Chit-Chat: What's On Your Mind Today?

[oliviabenson]

Opened them on the bus to try… very very good.

[EtheltoTillie]

Trader Joe’s has a lot of people who stan their snack foods. 

[SoMuchTV]

10 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Very wild guess: Maybe it gets stolen a lot so they're not stocking it??

I gotta say, seems like stealing dental floss would be up there with reminding the teacher they forgot to give homework.

My dentist (well, the hygienist) sends me home with some after every cleaning, so it’s a long time before I have to buy it on my own. I’ll have to pay attention next time I’m shopping in that aisle. 

Edited June 12 by SoMuchTV
Arrgh! First it wouldn’t post, then it posted 4 or 5 times. Hope I got it right now.

[Absolom]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Trader Joe’s has a lot of people who stan their snack foods. 

I gave birth to one of them.  She's fortunate that there is TJs in walking distance of her daughter's dance studio.

[Anela]

This was the place I mentioned a few weeks ago. I wanted to go to the beach yesterday, but it was too cold. I had this picture saved on my phone, though.

[annzeepark914]

I've got four nice supermarkets nearby (including Wegmans) so TJ's is a special place for things we like. Their pork tenderloins are very tender ☺️. I like a certain mustard (a bit garlic-y). The other day I bought a good size basil plant there that sits on the counter (I'd plant it outside but the heat/hot sun will kill it). TJ's plain yogurt is good for making raita (their frozen naan popped into my countertop oven for a couple minutes is quite good). I like to keep the spanakopita on hand for a quick, easy supper. 

[Yeah No]

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Yeah, @Yeah No, that's how I've bought mine for years because it wasn't in my stores: amazon.com/gp/product/B00LITWSW0

Very wild guess: Maybe it gets stolen a lot so they're not stocking it??

Meanwhile, all my go-to products with few ingredients now have over 20 ingredients! What's up with that?

If it was getting stolen wouldn't they put it under glass like they've done with other things? Who knows? Up until last month Target, Walmart, CVS and all the supermarkets around here carried it and you could find it on their websites but now it's not even offered online other than Amazon.  So it's a mystery.  I usually buy whatever health and beauty aids I can get at either Target or Walmart when I'm there shopping.  I'm not used to ordering that stuff online unless I have to.

5 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I miss Trader Joe's, but it's too far and out-of-the-way since I moved here 2½ years ago. They had 100% whole grain sourdough bread; Wegmans is only about ½ whole grain. They had low-salt chicken noodle soup, which I used to keep on hand in case I was sick. Now I'm craving some walnuts or hazelnuts from there. And their unsweetened soymilk was less expensive.  

TJs is near the mall and Costco near me but it's still a 20 minute ride and after I've done all that other stuff in that area the last thing I want to do is have to find a parking spot in the TJ's crowded lot.  But I don't buy that much there.  I end up doing a TJ's run about once a month or so.  And that wonderful sourdough bread is always on my list!  Also their canned smoked trout.  I make avocado toast with that and the sourdough bread.  Other things I buy there are their hummus and a few frozen items I can't find in supermarkets or are better than in supermarkets.  Also, their cheese is cheaper and some of it very good.  And around here the produce is also cheaper.  Aldi is good for stuff like that too.  Their prices are even cheaper than TJs and some of the stuff is just as good but again I go there maybe twice a month to stock up on certain things.

[Love2dance]

We have a Trader Joe’s very close to us, and at least a third of our groceries come from there. Some favorites: dark chocolate caramels, everything bagel seasoning, frozen Korean short ribs, and the previously mentioned cracked wheat sour dough bread. 😊

[Quof]

Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups are The Bomb.   I fill my suitcase with them, and other treats, any time I travel to the US. I don't bother with their "real" food.

I noticed at Walmart yesterday they are carrying a new (to me, at least) line of snack foods called "Joe's".   I'm quite certain that's a deliberate attempt to fool people.   

[ABay]

I dream of the day I return to the land of Wegman's.

[Yeah No]

1 hour ago, ABay said:

I dream of the day I return to the land of Wegman's.

I've never lived near a Wegman's but I visited one a couple of years ago in Massachusetts.  The closest one is still too far away but I'm happy that they're finally building one in Norwalk, CT which is a little over an hour away from me.  It will be a little too far to go there on a regular basis but I think I can manage it at least a few times a year.  My husband will love it because he is often in that area for work and will probably go there when he's in the area (he usually goes to Stew Leonard's).  I can always ask him to bring something home when he does. 

[Cementhead]

7 hours ago, Quof said:

I noticed at Walmart yesterday they are carrying a new (to me, at least) line of snack foods called "Joe's".   I'm quite certain that's a deliberate attempt to fool people.   

The Walmarts in my area have been selling that Joe's stuff for a few years now and you would not be wrong to assume that the name and likeness is a deliberate attempt to fool people because it almost fooled this unassuming Canadian the first time I spotted it.  I remember thinking "Ooh, look!  We have Trader Joe's stuff now here!"   -- except not.  The sneaky buggers.

[Browncoat]

7 hours ago, Quof said:

Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups are The Bomb.

I love those!  And TJ's cookie butter.  Alas, the closest TJ's to me is about three or four hours away.

[Quof]

16 minutes ago, Cementhead said:

it almost fooled this unassuming Canadian

I'm a Canuck who is sadly aware that 1. Trader Joe's products are only sold in Trader Joe's stores (apart from some rip off resellers on Amazon), and 2. there are no Trader Joe's in Canada.  So I knew they weren't the real deal.  

[shapeshifter]

51 minutes ago, Quof said:

I'm a Canuck who is sadly aware that 1. Trader Joe's products are only sold in Trader Joe's stores (apart from some rip off resellers on Amazon), and 2. there are no Trader Joe's in Canada.  So I knew they weren't the real deal.  

Anyone got screenshots of the ingredients of the same product labeled "Joe's" and "Trader Joe's"? 
When I used to shop at TJ's frequently, I often suspected that their packaged goods (canned etc.) were just relabeled versions of some other product, but I never heard anything to prove or disprove my theory, and I have not been able to find a version of their reduced-salt soups elsewhere.

I think I've mentioned before that the Walmart near me sells local lettuce in clamshell containers that's fresher than Wegmans.'

[Bastet]

8 hours ago, Quof said:

Trader Joe's dark chocolate peanut butter cups are The Bomb. 

Indeed.  I generally only go into Trader Joe's when Christmas shopping or around my parents' birthdays, to get some treats to add to their presents, and I always include those for my dad -- and for me.

Now I go a little more often, because I stumbled across some "extra hot habanero ghost pepper salsa" with a great ingredient list and gave it a try.  YUM.  I still mostly make my own salsa, but if I have a craving for that particular one, I'll bop on over.  I'm kind of smack dab in the middle of two TJ's, but unfortunately neither is in walking distance, so I make sure to go when their notorious parking lots won't irritate me quite so much.

[Quof]

The brand is "Joe's Tasty Travels", and seems to be limited to nuts, seeds, dried fruits and the like.  No peanut butter cups, or cookie butter or frozen treats. 

[annzeepark914]

What is it with the infamous TJ parking lots? I have 3 Trader Joe's that I can visit, each one  about 5 miles (north, east & west). Only one has a somewhat decent parking lot *but* it's at the hilly end of a small shopping center. I don't park in the rows close to the store as I have concerns re: other folks' car doors swinging into my car as a result of the hill. So I park up by the road & get a work out as I shove my heavily laden cart up the hill. I keep thinking of all the goodies in the cart & that generates the power I need 😁. 

[PRgal]

I wish we had TJ's in Canada, but we have Farm Boy, which is the closest equivalent (in Ontario, anyway.  I don't think they've expanded out of province yet).  They have the best store brand tabbouleh (seriously, I think it's better than some Middle Eastern restaurants.  Love the tangy/tartness and it has the most ideal parsley/bulgur ratio.  Some places don't use enough parsley)!  My husband loves their roasted red pepper hummus.

[lookeyloo]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

What is it with the infamous TJ parking lots? I have 3 Trader Joe's that I can visit, each one  about 5 miles (north, east & west). Only one has a somewhat decent parking lot *but* it's at the hilly end of a small shopping center. I don't park in the rows close to the store as I have concerns re: other folks' car doors swinging into my car as a result of the hill. So I park up by the road & get a work out as I shove my heavily laden cart up the hill. I keep thinking of all the goodies in the cart & that generates the power I need 😁. 

https://laist.com/shows/take-two/why-are-trader-joes-parking-lots-so-small

 

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, annzeepark914 said:

What is it with the infamous TJ parking lots? I have 3 Trader Joe's that I can visit, each one  about 5 miles (north, east & west). Only one has a somewhat decent parking lot *but* it's at the hilly end of a small shopping center. I don't park in the rows close to the store as I have concerns re: other folks' car doors swinging into my car as a result of the hill. So I park up by the road & get a work out as I shove my heavily laden cart up the hill. I keep thinking of all the goodies in the cart & that generates the power I need 😁. 

I have only ever been to one TJ store that had decent parking.  And the only reason for that was it being a new build in a newly built shopping center.  I also have not been to that location since 2006, so I have no idea if shopping there is still as easy as it was back then.  Almost every other one has been in a shopping center with a terrible parking lot.  I think the big reason for this is the size of their stores. They are significantly smaller than your typical 21st century grocery store, but also bigger than your average retail space.  It's a difficult fit for most strip mall developers.  I have been in some TJs that were definitely old midcentury grocery stores and they have parking lots that match the driving and shopping habits of yore.  

My town is getting a Trader Joes later this year.  It's going into our old Bed, Bath and Beyond. The parking lot is currently not that bad.  It's not the worst in our town, but the addition of the TJ will make it terrible.  For some reason, the city has a traffic light for the main entrance complete with turning lanes but no arrows at that light. And, the state will be widening that road sometime in the near future. Though this road widening project has been in the works for the past decade with the start getting pushed back what feels like every single year.  

[annzeepark914]

I was hoping the closed BB&B near me would turn into a TJ's (it has the requisite not-big-enough parking lot (shared with a Panera, Firemen's Sandwich Shop & Joanne Fabric; *and* that end of the center has a hilly parking lot 🥴). Some furniture store moved in. Wish I'd bought their San Francisco sourdough bread...it makes such great toast!

[Ohiopirate02]

8 minutes ago, annzeepark914 said:

I was hoping the closed BB&B near me would turn into a TJ's (it has the requisite not-big-enough parking lot (shared with a Panera, Firemen's Sandwich Shop & Joanne Fabric; *and* that end of the center has a hilly parking lot 🥴). Some furniture store moved in. Wish I'd bought their San Francisco sourdough bread...it makes such great toast!

We had two open spaces where a TJ could go, and we are also getting a Home Goods.  I am a bit surprised that the TJ is not going into the space where the Home Goods is going because that actually is the worst parking lot in town.  But that shopping center already has a grocery store and the other one does not.  

[oliviabenson]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I love those!  And TJ's cookie butter.  Alas, the closest TJ's to me is about three or four hours away.

They stopped selling crunchy cookie butter. And their competitor sells theirs for $8 a jar! TJ is $4.

[Yeah No]

19 hours ago, Cementhead said:

The Walmarts in my area have been selling that Joe's stuff for a few years now and you would not be wrong to assume that the name and likeness is a deliberate attempt to fool people because it almost fooled this unassuming Canadian the first time I spotted it.  I remember thinking "Ooh, look!  We have Trader Joe's stuff now here!"   -- except not.  The sneaky buggers.

I took a look at that Joe's Tasty Travels label and wow, it does look like a Trader Joe's image!  I can see why it looks like an attempt to fool people.

18 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

When I used to shop at TJ's frequently, I often suspected that their packaged goods (canned etc.) were just relabeled versions of some other product, but I never heard anything to prove or disprove my theory, and I have not been able to find a version of their reduced-salt soups elsewhere.

I always felt like TJ's and Aldi had similar products and found out that both companies have a shared past and in the US are technically owned by the same company, although allowed to operate completely independently.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/1063558/the-connection-between-aldi-and-trader-joes-you-never-knew/

[Yeah No]

15 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

My town is getting a Trader Joes later this year.  It's going into our old Bed, Bath and Beyond. The parking lot is currently not that bad.  It's not the worst in our town, but the addition of the TJ will make it terrible. 

I only wish the old BBB in my area would turn into a Trader Joe's but everything in that shopping center has been turning into entertainment venues like kiddie carts (in a Bob's store that moved and downsized) and pickleball courts (which was the old Home Goods which moved to a better location).  I can still hope, though!  And yes, the parking lot is typically small so it would keep with tradition!

Speaking of those small TJ's parking lots, my girlfriend calls the one we go to a "demolition derby", LOL! 😉

@annzeepark914, I crave that TJ's sourdough bread toasted!!

[annzeepark914]

Demolition Derby... ain't that the truth! 😁

[Minivanessa]

On 6/6/2024 at 12:22 PM, Yeah No said:

. . . two of the only good friends I have left are not taking care of themselves and I'm worried about both their physical and mental health.  It's too involved to go into but both of them are in their 60s and I see the signs of their decline rapidly increasing over the past year or so.  And I feel helpless to help them too.  Neither of them is really opening up to me about it which only makes me feel even more helpless.  I have had just so much loss in the past few years since the pandemic that it traumatizes me to think of any more....

I hear ya. I can only say that based on my recent experiences along those lines? You're likely correct in feeling that you're powerless to help those friends change course and take better care of themselves. If you're affected to the point of being traumatized, I wonder if some counseling would help you work through it. I know I'm finding this issue a very unwelcome part of growing older. To say the least!

What has helped me come to terms with these things, is to get clear with myself about the limits of my power to influence the course of someone else's life. I'm not a list-maker by nature, but I have made some lists to help me sort this out. Things I can do. Things over which I'm powerless. What result do I fear in this situation and why? If I could do X thing, what do I think would happen as a result? What if I don't do X? Things like that. 

I think that offering practical help, even just little things, is so often all we can do when our friends or relatives outside the immediate family, are going downhill physically or mentally or both. We can't turn back time, or turn back the tide, or make people open up to us about anything they don't want to. 

And in other current events, sh*t got real yesterday. My neighbor across the hall knocked on my door in tears. I brought her in and sat her down. She told me that "Fred," the owner of the condo she's renting, and an old friend of hers, has just died. Total shock. I knew the guy, he was only 59, a delightful person who lived in that condo for a few years before moving out and renting it. He wasn't a close friend of mine, but my neighbor knew him for decades, their families all know each other, and she was absolutely in pieces. "Fred" had been complaining of an ongoing problem with chronic sinus infections, then, bam, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, hospitalized, and didn't make it out of there alive. 

So then I'm driving out of the parking garage a couple hours later and get a text. This one wasn't unexpected - a pet/house sitting client had told me her dad was nearing the end and I'd reserved this coming week to house/pet sit for them - funeral services out of state, etc.. But when she texted me that her dad had passed and firmed up the dates I'll take care of the house and pets? I sat there in my car on the driveway and cried. Go figure. Probably displaced emotion after holding it together and trying to comfort my poor neighbor. 

Anyway, to end on a mundane note. I had a DIY fail here at the condo yesterday. Thought I could install a new keypad deadbolt and door lever on the front door of my condo, to replace the aging manual deadbolt and door knob.  Whelp, not so fast. Turns out the existing holes in the door for those things, are too close together to accommodate the new one I bought. I drove over to my handy and helpful cousin's house and consulted him about my options. He gave me some great advice and now I feel prepared to talk to my favorite local lock/smith company about having them do the installation. Although I'm going to Lowe's first to pick up a smaller keypad lock and lever set that might fit the existing holes - which would make life simpler. 

I know, I haven't been here for awhile - and now I dump a novella on you. I have read the last couple of weeks' worth of conversation and intend to become a more regular visitor here. 

Edited June 13 by Jeeves
Deleted some rambling stuff

[shapeshifter]

5 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

Probably displaced emotion after holding it together and trying to comfort my poor neighbor. 

That happened to me recently, albeit different variables. I think it can be healthy, especially when you understand what's going on like you did.

 

[PRgal]

Canadians: If you're looking for something similar to Trader Joe's cauliflower gnocchi, President's Choice has them.  I don't know about other grocery store brands though.  So if you don't have issues with Weston companies, check those out.

[Quof]

The only reason I haven't completely boycotted Loblaws is because there are specific President's Choice products I "need".   I cook the cauliflower gnocchi in the air fryer until crispy. 

[Minivanessa]

Oh folks, I've been so happy all afternoon. I'd seen a big dumpster parked on the parking lot at the side of our condo building. Figured someone was doing a big remodel. Then I found out that the very very overstuffed - dare I say hoarded? - condo in our building is being decluttered. The owner/resident, a nice person, sadly has a very active longstanding shopping addiction. She lives there alone. Her family finally intervened, and I'm so glad. I know it's hard for her - but she just couldn't keep putting more stuff into that place which I know at first hand was barely livable last year. And her daily delivery of packages has continued since then. I know this isn't a "solution" or an end to problems, but frankly as someone who's been living under the same literal roof with what I believe was becoming a dangerous condo unit? It's a step toward creating a safe place. I won't be surprised if she keeps up the shopping although I hope she gets help and can stop or cut back. Some of her relatives have taken the week off work and are working their butts off in this heat to clear loads and loads of stuff. The dumpster is almost full and the relative I spoke with said they may need to bring in another one. From my conversations with them, it seems they are really coming at this from a position of love and caring about my neighbor. She's getting older and her health has become precarious. From some comments she's made to me over the last months, I think she was really ready to listen to her family and has been uncomfortable, or worse, with her situation. I hope so. This can't be easy for her. I'm crossing my fingers and sending up prayers for her. I don't want to barge in on her private/family biz but I will touch base with her and let her know I'd be happy to help with cleanup tasks when I get back from my pet sitting gig next week. 

In other local condo news: I've had DIY success today. I got a different keypad lock set than the one I tried to install yesterday. This one fits in the existing hole layout of my front door. I got it installed and working this afternoon. I'm almost as thrilled about that as about the help my neighbor's family is giving her. The new deadbolt can be worked with a key but also with codes. I've created a handful of them so far, including one that I've shared with my local family. I gotta brag, so here's a before and after photo. I'd been given estimates in the range of up to $500 to have a keyless lock installed by a locksmith. This set cost $110 including tax. I'm probably gonna break my arm by patting myself on the back. 🤣

[Anela]

I just spent another evening outside, starting more seeds, and getting the rest of the starters I bought, into the beds.  Dad weeded all but one for me, recently.  Next year, I may just throw seeds into those beds, and let them do their own thing, because the weeds have been thriving for a month. 
 

Most of them should have been started a month ago, or two months, but it was relaxing. I also do not need to buy tomato seeds, eggplant, peppers, or squash seeds next year.  This plastic tub I have, is full of them.  As long as they will still grow, anyway.  My starter seeds from April, didn’t take.  I had to start more zucchini, because I don’t know what happened to the one I bought.  Maybe something ate it, like the basil. 

Edited June 14 by Anela

[Dimity]

We are under a tornado watch right now and my son is camping with friends.  Worry, worry.  So much for turning in early tonight!

[emma675]

@Jeeves which brand did you buy? I've been wanting to replace my front door lock with a keypad/lock combo but there are so many options. It's hard to know which to choose.

[Anduin]

5 hours ago, emma675 said:

@Jeeves which brand did you buy? I've been wanting to replace my front door lock with a keypad/lock combo but there are so many options. It's hard to know which to choose.

Don't get anything by Masterlock. They're useless. There's a YT channel, Lockpicking Lawyer, that highlights security flaws. They're his biggest target, but not his only one.

[Minivanessa]

6 hours ago, emma675 said:

@Jeeves which brand did you buy? I've been wanting to replace my front door lock with a keypad/lock combo but there are so many options. It's hard to know which to choose.

I bought a Kwikset. The other major brand I considered is Schlage. The first keypad lock I bought was a Schlage, but that one wasn't compatible with the existing layout of the holes in my door. The Kwikset one is sized correctly for my door. I like it better than the Schlage because you don't need to get out a screwdriver to remove a cover to change the batteries as the Schlage requires. The Kwikset battery cover can be removed without tools. I think both brands are good choices, with a variety of models of keypad locks. I didn't go all fancy with wifi etc. Mine is just battery powered and has all the features I want.

Edited June 14 by Jeeves

[Dimity]

In another thread @PRgal mentioned how bad the hospital food is where she is recuperating and it made me realize I must have very low standards where food is concerned.  I actually like the food I've been served on airplanes and the times I've been in hospital I found the meals were fine.  But then I also thought the meals at my Mom's retirement home were good while she turned almost everything away and got us to bring her take out food instead.  

[PRgal]

On 6/13/2024 at 2:45 PM, Quof said:

The only reason I haven't completely boycotted Loblaws is because there are specific President's Choice products I "need".   I cook the cauliflower gnocchi in the air fryer until crispy. 

Hard for me to boycott when my closest store is a franchise/independently owned.  We forget that not all are corporate! 

[Mindthinkr]

Sorry to change the subject. 
 

I just went on a camping trip. Had a great time. I gave everyone a worry as Friday night, after a 5 hour drive in lots of traffic, I was so exhausted I went to sleep at 7:30. I then slept until 9 am the next morning. My cat has been demanding and needy since her brother died, but I didn’t realize how sleep deprived I was. I was getting up every 2 hours to feed or comfort her. she’s a screamer and gave me no choice. I hated to cut out on everyone, but they all understood. 

[Bastet]

3 hours ago, Dimity said:

I actually like the food I've been served on airplanes and the times I've been in hospital I found the meals were fine.

I've never had bad food on an airplane (not anything to rave about, but never bad and often quite tasty) - now, this is in first class, so maybe that's why I've been lucky and the food in coach is indeed dreadful, but my understanding is the problem is more that they don't give you any! - but I've definitely had stereotypically terrible hospital food.  Some of it has been okay, but I was once desperately hungry while visiting my mom and she told me to eat what she couldn't finish of her cheeseburger rather than going to get something, saying it was fine.  No.  No, it wasn't.  As hungry as I was, that thing was going in the trash where it belonged. 

I don't know how you mess up a cheeseburger so spectacularly (well, start by overcooking the meat, but it takes more than that to be truly inedible), but twice in my life I have thrown one out:  The one time I tried McDonald's (this was way back in high school, so I don't remember which one I got, maybe the Big Mac) and that hospital incident.

[Mondrianyone]

I made the inexplicable mistake of ordering a hamburger at a Chinese (or maybe Indian? I can't remember) restaurant in London. I think I was having a minute of homesickness--there's no rational reason I can offer. It seemed as if they'd boiled it in chicken soup. It was oleaginous and wet and everything a hamburger isn't supposed to be. Nauseating, in a word.

[Bastet]

6 minutes ago, Mondrianyone said:

I made the inexplicable mistake of ordering a hamburger at a Chinese (or maybe Indian? I can't remember) restaurant in London.

The Mexican restaurant my family frequented when I was a kid (we went out to dinner every Friday night, and there were several restaurants we returned to over and over amidst trying new things) had a kid's menu that included a cheeseburger.  I was never much of a Kid's Menu child, as the stuff on the regular menu was so much more interesting and like what I had at home.  But I love cheeseburgers and one night, while we'd decided on Mexican, somehow by the time we got there and ordered, I was craving a cheeseburger.  My parents tried to speak logic, that perhaps a Kid's Menu burger from a Mexican restaurant was not a wise choice, but I had a craving.  Unlike my two nightmare scenarios above, I ate it, but, yeah, a Mexican restaurant in the '70s trying to make an American-style cheeseburger for the extremely limited palate kids menus were aimed at was not what I'd been craving.  I don't think they seasoned the meat at all, and there were so few toppings.

Which further speaks to how awful the McDonald's and hospital cheeseburgers were that I couldn't even eat them; what did they do? 

[Dimity]

29 minutes ago, Bastet said:

The one time I tried McDonald's (this was way back in high school, so I don't remember which one I got, maybe the Big Mac)

I was in high school when I first went to a McDonalds didn't go much but it was fine.  Fast forward to my kids and they were "donalds" addicts.  Until they hit high school.  Now they've got kids and those kids love "donalds".  I am seeing the older boy is starting to branch out though.  He condescended to go to Wendy's the last time we saw him.  It's a start 😀.

[isalicat]

I have not been to a McDonalds for 25 years but did have to go to Burger King a few months ago - nothing else nearby, I was late for a medical appointment so had skipped lunch and after the appointment, felt like I was quite literally starving, so went in and got a Whopper. Not only was it close to $8.00 (just a Whopper, no fries, no drink) as I recall, it was basically inedible - the bun tasted like compressed toilet tissue and stuck to the roof of my mouth in a really creepy way and the burger itself was an overcooked, creepy, oversalted thing that was hard to identify as related to meat. No more fast food for me, except for In-N-Out when I am on a road trip...and can't find anything else.

What I really like I call "Aunt Hilda's" (I actually had an Aunt Hilda - my mother's sister, who was a great traditional cook) - an independent, family run cafe where I can get a tuna melt or a daily special made with love. I always look for those but they are vanishing unfortunately. 😿

[Dimity]

35 minutes ago, isalicat said:

Not only was it close to $8.00 (just a Whopper, no fries, no drink) as I recall, it was basically inedible

This is my problem with getting fast food now.  It's not the food itself (I know what I like and pick and choose depending on where we go) my problem is the price.  The last time my husband and I went to A&W we had 2 meals (drink, burger, fries) and it was almost $40 .  It was insane. Way too pricey for fast food!

[annzeepark914]

I guess I'm a simple soul. I get the original burger, small order of fries, & a small Coke. It's my once-in-a-while nostalgia treat & it doesn't cost much.

[chitowngirl]

I get the kids meal of cheeseburger, fries, Coke, no ice (the Coke is cold enough and the ice takes up most of the cup!). I give the toys to my friends for the grandkids.

[Blergh]

5 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

I made the inexplicable mistake of ordering a hamburger at a Chinese (or maybe Indian? I can't remember) restaurant in London. I think I was having a minute of homesickness--there's no rational reason I can offer. It seemed as if they'd boiled it in chicken soup. It was oleaginous and wet and everything a hamburger isn't supposed to be. Nauseating, in a word.

You were braver than me. Years ago, I was touring Geneva which [thanks to being a worldwide diplomatic hub] has cosmopolitan cuisine options on par with NYC and London.

Usually, as long as the locales insist on the  food providers adhering to high hygiene standards, I'm game to try new food options.

 

But fondue at a Chinese restaurant? I just couldn't. .. .

[Anela]

9 hours ago, Dimity said:

In another thread @PRgal mentioned how bad the hospital food is where she is recuperating and it made me realize I must have very low standards where food is concerned.  I actually like the food I've been served on airplanes and the times I've been in hospital I found the meals were fine.  But then I also thought the meals at my Mom's retirement home were good while she turned almost everything away and got us to bring her take out food instead.  

I didn't like the food, the few times I was on a plane, but when my mum was in the hospital, they actually had a great cafeteria. I missed the machine that had tea in it (hot, to pour in a plastic cup), until her second surgery day, but they had everything from things you could grab, like pudding, to full-on meals, a separate sandwich station from a local company - different menus on different days, but it was all GOOD. But they closed around 6pm. I'd escape there for a while, and watch something on my ipad. 

3 hours ago, Dimity said:

This is my problem with getting fast food now.  It's not the food itself (I know what I like and pick and choose depending on where we go) my problem is the price.  The last time my husband and I went to A&W we had 2 meals (drink, burger, fries) and it was almost $40 .  It was insane. Way too pricey for fast food!

Same for almost anything in our area now, as well. Favourite Mexican food is up to $16 for one meal alone. same with my favourite Indian food, or burgers - Five Guys burger and fries, is almost $20. 

I had burger king last night, and usually only get the sandwich, but that's dry and not very good. Also too expensive. I used to love it, when I was a teenager. 

In the food forum, I mentioned people who make youtube videos, and eat a lot of food from different places, or taste the latest items released. A local girl does this as her career. It only recently occurred to me, that they can probably afford to do this, not only because of their youtube income, but they also get to write some of it off, since it's literally their job.