheeeee! They're served out of the back of a rusty old van, how trendy and quaint!" Food culture hatred? I save it all for the Food Network.

That and cupcakes. I freakin' hate the whole cupcake "thing".

My pet peeve is just about any food commercial on TV - they all seem to boast the nutritional merits of processed foods. I usually looks like food for astronauts, then you get a list of 24 vitamins, then they keep telling you it's "Nutritious". Or frozen processed breakfast for your kids to "start the day with a nutritious breakfast" .... etc. 

Quote; What is your biggest food or food culture pet peeve?

I have a small food culture peeve with the use of the words "EVOO" and "proteine". Sounds like something coming from a clinical laboratorium, not from a farm where people put all there love and hard work in breeding or growing fantastic products like olive oil, veal, pork, beef, chicken, quail etc.

mea culpa....i stand guitly as charged with the evoo chris, but only when i'm writing it down as in a recipe or ordering or inventory... never spoken...i simply just say olive oil.....all is forgiven i hope?

joey

People have a time or two spoken to me like I'm a snob or as if there's anything wrong with me because of the quality of ingredient I insist on buying. But my answer is always this; I'm not buying a certain quality of food, I just make sure that the food I am buying is REAL food.  Things that are cheap or low fat I'm always very cautious about. If you really look at the nutrition facts of such items, you'll find that a lot of them are the nutritional equivalent of sand (I actually believe sand might provide a few essential minerals though.)  Cheap dairy products I find are the best examples of this. 

Ah, pet peeves, i have so many you could fill an entire forum. 

let me see...

- snobbiness about food in general

- when what was considered poison last week is the current big trend and super healthy too

- people acting like SOME people's food allergies or illnesses apply to everyone (from sugar to gluten to salt to milk to wheat to anything good)

- food "health" fads

- When i make a dinner and the guest says "oh I never eat desert" (well, they usually end up eating mine but it still irritates me) - I don't mind those who don't LIKE desert, though they may puzzle me, they don't irritate me, but those who say they never eat it with that tone of virtue...

- And speaking of that, when people feel guilty about eating something or virtuous for not eating it.  I mean, guilt should be reserved for things that hurt others.  If you enjoyed it, why feel guilt - you may regret it, or feel stupid or get worried (for the calories, for the whatever it is you're not supposed to eat, etc), but why guilt?  Why virtue?  what's that got to do with food?

- Related to this is a holier than thou attitude to food - whether eating it or not eating it. 

- When someone offers me "tea" and it's really some herbal thing (drink it if you like but don't call it tea).

ok, i could go on, but that's more than enough

Chris, just out of curiosity, do you have a generic word to describe food products from animal? That's the only time I use "protein" in the sense I believe you mean.

For instance, at our foodways presentations at the 18th century living history museum where we work, we point out that hogs provided the most common protein to the people living there.

How else would you say that?

I love the phrase EVOO! :) .. It's when people actually waste my time by saying Extra Virgin Olive Oil that gets to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by durangojo 

mea culpa....i stand guitly as charged with the evoo chris, but only when i'm writing it down as in a recipe or ordering or inventory... never spoken...i simply just say olive oil.....all is forgiven i hope?

joey

My peeves about anything are too small to play a significant role in my life Joey. Life is too short, so, certainly no need to apologize!

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

Chris, just out of curiosity, do you have a generic word to describe food products from animal? That's the only time I use "protein" in the sense I believe you mean.

 

For instance, at our foodways presentations at the 18th century living history museum where we work, we point out that hogs provided the most common protein to the people living there.

 

How else would you say that?

How about "meat"?

Sometimes that works, Chris. F'rinstance, we have restaurants, particular in the south, where they serve "a meat and two" or "a meat and three." The word meat is used generically, because it could be beef, or pork, or chicken.

But, in general, do you include poultry and fish in the term "meat,"? I don't. Nor, would I'd guess, do most people.  I usually differentiate between wild game and domestic meat as well.

Don't get me wrong. I certainly agree that the word "protein" is overused, particularly by TV cooks, and especially by judges on cooking shows. When somebody is talking about a specific dish, and refers to the animal product in it as protein instead of as beef, or veal, or chicken, or whatever, that's just an affectation. But when talking about animal food products as a whole, I don't mind the word "protein" at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisBelgium 

My peeves about anything are too small to play a significant role in my life Joey. Life is too short, so, certainly no need to apologize!

 

i really gotta work on that sarcasm emoticon soon!!!

joey
 

I agree with you! I think that my point was misunderstood when I said "Foo-Foo Chefs" My peeve was sometimes you don't have a choice and must use what you have and if you disagree thats your right but if you cook then I know you have been in the position where you have had ingredients the you may not like but have to use.. Now does that make you a bad chef? I say no, but you still have to make something that people will eat and hopefully enjoy.. So my point was stop bitching and work your magic with what you have and maybe next time you'll choose more wisely! Hope you have a taste-filled day!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisBelgium 

Quote; What is your biggest food or food culture pet peeve?

 

I have a small food culture peeve with the use of the words "EVOO" and "proteine". Sounds like something coming from a clinical laboratorium, not from a farm where people put all there love and hard work in breeding or growing fantastic products like olive oil, veal, pork, beef, chicken, quail etc.

 

Hey Chris, 

I completely get you on the "protein" comment. At first when I moved to the U.S. it kinda shocked me. Now I've gotten used to it and use it even when I'm in France, which shocks my family and friends. Americans describe food in a completely different way than French do. Here (America) we talk about protein, (which could be meat, fish, tofu or another vegetarian protein source), starch (rice, pasta, potatoes....)... it does make it sound a bit clinical, like you're a scientific. Over there (in France) things are much more "poetic", dare I say. Even with wines, it shocked me that wines here are classified by the type of grape used, while in France they're classified by regions. So here you talk about Pinot Noir while in France you talk about Bourgogne (Burgundy). 

So, FF, let me ask you the same question. In France, how do they express animal food products generically?

BTW, it's not just the U.S. that identifies wines by the grape variety. South America, Australia, New Zealand, among others, do the same thing. I suspect it's because none of them have protected regions of origin as France does.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

So, FF, let me ask you the same question. In France, how do they express animal food products generically?

I've never heard of a generic term for the entire "protein" section. Just like I don't think that in English there's a food term to generically designate the entire realm of vegetal food products (grain, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, oils...)?

In France we talk about Fish, Meat and Fowl. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KYHeirloomer 

BTW, it's not just the U.S. that identifies wines by the grape variety. South America, Australia, New Zealand, among others, do the same thing. I suspect it's because none of them have protected regions of origin as France does.

I suspect it's because those countries enjoy and produce a lot of varietal, while in France, blending is intrinsic to the art of winemaking.

It is Illegal to sell in US as it is considered and endangered species. Whole food is ripping everyone off. A lot of places have changed the names of other fish to Argentine Sea bass, Brazilian etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by French Fries 

I've never heard of a generic term for the entire "protein" section. Just like I don't think that in English there's a food term to generically designate the entire realm of vegetal food products (grain, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, oils...)?

 

In France we talk about Fish, Meat and Fowl.
 

The word "protein" does not bother me.  In the U.S. we refer to protein as being just an aspect of our meal.  Let's say grilled salmon served with herbed rice and wilted spinach.  There is a protein component, a starch component, and a vegetable component.  It's a formula and usually american meals are made up of these 3 components in general. Other combinations include:

Steak - potatoes - salad

Grilled chicken - pasta - rapini

Lamb chops - cous cous - glazed carrots

Duck breast - rice noodles - sauteed bok choy

See?  Protein, starch, veggie.  On on and on it goes, fish, meat, fowl, whatever.  One can't argue that steak and salmon are both made of protein.

Roadkill - cardboard - fistful of weeds - half-bottle Ripple. 

I can't stand using "protein" for whatever the meat is or should be. I call whatever it is "meat"; chicken, fish, tofu, soylent-green, whatever. I think this was started by "Competition TV Food/Cooking Show Judges", most of which I can't stand. Scott Conant is one of the biggest bananas of the bunch. Marc Murphy is an idiot too. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin', but I think those two(2) guys used "protein" first. Oh yeah, I could be wrong.     

Quote:

Originally Posted by Koukouvagia 

The word "protein" does not bother me.  In the U.S. we refer to protein as being just an aspect of our meal.  Let's say grilled salmon served with herbed rice and wilted spinach.  There is a protein component, a starch component, and a vegetable component.  It's a formula and usually american meals are made up of these 3 components in general. 

Honestly it doesn't bother me either, but that's because I've lived in the U.S. for years now. When I first came here, it.... "surprized" me I guess, more than bothered me...? By now I've come to actually find the word useful, for the exact reason you explained. It's just funny to see the different ways to classify foodstuff depending on where you live.