patrick.net

I am a good cook. I make better food than restaurants at home. I suspect that the food ingredients and cooking oil used in restaurants is likely the lowest quality possible. So, I rarely go out to eat.

I go out for lunch frequently but it’s not bad in my location.

The local economy depends upon the retirees and tourists so there are many choices.

Presently I’m in Palm Beach County.

Edit: There are some mom and pop Italian places, similar to what you'd find around NYC. There are a few Vietnamese places; I'm addicted to the soup. There are some "fast casual" places which have rotisserie chicken or another is grilled chicken. There's Habit Burger, in addition to some small restaurants.
All of the prementioned have kitchens which allow you to see your food prepared, except the Vietnamese soup places.

Texas Roadhouse is still good.

Most restaurants are garbage. Check the dumpsters behind mid-to-high-end joints and even they are full of cans from Sysco. All of it full of salt and rancid seed oils.
Delivered to you by a surly, disappointed, Millennial.
It took me a long time to wean off of 'eating out' because I kind of hate to cook, but I feel like I am way better off for it.

Robert Sproul says

All of it full of salt and rancid seed oils.

A lot of restaurant contains excess carbohydrates, cheese that is not cheese, gmo ingredients, ultra cheap seed oils that are harmful and sugar. And you are paying good money to eat this food prepared by low wage employees. Would you put poor quality gas in your car, if no, then why do you put poor quality food in your stomach? Americans have been brainwashed and conditioned to eat out by the big food.

Robert Sproul says

All of it full of salt and rancid seed oils.

Sugar is more dangerous than salt. A lot of restaurant food contains excess gmo carbohydrates, cheese that is not cheese, other potentially dangerous ingredients, ultra cheap seed oils (cheaper than even canola) that are harmful to your organs and sugar. And you are paying good money to eat this food prepared by low wage employees. Would you put poor quality gas in your car, if no, then why do you put poor quality food in your and in the stomachs of your loved ones?

Americans have been brainwashed and conditioned to eat out by the big food. This is why there are so many restaurants. If people stopped eating out, big food would possibly collapse.

PS: Alcohol damages your liver, its okay occasionally.

gabbar says

Americans have been brainwashed and conditioned to eat out by the big food

Almost 50% of meals eaten out...
And much of 'at home' food processed and packaged.
Look around, they are killing us.

Try to avoid food with a barcode. That's ALL chain restaurants. Even most of the smaller places have to use the distribution network - you think they're going out to shop for food, or farm it themselves?

Farm to table: Probably better for you, but 2-3x the price.

I've learned to be a decent cook at home. Get "Joy of Cooking" and READ IT. You'll learn a lot about ingredients, get some techniques, and how to use proper tools. Treat cooking like a lab in High school: follow the instructions to the letter. After you make a recipe a couple of times, then play around with spices, etc. Now you're a chef!

I can count on one hand the eateries I will go to. They are all Mom and Pop institutions. I don't have to stare any girls and wonder what sex is the androgynous freak I'm looking at. I don't have to worry about triggering some sicko Commie whack job, that might have saw I was reading The Gateway Pundit on my phone while I was waiting for my food. And get my food spit on. I know they don't cut corners, I have seen their product and their food prep process. I like Diners that has an open pass through counter, and you can see inside the prep area. I like places that recognize me and know who I am, and I know them. When I have a hankering for a Burger I do to Boston Johnny's a bar down the street, that was taken over by another bar that used to be a Biker Bar that was closed down. They make an awesome 1/2 lb burger with fresh cut fries, for $15.99.. I realized what a great bargain that was one night while sitting at the Wendy's drive through and saw a 1/4lb Combo now goes for $12.99. It was a no brainer, plus I get a couple pints of Guinness to go with the burger Breakfast joint I have Jack's Diner they are getting pricy but the real Americana experience is well worth the premium. It's better than Denny's..
I drive 5 miles to a Chinese joint on Hallandale because the lady there goes out of her way to make each dish exquisite.

rocketjoe79 says

I've learned to be a decent cook at home. Get "Joy of Cooking" and READ IT. You'll learn a lot about ingredients, get some techniques, and how to use proper tools. Treat cooking like a lab in High school: follow the instructions to the letter. After you make a recipe a couple of times, then play around with spices, etc. Now you're a che

People think the pariing of ingredients and spices is the trick to great cooking. It is not, it is mastering the techniques of cooking.

How to use the oven features, knowing what each pot and pan is used for and how to use them. Frying techniques, and braising techniques, stir frying techniques.

I remember in the 80's I would watch Wan can Cook(Woc the Heck) on PBS, his stir fry instructions made for a a horrible soggy mess every time.
It took me years to learn, that you must use a Woc, and heat it up properly, use the proper oils. Stir fry each ingredient separately, blanch vegetables that hold a lot of moisture first, like bochoy and snow peas and drain very well, you have to process bean sprouts, pinch the ends off first. That's the earthy musky dank smell and flavor that ruins your dish. Then before you put them in your dish, toss them in a dry woc and toss them around until the snapping and popping stops, you're not getting them cooked and soggy her. You're sealing them so they don't wilt as soon as you toss them in. It's all technique the more technique I learn, the less spice and ingredients you can do with out. If you don't do all of these things first, after you add in your hoisin sauce at the end, all of the water in your vegetables comes rushing out, and you end up steaming and boiling those aldente crunch vegetables turning it all into a wilted soggy dark olive green mess.

I’m not too bad today. That was brutal. This is twice now in a month going out where I’ve gotten sick. I rarely throw up.

The only connecting ingredient in both was tomatoes. Anyone ever have an issue with that? Bad tomatoes?

Definitely sticking to foods I prepare unless it’s super basic like a cold ham and cheese sub.

What's the point of fancy kitchens, cabinets, islands and stoves? What's the point of dining rooms and tables if you don't want to cook? Rich athletes eat home cooked food because its healthy. American kitchens have a very user friendly design. Most people have good kitchens. Cooking food is as easy as it can get because of the gas stoves, cooking utensils, refrigerators, plenty of grocery stores of all types. It takes minimal effort to cook healthy food. Anyone can do it, with even eyes closed.

The invisible hands poisoning us with vaccines don't plan to poison us with our air, food and water supplies? Good to know they have limits.

gabbar says

What's the point of fancy kitchens

I saw a report once, commissioned ironically by Viking Kitchens, that showed that the more expensive the kitchen the less it was used.
People with 2, 3, 400,000 dollar kitchens don't ever even go into them.

Try finding Mayo where one of the top ingredients isn't estrogenic soybean oil.

I'm eating nothing but real food, no preprepped stuff as it's overflowing with seed oils and other garbage.

AmericanKulak says

I'm eating nothing but real food, no preprepped stuff as it's overflowing with seed oils and other garbage.

I agree with you 100%.

A few years back, I heard a nutritionist being interviewed in which she said that almost ALL processed food is bad for you. She said that the food industry has figured out how to make food incredibly cheap, and yet, taste good, by using the right amount of fat, sugar and salt. She strongly encouraged everyone to read the labels. Of course, restaurants are exempt. She said that by using cheap ingredients, they can not only make it taste good but make it very addictive.

WookieMan says

The only connecting ingredient in both was tomatoes. Anyone ever have an issue with that? Bad tomatoes?

Tomatoes used to kill people all the time, but with modern understanding of chemistry, deaths are just an interesting history lesson. And I really do mean interesting!

Tomatoes were often canned in the days before refrigeration. Some kinds aren't acidic enough to kill the botulism bacterium. See the wiki for that: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botulism. That citric acid added in canned products is often labeled as "a preservative" but could be more properly described as "to prevent you from dying."

But some tomatoes have enough acidity to be a danger because of the acid. Check out this jem from Smithsonian Magazine (which has great articles up until about 10 years ago): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-the-tomato-was-feared-in-europe-for-more-than-200-years-863735/ TLDR: acid from tomatoes sitting for a while on the then-popular pewter plates (pewter = lead + tin) would leach the lead, which would then be eaten along with the fruit — not good!

Tomatoes are usualy

RayAmerica says

One more thing that is somewhat related; I had a friend that worked in a kitchen at a restaurant when he was young. He told me, with a lot of emotion; "Don't ever eat at a restaurant where you don't see the food being prepared in front of you. You would never believe what I saw some of these guys do to food before it was sent out." He told me, I won't repeat it.

When you go out to eat, be polite to the staff. I'm warning you.

If the food is bad, you CAN complain, but pay for it, and offer constructive criticism, don't show any anger, don't send it back. Eat it, and if you complain, never come back, unless you are very nice about offering constructive criticism. Leave a tip. Do not piss off anybody that serves you food, ever.

Your steak overdone? You can mention it, but don't send it back and eat what you get. IF you return, explain what happened last time, tell them it was good enough anyhow, but please make it a bit rarer this time.

The only time when you can blow up, is if you NEVER return.

i don’t make enough to eat out, so we just cook. and cook better than any place nearby. where i live even if you wanted to go out, there’s nothing. all we got is fast food chain junk… like 20 of them from subway to carl’s jr. nothing but shitty chains. so i bbq and smoke meat on weekends.

FortwayeAsFuckJoeBiden says

i don’t make enough to eat out, so we just cook.

You'll outlive us all.

Maybe we should make a recipe thread.

We have some decent food places: Excellent Vietnamese, plenty of family Mexican, and 1-off diners. Check out small airports: Pilots gotta eat.
There used to be a decent diner up by Mt. Shasta: Black Bear Diner. The family ran two restaurants a few miles apart. Mom and Pop retired and sold to some douchebags with MBA's. Next thing I know, they have 20 "stores" and a Mission Statement on the Menu. Fuck that shit. Way to ruin a decent slice of Americana.

Robert Sproul says

I saw a report once, commissioned ironically by Viking Kitchens, that showed that the more expensive the kitchen the less it was used.
People with 2, 3, 400,000 dollar kitchens don't ever even go into them.

I reckon people who own these expensive and elaborate kitchens are rich. They would spend their time having fun instead of cooking at home. But if you want healthy food, cooking is the most reliable route. I reckon today's women are not too much into cooking (given their interest in posing unnaturally for pictures for the social media). The obesity we see is about addiction to carbohydrates and sugar, this keeps big health and big food in the green.

I saw some pictures which were taken by a city health department official of a fast food restaurant kitchen. It was beyond disgusting. The most dangerous items are the carbs (dough items) and the cooking oil (no human should put this in their stomach). Our bodies are capable to dealing with a lot of shitty food. I feel bad for the folks who have no choice but to work at these businesses. There are many fast food restaurants where I live. People go through the drive through in luxury cars, found this interesting, maybe wrong priorities.

WookieMan says

The only connecting ingredient in both was tomatoes. Anyone ever have an issue with that? Bad tomatoes?

If tomatoes were cooked, then probably not. It was probably something more potent.

Re: the original thread topic, people go right to 'food poisoning' but Norovirus is the most common cause of this I think. Somebody didn't wash their hands.
This is why it spreads so relentlessly: "You can continue to shed virus in your stool for several weeks (months if you have a chronic illness) after recovery"
Another reason to eat at home where everybody washes their damn hands.

Robert Sproul says

Re: the original thread topic, people go right to 'food poisoning' but Norovirus is the most common cause of this I think. Somebody didn't wash their hands.
This is why it spreads so relentlessly: "You can continue to shed virus in your stool for several weeks (months if you have a chronic illness) after recovery"
Another reason to eat at home where everybody washes their damn hands.

Restaurants are in the business of making money, not hygiene and nutritious food. They should be an occasional option.

WookieMan says

Noticed a change in quality from restaurants after covid. Mind numbing slow service and even restaurants that were good suck. We usually have good food around us.

Anyone notice the same in their area? It’s becoming bad enough that I think I’m done. My Sunday is fucked now.

All the restaurants around here really jacked up prices too, since Bidet was installed in the White House.

The last time I was poisoned at a restaurant it was the dirty plate they served the food on. Always look look how clean the plate is when served if it has any soil or grease on it send it back this also goes for silverware and glasses. Servers sometimes don't even look at the plates. I cut my eating out 90% after moving and the new price adjustment made by government caused inflation it's stupid, fast food now costs almost as much as a sit down diner. I'm out.

beershrine says

fast food now costs almost as much as a sit down diner.

You can get a Chipotle chicken bowl for $8.15.

Also, a lot of restaurants now add a non-optional 5% "living wage" surcharge to the bill on top of the much higher prices lately.

Somehow that's offensive. The cost should be the cost on the menu.

Patrick says

Also, a lot of restaurants now add a non-optional 5% "living wage" surcharge to the bill on top of the much higher prices lately.

Somehow that's offensive. The cost should be the cost on the menu.

It sorta is added to the cost on the menu. I think the "living wage" is to show why.

rocketjoe79 says

reat cooking like a lab in High school: follow the instructions to the letter. After you make a recipe a couple of times, then play around with spices, etc. Now you're a chef!

^^^^ THIS

Cooking isn't that hard; after all, women have been doing it for centuries before modern times.

True story. I was in my sophomore year in college and was completely sick of the dorm food service. There was only one kitchen (sink, stove, oven) on the ground floor of each dorm. I used to cook my own tomato sauce for use in lasagnas, etc. One time a female came by and gave me a left-handed complement, "Oh, are you cooking soup? That smells so good." I said that no, it wasn't soup, but pasta/tomato sauce, to which she replied "That sounds complicated." I said that it wasn't that hard, after all women . . . " I think that bitch got all butt hurt. Then again, I wasn't out to make friends with women at the time, just to fuck them, and she obviously wasn't worth it.

It's scary how many women can't cook. Many have boxed mac n' cheese as their skill limit. Some are not even there.

gabbar says

beershrine says

fast food now costs almost as much as a sit down diner.

You can get a Chipotle chicken bowl for $8.15.

My local diner has a Cheeseburger and Fries, sit down, for $6.99.

It's cheaper than anything on the McD's menu.

It's cheaper to take my kids to the diner than to run through McDonalds.

Ceffer says

The invisible hands poisoning us with vaccines don't plan to poison us with our air, food and water supplies? Good to know they have limits.

I see more rapeseed ("Canola") oil than sunflower oil.

Canola oil is literally poisonous until refined using hexane, and even then still contains significant toxins.

AmericanKulak says

My local diner has a Cheeseburger and Fries, sit down, for $6.99.

It's cheaper than anything on the McD's menu.

I have found that nearly any random place is better, and cheaper than any place that is a national chain.

I totally don't understand why people go to national chains.

AmericanKulak says

It's scary how many women can't cook. Many have boxed mac n' cheese as their skill limit. Some are not even there.

worse is when they brag about not being able to cook. As if its a badge of honor.

Ceffer says

The invisible hands poisoning us with vaccines don't plan to poison us with our air, food and water supplies? Good to know they have limits.
ME AT THE GROCERY STORE READING LABELS

This fool believes what is written on the labels? Even though people realize that they are constantly lied to, its still to hard for them to quit trusting big daddy govt.

I don't get the sudden hate for sunflower oil. Sunflower seeds is good food but oil is suddenly bad? I can see how oils from things people didn't eat historically - palms, canola and such could be problematic, but sunflower?

I always said; "eat at McDonald's" They have to be everything they say they are or they will be sued instantly cause they are watched by lawyers looking for deep pockets. It's ironic to say that but it's true. Nobody is watching the other guys like they watch McDonalds.