Beachside Brawl - General Discussion

[Ohmo]

It was actually all Bastet's idea.

Quote

You're right, there isn't one, but it would be a single topic, rather than a multi-thread forum, so you can just create a topic in Competitive Reality & Game Shows rather than needing to request a forum from the administrators.

Topic thread for new Food Network show.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Ohmo

[Ohmo]

I LOVE that both team captains and the host are women!  Both Tiffani and Brooke seem to be doing a great job of mentoring their teams.  However, Brooke has lost two team members, so I'm wondering if there's some sort of steal to come.

[Salacious Kitty]

17 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

I LOVE that both team captains and the host are women!  Both Tiffani and Brooke seem to be doing a great job of mentoring their teams.  However, Brooke has lost two team members, so I'm wondering if there's some sort of steal to come.

I don't think there's a,steal coming. The entire premise pits east vs. west. You can't have someone from the east all of a sudden making tacos and California rolls. I just think that Tiffany's team will suffer a couple of losses in the next two weeks to even things up again. 

[mlp]

I've never liked Brooke or Tiffani but I find myself rooting for Tiffani.  She seems to have a good relationship with her team members and she hasn't annoyed me at all.  I really like Antonia as a host.  

[MerBearHou]

After seeing Antonia host Julia and now Beachside, I have nothing but praise for Antonia as a host.  She is steady, knowledgeable, interacts well, a gamer for getting in there with big bites on so many plates, great voice for hosting, great sense of humor but never makes it about her.  This show is fun and both Brooke and Tiffani are wonderful leaders and support their teams so sincerely.  

[Maverick]

 I'm not big fans of Tiffani and Brooke but they're ok here.   It's always a little odd having celebrity chefs "mentor" experienced chefs who are accomplished in their own right but it comes off better here than on BBQ Brawl.  Tiffani seems more sincere here in rooting on her team than she does on Chopped, where I find her very fake.

 The whole East Coast/West Coast thing is a little silly as a premise (it's a lot of seafood, frying and corn on both sides) and I can't figure out why the elimination challenge changes every week, but over al it's not a bad show.  I'll take this over that neighborhood cooking show Jeff Mauro hosts, that I can't believe has been resurrected.  

East Coast/Beast Coast can stop any time now.

[tvchick]

Thanks for creating this topic.  I've wanted to comment somewhere but couldn't figure out the right forum.

ITA about Antonio being a surprisingly good host.  The premise of the competition is OK but limiting it to "beach" food makes me wonder how repetitive it will be by the end.

I've been watching too much Guy's Grocery Games because I recognized two of the contestants in the Beachside Brawl from his series--Jada from the East Coast and the blonde from the West who was eliminated in the most recent episode.  I also saw another GGG contestant on the PBS Great American Recipe competition.  Obviously, I need to turn off GGG!

[mlp]

6 hours ago, tvchick said:

I've been watching too much Guy's Grocery Games because I recognized two of the contestants in the Beachside Brawl from his series--Jada from the East Coast and the blonde from the West who was eliminated in the most recent episode.  I also saw another GGG contestant on the PBS Great American Recipe competition.  Obviously, I need to turn off GGG!

I recognized the first two but I wasn't sure where I'd seen them before.  I didn't remember anyone on the PBS show.  Which one?

[Grizzly]

14 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

After seeing Antonia host Julia and now Beachside, I have nothing but praise for Antonia as a host.  She is steady, knowledgeable, interacts well, a gamer for getting in there with big bites on so many plates, great voice for hosting, great sense of humor but never makes it about her.  This show is fun and both Brooke and Tiffani are wonderful leaders and support their teams so sincerely.  

While I agree with all this praise for Antonia as a host, I don't like how she dresses. This week it looked like her collar was separated from her shirt. And were those leather shorts?

I wasn't sure how fair the judging would be since they're on the west coast. And Antonia is based there. So I'm pleasantly surprised the east is leading. Sign that guy up for TOC who beat Brooke in a head to head in the first ep.

[Ohmo]

11 hours ago, tvchick said:

Jada from the East Coast and the blonde from the West who was eliminated in the most recent episode.

Jessica.  i don't watch GGG, but I know I've seen her in something else.  However, I can't remember what.   Maybe it was the show that Michael and Bryan Votaggio did.

ETA:

Quote

After seeing Antonia host Julia

Am watching Julia right now.  Discovery+ is excellent for satisfying one's fix for competitive cooking or baking dhows.

Edited July 6, 2022 by Ohmo

[tvchick]

20 hours ago, mlp said:

I recognized the first two but I wasn't sure where I'd seen them before.  I didn't remember anyone on the PBS show.  Which one?

The contestant on Great American Recipe who was on one of the GGG episodes with grandmothers is named Robin.  She cooks "Mediterranean" food.

[Rammchick]

I was born and raised on the east coast, but moved to the west coast ten years ago -- who to root for? 😏 Neither team captain is my favorite, but I don't dislike either of them, really.

Instead of showing this in July, the FN should put this on in January, when we're all (except for those lucky enough to live there) longing for beach weather and beach food!

[KayVeeTeeVee]

I saw Jessica years and years ago as a sous chef for I think it was Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America.

[eclectcmoi]

Enjoying this show, with the exception of Tiffany - I just can't like her no matter how I try. 

I so wish I knew this had been filmed on the Redondo Beach pier.  I'm just about 20 miles from there and would have LOVED to have watched them film!  Years ago I worked for a property management company who had the leasehold for that area of the pier and I definitely would've known and been there.  DRATS! 

[Bastet]

I don't normally go for these various "brawl" shows, but since I really like Brooke, Tiffani, and Antonia, I decided to check it out after it was mentioned in the ToC thread.  There has been some really good food!  I can't imagine the food coma I'd be in after sampling those nine burgers in the most-recent episode, though.

I'm Team West Coast.  Not just because I live here; I've eaten Brooke's food several times and it's delicious, so I'm pulling for her even though I like Tiffani as well.  Plus, I find the "East Coast, Beast Coast" thing annoying by the other team.

I used to go down to the Redondo pier a lot, to eat and drink at Old Tony's, but I'm too lazy these days to drive to the South Bay so I haven't been there in quite some time.  I should go again; I'm down to my last souvenir glass and it has a chip in it. 

[Bastet]

On 7/7/2022 at 6:52 AM, Rammchick said:

Instead of showing this in July, the FN should put this on in January, when we're all (except for those lucky enough to live there) longing for beach weather and beach food!

It was filmed back in March, so, even with our somewhat year-round gardening/harvesting season here on the West Coast, all the talk of "summer feast" raises an eyebrow since the ingredients are not as seasonal as everyone pretends.  So when, for example, judges are raving over a beefsteak tomato, are they just bullshitting based on how much they'd enjoy that ingredient had it been included at the time the show aired, not the time it taped?  Or are they drawing from some greenhouse stash?  It's what distracts from all cooking shows purporting to occur at the time of year they air when we all know they filmed well before. 

Like how judges on food competition shows admit what they taste is no longer hot, due to the realities of filming.  It's hard to take seriously just how the dishes taste and stack up against each other in reality rather than how the judges are extrapolating.

But I've still wanted most of the food so far.  I'm not even a big fan of Nashville hot chicken, but I still would have happily tried that sandwich.  And good on Tiffani making a tasty veggie burger on her first try.

[Ohmo]

Spoilers about tonight's episode courtesy of my subscription to Discovery+ and my impatience. :)
 

Spoiler

East Coast lost Jared.  Tiffani still won't let that "East Coast, Beast Coast" chant die.

First round was Brooke and one of her team vs, Tiffani and one of her team.  Brooke chose Kaleena.  Tiff chose Jada.

Winner got immunity and wouldn't have to cook in the second round.  Brooke/Kaleena won.  This episode was about sweets, so they had to do a hot and cold duo with popcorn.  Brooke made popcorn zapoli (the Italian doughnuts).  Kaleena made a popcorn custard with blackberries.  Her custard was cold.

Tiff made popcorn dip n' dots.  Jada also made a custard type thing.  Her custard was sort of loose.  Guest judge was Stephanie Boswell.

Second round was a "bake sale" where they made food for the people on the boardwalk.  Individual challenge.  The person who won the most votes from the public would gain immunity and not be judged by Antonia or Stephanie.  Tiffani and Brooke could coach, but not cook, touch, or taste food.

Josh on Brooke's team was the public favorite.  He made a deep-friend cookie bite surrounded by a churro coating.  Brooke was really annoyed (in a fun way) that she couldn't taste what Josh was making.

The categories in Round 2 were funnel cake, deep fried cookie,, churro, and chocolate-covered banana.  Jared did a chocolate covered banana with hazelnut spread that he wrapped in a wonton wrapper, which made it hard.  The hardness didn't seem to go over well.

[Bastet]

I don't like any of the four assigned boardwalk sweets (funnel cake is okay, but I either have no interest in or dislike the others), so the bake sale challenge wasn't very interesting to me, other than I thought Josh was creative with his winning dish.  I liked the first round, seeing all the ways they incorporated popcorn.

[mlp]

I like Antonia a lot and I also like Stephanie Boswell but I could have done without that tutu-ish thing someone picked out for her to wear.  It didn't suit her at all.  Anyway, I think they're both good judges.  I had a feeling Jared would be going almost from the beginning so I wasn't a bit surprised.

[Bastet]

6 minutes ago, mlp said:

I also like Stephanie Boswell but I could have done without that tutu-ish thing someone picked out for her to wear.  It didn't suit her at all. 

It made me nervous she was going to have a wardrobe malfunction if it got too windy.

[dleighg]

I'm just watching the first episode. Have they explained what happens if the worst chef is the captain? 

[Ohmo]

On 7/15/2022 at 3:22 PM, dleighg said:

I'm just watching the first episode. Have they explained what happens if the worst chef is the captain? 

The worst chef isn't the captains.  Judging for elimination doesn't include Brooke and Tiffani.  When they're judged it's to give their teams an advantage or to keep their chefs safe.  Contestants are eliminated based on what they do or don't do.

7/17 episode Spoilers
 

Spoiler

Yacht cooking.  Too many dishes to describe.  Teams had to cook brunch on a yacht.  Needed to use black beans, milk powder, corn flakes, and instant rice.  I wanted to eat all of the West Coast food.  I love black beans, and Brooke made this black bean, potato, and bacon thing that I wanted to taste through my television.  Team West Coast won, and didn't have to cook in Round Two.

Round Two was survival round to see who would go home.  Had to cook a romantic dinner for a couple on a yacht.  Ben went home, which I disagree with.  He did surf and turf with vegetables, and he got dinged because it wasn't formal enough to be yacht food.  Guest judge was some guy I've never heard of who cooks on yachts.  Ben something.  Jada and Ed both cooked scallops.  Antonia told Jada that her scallops weren't done enough.  They weren't raw, but they needed to be cooked more.

Ben said Jada cooked "yacht food."  Maybe, but her "yacht food" wasn't done enough for Antonia.  I would have kept Ben and sent Jada home because the quality of his actual food was better.

Finals are Josh, Kaleena, Jada, and Ed.  I'd be happy if Kaleena or Ed won.

[Bastet]

It would be so easy to say "Oh, how convenient, West Coast won so both teams would have two members going into the finale" but it seems they really did kill it in that brunch round.  Kaleena's dish was spectacular and Brooke's damn near perfect, and, while Joshua - who was driving me nuts pronouncing mascarpone as "marscapone" - made crepes that weren't visually stunning, they seemed to hit all the right notes of flavor.

I love Brooke's solution to them having to make four dishes -- fine, the first dish will be a Bloody Maria "gazpacho" with fried shrimp.  Tiffani says every brunch must include pancakes (and hers looked good), but I'm with Brooke -- brunch is not complete without a Bloody Mary (and I like the guest chef's agreement when she said a cocktail is especially a necessary component on a yacht). 

All the "romantic dinner" dishes in the elimination round looked good, but I agree Ben's was less yacht food than the others, so once you're splitting hairs, that's the dish to go.  I figured it would be him since he got the "I miss my family" edit.

I'm rooting for Kaleena to take the whole thing next week, but I like everyone's food.

Edited July 18, 2022 by Bastet
Remove spoiler tags after it aired on FN

[Lurk]

5 hours ago, Ohmo said:

The worst chef isn't the captains.  Judging for elimination doesn't include Brooke and Tiffani.  When they're judged it's to give their teams an advantage or to keep their chefs safe.  Contestants are eliminated based on what they do or don't do.

7/17 episode Spoilers
 

  Hide contents

Yacht cooking.  Too many dishes to describe.  Teams had to cook brunch on a yacht.  Needed to use black beans, milk powder, corn flakes, and instant rice.  I wanted to eat all of the West Coast food.  I love black beans, and Brooke made this black bean, potato, and bacon thing that I wanted to taste through my television.  Team West Coast won, and didn't have to cook in Round Two.

Round Two was survival round to see who would go home.  Had to cook a romantic dinner for a couple on a yacht.  Ben went home, which I disagree with.  He did surf and turf with vegetables, and he got dinged because it wasn't formal enough to be yacht food.  Guest judge was some guy I've never heard of who cooks on yachts.  Ben something.  Jada and Ed both cooked scallops.  Antonia told Jada that her scallops weren't done enough.  They weren't raw, but they needed to be cooked more.

Ben said Jada cooked "yacht food."  Maybe, but her "yacht food" wasn't done enough for Antonia.  I would have kept Ben and sent Jada home because the quality of his actual food was better.

Finals are Josh, Kaleena, Jada, and Ed.  I'd be happy if Kaleena or Ed won.

Pop over to the Below Deck area on Candid Reality forum to find out about Ben the guest judge. He was the chef on earlier seasons (and one fill-in when a chef got fired midseason). I was hoping to see more of his blunt/snarky personality but he was pretty much all business as a judge. I didn't know he was on the world's largest sailboat though.

[MyMaui]

I really like this show.  Antonia is a really good host. I keep flip flopping on which coast I want to win because I like both teams.  Both Brooke and Tiffani are good leaders.  I loved seeing Ben from the Below Deck series for the yachting episode.

[Rammchick]

Jada (East Coast chef) made black cod, which is a huge west coast staple here in the PNW.  I'm surprised no one mentioned it.

[MerBearHou]

They made such a big deal of the yacht meals representing their particular coasts and in the end, I didn’t really see that they did.  

Sad to say bye to Ben — his meal did look delicious, but maybe more steakhousey than yachty.

[dleighg]

16 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

They made such a big deal of the yacht meals representing their particular coasts

I think that whole thing is dumb and unimportant. Just make it your basic east vs west and that's enough. We are all a bit more well-traveled and eclectic these days, aren't we?

[mlp]

23 hours ago, MyMaui said:

  Antonia is a really good host.

I've always liked Antonia but I always thought of her as a fierce competitor until the Julia Child show.  She was very good on that and she seems to be a natural at hosting/judging on this one.  The only time she sounds scripted at all is during the opening remarks which, of course, were scripted.  I hope FN keeps giving her opportunities.

[MyMaui]

1 hour ago, mlp said:

I've always liked Antonia but I always thought of her as a fierce competitor until the Julia Child show.  She was very good on that and she seems to be a natural at hosting/judging on this one.  The only time she sounds scripted at all is during the opening remarks which, of course, were scripted.  I hope FN keeps giving her opportunities.

I agree too.  I hope they do too.

[howiveaddict]

On 7/17/2022 at 10:39 PM, Lurk said:

Pop over to the Below Deck area on Candid Reality forum to find out about Ben the guest judge. He was the chef on earlier seasons (and one fill-in when a chef got fired midseason). I was hoping to see more of his blunt/snarky personality but he was pretty much all business as a judge. I didn't know he was on the world's largest sailboat though.

I kept waiting for his distinctive laugh.   Or for him to say "Hello Lovelies!"

[Ohmo]

Spoilers for the finale
 

Spoiler

Kaleena won.  She beat Ed in the final round.  I like them both so I’m happy.

Judges were Tim Hollingsworth and Rashida Holmes.  Chef from the East and chef from the West

Tiffani and Brooke were not allowed to cook at all in the finale.  They could taste in the second round and mentored in both rounds.  Their mentoring felt genuine and heartfelt throughout the episode.

Kaleena beat Josh in the first round to advance.  They had to make a savory dish based on a spicy strawberry margarita.  They both did a halibut crudo.  Josh added rhubarb to his dish, and that seemed to overpower it,

Ed beat Jada.  They had to make a savory dish based on a spicy pina colada.  Jada did salmon.  Ed did shrimp.  The judges thought Jada didn’t balance the pineapple enough, and the dish read more sweet.

Final round: Three course dinner.  Had to use lemon grass and macadamia nuts. (Nods to where Kaleena and Ed wanted to take their trips.)  Kaleena’s meal was branzino with lemongrass salad, pork, and a coconut lemongrass custard.

Ed did scallops with a lemongrass/macadamia broth.  Also did pork with lemongrass/macadamia nut chimichurri Dessert was a lemongrass/macadamia nut parfait that also had mint, Greek yogurt, and rum.

Judges had more explicit criticisms for Ed.  They really liked Kaleena’s food.   Her criticisms were much more minor.  Antonia said that Ed’s pork didn’t feel like an entrée.

Tiffani and Brooke had a side bet. Tiff had to walk up and down the boardwalk wearing a T-shirt saying “West is Best” and saying the same via bullhorn.  She sort of did it. :)

[Bastet]

Yay!  I was rooting for Kaleena once the final four were announced, but knew I'd be impressed by everyone's food, and I was.  (And I'd have been pleased for Ed had he won the vacation, since flying out to compete was the first time he'd ever been on a plane.)

I like Jada admitting she's a sore loser, so she's upset, but also proud of herself because she made it all the way to the finals against chefs with exponentially more experience than she has.  She's going to have a great career.

I don't like piña coladas because I hate the texture of blended drinks, and I have a very limited tolerance for coconut.  Jalapeño margaritas, on the other hand, I love (on the rocks).  So the jalapeño & strawberries challenge was more my jam than coconut & pineapple, but all four dishes sounded great (looked, not as much, in Josh's case, but even if the foam had worked - and if I had a dollar for every contestant on a cooking show who couldn't get those aerators to work the way they wanted, I could buy a really nice meal - he still would have lost because of the rhubarb being a little out of balance).

Kaleena's three-course meal was quite ambitious for the time allotted, and she looked overwhelmed at first and at the end, so I'm glad she got in the zone in the middle.  Ed put out great food, but I suspect they pretty easily decided on her as the winner.  Her dessert was better, his entree wasn't an entree, and her appetizer took more skill (and came out pretty much perfectly, despite how rushed she was with the salad).

She uses edible flowers in a lot of her dishes, which I am normally not a fan of, but I wanted to eat her food throughout the competition.

It was interesting watching Tiffani and Brooke's styles as coaches.  Brooke was very involved as her chefs were laying out their plans, but once they started cooking she was mostly about issuing reminders and answering questions that came up, while Tiffani interjected with a few suggestions to do something differently.  Both were very helpful and supportive, and proud of their finalists.

Edited July 25, 2022 by Bastet
Removed spoiler tags once FN airing finished

[MerBearHou]

I've seen Brooke and Tiffani many, many times before, but Beachside Brawl helped me "get to know them" better than I ever had.  They were both delightful and you just got a feel for their personalities and made me warm up to both so, so much more.  Both were fantastic team leaders -- genuinely helpful in specific ways, truly connected with their teammates, good-hearted gamesmanship, enthusiastic but measured (never cranky or manic -- looking at you, Anne Burrell).  I liked this competition a great deal and am sorry it's already over.  I would have been happy with either winner.  And as we've said before, Antonia was a great host.  

[mlp]

I happened to see a rerun of an old GGG last week.  Jada was on and won.  She was only 19 y/o at the time.  She has skills and she's very pretty so I won't be a bit surprised if we see more of her on FN.

I have never liked Brooke or Tiffani but I feel a lot more positive about both of them after this show.  Antonia was a great host.

I was surprised that we saw so little of Tim Hollingsworth and whatever comments he made.  That seemed like a waste of using someone of his caliber.

[eclectcmoi]

The second season of this show is coming back on June 18.  Antonia is still hosting but this season's team captains are Eric Adjepong (aka Prince Sparkle Beard, fabulously nicknamed by a poster on another thread) and Brian Malarkey. I really like Eric and hope I can deal with Malarkey, because his antics and loudness BUG! 

 

[MerBearHou]

I am looking forward to this!  It was a fun little summer series last year.  

[Bastet]

Ugh, not Malarkey!  I can take him in small doses, and he even makes me laugh sometimes, but where he's half the show every week?!

Good thing I really like Antonia and Eric, so hopefully they cast good contestants so Malarkey is just a minor annoyance in the grand scheme.

[eelpout]

On 5/30/2023 at 11:13 AM, Bastet said:

Ugh, not Malarkey!  I can take him in small doses, and he even makes me laugh sometimes, but where he's half the show every week?!

if it's any consolation, in the first ep. Brian M. was not as annoying as I expected him to be. 🙃

[Salacious Kitty]

10 minutes ago, eelpout said:

if it's any consolation, in the first ep. Brian M. was not as annoying as I expected him to be. 🙃

Just wait until he has to cook something. 

[mlp]

On 5/30/2023 at 1:13 PM, Bastet said:

Ugh, not Malarkey!  I can take him in small doses, and he even makes me laugh sometimes, but where he's half the show every week?!

I like him.  He's happily married with kids and he has a very good reputation as both chef and businessman.  His manic shtick does get a little much oftentimes but he's a decent human being so I forgive him.  :)  I also like Eric so I think I'll be happy whichever way this goes.  I did agree with the judges' decisions last night.

[Grizzly]

Interesting how the general public liked the west coast food better but the judges picked east coast. I could tell from their comments that would be the result. Surprised they picked the waffle as the worst instead of what the long haired guy made. Did anyone on the west coast use seafood?

[Darian]

Eric can even make me suffer through Malarkey (who wasn't as nerve-shattering as usual, but, yeah, I expect I'll be saying, "Shup up, Malarkey" a few times). I like the chefs and of course, as a lifelong East Coaster and Eric fan, I'm rooting for that team, but I liked everyone so far and saw some good-looking food. 

 

[Salacious Kitty]

3 minutes ago, Darian said:

Eric can even make me suffer through Malarkey (who wasn't as nerve-shattering as usual, but, yeah, I expect I'll be saying, "Shup up, Malarkey" a few times). I like the chefs and of course, as a lifelong East Coaster and Eric fan, I'm rooting for that team, but I liked everyone so far and saw some good-looking food. 

 

I expect the East Coast to win this season, since West Coast (best coast! 🤪) won last year. 

[Bastet]

I thought they might switch off, and film this season on an East coast pier, but then remembered, duh, they want it to look like summer, so basically wouldn't be able to film anywhere other than Florida in order to get it turned around in time, and FN likes to stick to NY or LA, so here we are in Redondo again.  Works for me.  (I haven't been there in quite some time, but I'm a life-long resident of Los Angeles, so I've been there many, many times.)

I'm rooting for East Coast to take it this time, because of Eric.  (And, please let its absence this episode mean last season's stupid "East Coast, beast coast" chant is dead.)  I can only handle Malarkey in small doses, while I really like Eric.  Personal preferences aside, I thought East had the better collection of dishes in the first round -- more individually successful plates/bowls, and a better adherence to the stated theme.  It was a good idea to go with family reunion potluck for the first challenge, as they get to know each other, since that's what you'd find in such a situation if an extended family was scattered across the East coast -- people bringing their own specialties to share, with only that tenuous connection.  I like Antonia calling him out on it being a really easy way to say everyone just make their own thing for the first challenge, but acknowledging it was smart and worked. 

Amanda didn't didn't properly highlight her ingredient (something in which she was not alone), so when she also screwed up her waffle, that sealed her fate and sent her to the cook-off.  Canned bread is a big WTF? for me, and both dishes looked and sounded outright disgusting to me.  I think in most situations Eric's caliber and experience versus hers would be a pretty resounding victory, but I am not surprised that in this one it was splitting hairs. 

As a Top Chef fan, I am particularly interested in Jasmine since Gregory and Lee Anne both recommended her to Malarkey, but I enjoyed this introduction to everyone.

[eclectcmoi]

Emily on the West Coast looks so familiar to me and I feel I've seen her cook before. Perhaps it was on Grocery Games? 

On 6/19/2023 at 1:39 PM, Grizzly said:

Interesting how the general public liked the west coast food better but the judges picked east coast. I could tell from their comments that would be the result. Surprised they picked the waffle as the worst instead of what the long haired guy made. Did anyone on the west coast use seafood?

No seafood from the west coast.  Antonia pointed out they were mostly tropical fruit forward. 

[MerBearHou]

I have seen East Coast Martel Stone before and he's always done well.  Nice to see him here!

[mlp]

I was surprised that brown bread in a can was such a surprise to so many.  I grew up back east and we had it often, sliced with cream cheese and sometimes jelly.

[kirklandia]

55 minutes ago, mlp said:

 

I was surprised that brown bread in a can was such a surprise to so many.

 

Ditto. I grew up in the Midwest, and my Hoosier mom served it to us often. Fast forward many decades, we are both living near Seattle. On a summer visit to New England, I persuaded my hosts to take me to the brick and mortar site of the Vermont Country Store (Mom loved the old-school stuff in their catalogs.)  I bought a can of brown bread, toted it home in my suitcase and saved it for a Christmas gift.

(Not long after that, I spotted it on the shelf at a local chain supermarket. Oh well - it's the thought that counts! And my mom would never know, I did all her shopping.)

 

[Bastet]

I didn't think I'd ever seen canned bread before, but now I have a vague memory of it being an ingredient on Chopped many moons ago.  It looks odd, but I'd try it if handed to me.  I doubt very much I'd like it (I'm not much of a bread person to begin with, and don't like bread with sweet stuff added to it [bread is not cake]), but I'd try it.  I would not, however, want to eat either of the sickeningly sweet things they made with it.  Those looked like disgusting creations a kid would come up with if let loose in a sweets buffet.