mtureck Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 The adjective "blistered" pushes them strongly into the trite category. Indeed...from The Post's food section today, about the Inn at Little Washington growing more of its own foods, "In the dining room, their worlds happily collide: on a plate of mild shishito peppers eaten with your fingers like candy — the skin smoky and blistered black after time in a scorching hot pan,..." Stop! Stop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanMike Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 "In the dining room, their worlds happily collide: on a plate of mild shishito peppers eaten with your fingers like candy — the skin smoky and blistered black after time in a scorching hot pan,..." Stop! Stop! Every time I hear something described as "blistered" I think "it'll be weeping pus". Therefore, I do not want to eat it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 "Pumpkin spice", especially when referring to only the spices and not actually containing any pumpkin, is trite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 "Pumpkin spice", especially when referring to only the spices and not actually containing any pumpkin, is trite. Yes! It's the autumnal version of "lobster sauce." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hillvalley Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Kale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted November 13, 2012 Share Posted November 13, 2012 Kale "Baked White Cheddar Mac n Cheese with Kale and Bacon?" Yeah, I think we can lose the kale in that one. And, in honor of Veterans' Day: Mac Kale's Navy (Bean). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitman Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Brussles sprouts. You really can't get away from the little bastards any more -- I've had them in three diferent restaurants on two coasts in the last eight days. I blame the twin curses of "seasonal and local" -- what else is green in December (besides kale)? -- and "hurt me" foodie-ism ("sure, the unwashed masses don't like rat spleen, but gourmets like me can't get enough"). The fact that they're inevitably roasted, coated with pork fat and glazed with whatever the chef thinks will best mask the flavor is proof that, in the end, Brussles sprouts are still the horrid little death balls you hated as a child. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Brussles sprouts. You really can't get away from the little bastards any more -- I've had them in three diferent restaurants on two coasts in the last eight days. I blame the twin curses of "seasonal and local" -- what else is green in December (besides kale)? -- and "hurt me" foodie-ism ("sure, the unwashed masses don't like rat spleen, but gourmets like me can't get enough"). The fact that they're inevitably roasted, coated with pork fat and glazed with whatever the chef thinks will best mask the flavor is proof that, in the end, Brussles sprouts are still the horrid little death balls you hated as a child. Next time you see David Chang, knee him in the balls then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I agree, I think collard greens should be the next Brussels sprouts AND Kale- I can't hate kale, though, I've only just begun to like it, & it's so cheap (uh, I mean sustainable)...but almost anything you can do w/ the aforementioned greens, you can do w/ cabbage, it just won't sound as good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I agree, I think collard greens should be the next Brussels sprouts AND Kale- I can't hate kale, though, I've only just begun to like it, & it's so cheap (uh, I mean sustainable)...but almost anything you can do w/ the aforementioned greens, you can do w/ cabbage, it just won't sound as good... My favorite childhood dish my mom made (she was half Croatian) that would be tough with brussels sprouts was Staffed Cabbage (with ground beef and rice), and canned tomato puree I believe. I so loved Stuffed Cabage Sundays, and I miss my mom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 I don't remember eating cabbage at all as a child (maybe I'm blocking it out), but I love it now, even coleslaw which I couldn't stand when I was younger (of course, I prefer my own coleslaw, which is not sweet). I tried out a stuffed cabbage recipe(similar to your Moms) on my family, as I recall they liked it, but these days, they all eat different things, so it's not much fun to cook for them anymore...(ok, DH & son can & will eat anything quite happily still). My mom is going in for knee replacement surgery on New Year's day, I'm trying not to worry too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thistle Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 & for trite food, how about fried chicken & donuts? I'm not a fan of either of these, so it follows that I'm skeptical that you could base a restaurant around them.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayandstacey Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 & for trite food, how about fried chicken & donuts? I'm not a fan of either of these, so it follows that I'm skeptical that you could base a restaurant around them.... Who could resist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deangold Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I agree, I think collard greens should be the next Brussels sprouts AND Kale- I can't hate kale, though, I've only just begun to like it, & it's so cheap (uh, I mean sustainable)...but almost anything you can do w/ the aforementioned greens, you can do w/ cabbage, it just won't sound as good... Local kale goes for $28 to 34 a bushel and a 1/9th per case. Kale from restaurant Depot goes for $13 for the same. Sustainable kale is HARDLY cheap. We use local kale year round except for when it is not available: height of summer heat and when there is a lot of snow on the ground. But it is at its best right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I think collards are a different veg all together than cauliflower. I picked up a garbage bag! full of collard greens the size of elephant ears, kale and spinach from the Mt. Vernon market the day before Thanksgiving (closing day for the season). The freshness was so amazing, that I could parse out my decisions on what to make with them for a couple weeks. Spinach=creamed spinach on turkey day Kale=caldo verde in turkey stock made with carcass and necks Collards=braised When it comes to greens, I think brussel sprouts are the current "darling". And that's cool by me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted April 27, 2013 Share Posted April 27, 2013 Shrub is trite. Square donuts are trite. On the cutting edge of trite, Rocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 A young, eager-beaver food blogger-cum-gastronaut visiting Philadelphia for the first time and writing about how they nonchalantly walked into Gino's and ordered their cheesesteak "wiz wit" is akin to Michael Landr...Barbara Billingsley posting a P Funk video (live, funk uncut, under the stage lights, when they're all sweaty and real) in order to make an urgent, yet gritty, intellectual statement that resonates with our people, and is trite. Doin' The Bump (with Provolone), Livin' on N. Quincy St., Jonesin' for a Luther at GBD, Varry White and the T.K.O. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted April 29, 2013 Share Posted April 29, 2013 lobster mac-n-cheese 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Bacon has gone beyond trite, and is now something other than that. I'm not sure there's a word to describe it in the English language, but whatever it is is analogous to describing Michael Jordan as an "All-Star." Seriously, when you're out at a diner in Bumfuck, don't you just as often get sausage, or pay that extra dollar for country ham? I'm convinced that the pork belly financiers are responsible for this "Bacon is God" mantra that has played out on the internet over the past several years. Pork belly financiers or communists trying to subvert our nation. "When I was young, bacon wasn't something that was cool; it was just something we did." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cizuka Seki Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 brussel sprouts, trite. bacon, post-trite. (i'm just waiting for someone to add hamachi kama, uni, and quail eggs to the list... :-) ) it's easy to recognize the ubiquity of ingredients and say that you're sick of seeing it on menus everywhere. i'm just curious, however, if the forum is saying that these innocent ingredients are now something you don't want to ever see on a menu again. or that you can appreciate the ingredient if it's used well and thoughfully. Doesn't the trite or cliche really only bother when a chef goes to absurd lengths to convert an already great dish (like say, brussels sauteed in bacon fat) into something that is purely a product of the ego and forgetful of taste? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted May 27, 2013 Share Posted May 27, 2013 Doesn't the trite or cliche really only bother when a chef goes to absurd lengths to convert an already great dish (like say, brussels sauteed in bacon fat) into something that is purely a product of the ego and forgetful of taste? That's my gestalt, with bacon being the most abused and overused ingredient. It's. Bacon. And cupcakes, because they mostly suck and f*ck you for charging me almost $4 for ONE. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 "When I was young, bacon wasn't something that was cool; it was just something we did." Crispy strips of bacon with an order of eggs, on a BLT, or to replenish a bit of salt after finishing an ultra (or to help a hangover on its way) are never trite, all other applications most definitely trite. Oh, and there is a special place in hell for anyone that puts bacon aioli on a menu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizza man Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Fucking Cauliflower, it's on every menu everywhere. You know it! and "Nasturtiums" or pansies as we called 'em when mom was growing them.. chive blossoms, and anything from the Ideas in food blog. I may take this down in a bit. I'm a bitter man lately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 and "Nasturtiums" or pansies as we called 'em when mom was growing them.. These are two completely different flowers and not even in the same genus. I vote for kimchi outside of its natural habitat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizza man Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 These are two completely different flowers and not even in the same genus. Hey now, looks like yer right smarty pants. funny thing is when you buy them from the purveyor they send you a mixed box-labeled nasturtium. apparently nasturtium is orange. pansies come in many colors. other than that, same shit. I should have said "edible flowers" What is the "natural habitat" of Kimchi I wonder... IHTTAALY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Hey now, looks like yer right smarty pants. funny thing is when you buy them from the purveyor they send you a mixed box-labeled nasturtium. apparently nasturtium is orange. pansies come in many colors. other than that, same shit. I should have said "edible flowers" What is the "natural habitat" of Kimchi I wonder... IHTTAALY Nasturtiums come in many different colors. The natural habitat for kimchee it is quite large and varied, but does not include pizza or hotdogs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 The natural habitat for kimchee it is quite large and varied, but does not include pizza or hotdogs. Sounds like poor combo rather than tripe. I really enjoy a lobster roll with kimchi, but I'm Asian and I love Chinese pickled veggies and stinky tofu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Sounds like poor combo rather than tripe. I really enjoy a lobster roll with kimchi, but I'm Asian and I love Chinese pickled veggies and stinky tofu. Something can be good and still be trite - kimchi is moving into the pork belly/bacon territory of things overuse to the point of triteness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jiveturk21 Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 I would say that over the past two or three years, the number of servers that I have heard say, "Everything is better with bacon!" would likely be in the dozens. Some things are indeed better with bacon, but other things (like a bacon martini that I had at Restaurant 3 once) are most definitely not. Please note that I pretty much loved everything that I ever ate at Restaurant 3, but the bacon martini was not one of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 Something can be good and still be trite - kimchi is moving into the pork belly/bacon territory of things overuse to the point of triteness. As is the wildly overrated Sriracha, a garbage hot sauce that can't even spell things correctly on their label. Yes, I like it, but it is trite, and 20-something chefs are using it everywhere (along with kimchi). That said, typing this is literally making me salivate for a good, spicy bowl of pho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishinnards Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 As is the wildly overrated Sriracha, a garbage hot sauce that can't even spell things correctly on their label. Real Sri Racha sauce (from Thailand, where the town of Sri Racha is located and where the sauce was invented) is much better than the rooster version, which is made by Vietnamese in California. Shark brand and Sriraja Panich are both really good brands. Ingredients are fresh chilli, water, sugar, fresh garlic (not garlic powder like the rooster), salt and vinegar. No preservatives or anything else and the type of chilli is different from the red jalapenos used in the American version. It is sweeter, but also hotter if you get the bottles labeled "strong". The flavor is much more balanced. I believe it's aged briefly as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 As is the wildly overrated Sriracha, a garbage hot sauce that can't even spell things correctly on their label. Yes, I like it, but it is trite, and 20-something chefs are using it everywhere (along with kimchi). That said, typing this is literally making me salivate for a good, spicy bowl of pho. I must be behind the curve, because I've been ensorcelled with this Sriracha mayo sauce* lately, here squeezed onto a flatbread pizza with pesto, sausage and caramelized onions. ... and eggs, melts of many kinds, grilled chicken, fried shrimp... *recipe recently requested from a 20-something chef 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizza man Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 Nasturtiums come in many different colors. The natural habitat for kimchee it is quite large and varied, but does not include pizza or hotdogs. Not blue. Indeed Kimchee does not belong on pizza, hot dogs go on pizza. I imagine that Kimchi could be quite good on a hot dog however, Kraut is fermented cabbage, just not spicy. Slaw is cabbage, seems to me hot dogs and cabbage are pals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizza man Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'm afraid at this point, "wood fired and brick oven" pizze, or is it pizzas, may very well be trite, certainly hackneyed, especially in DC where they seem most often to be made by low wage immigrants with no real interest in the craft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Slater Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 I'm afraid at this point, "wood fired and brick oven" pizze, or is it pizzas, may very well be trite, certainly hackneyed, especially in DC where they seem most often to be made by low wage immigrants with no real interest in the craft. Whoa. Wow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizza man Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 perhaps Etto will change this. (and I meant nothing against the low wage immigrants, everybody has to make a living.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Delicious Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Bacon has gone beyond trite, and is now something other than that. I saw an ad on the side of a bus this morning for "Cheff Geoff's Bacon Bar" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ad.mich Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Sriracha mayo and bacon are perfect foils to cover up otherwise lazy cooking with fat, heat and/or salt. If they're all over the menu, more than anything I consider that a red flag that it's quite likely a sloppy kitchen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 Sriracha mayo and bacon are perfect foils to cover up otherwise lazy cooking with fat, heat and/or salt. If they're all over the menu, more than anything I consider that a red flag that it's quite likely a sloppy kitchen. An addendum: if bacon is beyond trite, what is applewood-smoked bacon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 An addendum: if bacon is beyond trite, what is applewood-smoked bacon? delicious, trite or not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lperry Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 ^ Possible non-sequitur alert, but I've been thinking about this one lately. Where are they getting all this apple wood? How many more apple trees can there be that are ready to be cut down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cizuka Seki Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 recently, i came across a menu that included a description of the dish with "oven roasted bacon".... perhaps that's not apt for a trite list. but it certainly is for the bullshit list, which i think would be much more fun to read through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 recently, i came across a menu that included a description of the dish with "oven roasted bacon".... perhaps that's not apt for a trite list. but it certainly is for the bullshit list, which i think would be much more fun to read through. I think it's a subset of trite food. The bacon is cooked before served, as I assume it is in the vast majority of applications and describing the manner in which you cooked it? So what? Who cares? Can anyone tell oven roasted bacon from pan fried bacon from bacon cooked in cow fart fumes? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KMango Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 recently, i came across a menu that included a description of the dish with "oven roasted bacon".... perhaps that's not apt for a trite list. but it certainly is for the bullshit list, which i think would be much more fun to read through. I think it's a subset of trite food. The bacon is cooked before served, as I assume it is in the vast majority of applications and describing the manner in which you cooked it? So what? Who cares? Can anyone tell oven roasted bacon from pan fried bacon from bacon cooked in cow fart fumes? Check out The Spare Me Book. AKA the cow fart fume thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoramargolis Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 ^ Possible non-sequitur alert, but I've been thinking about this one lately. Where are they getting all this apple wood? How many more apple trees can there be that are ready to be cut down? Trees get pruned every year, and in commercial orchards are replaced after a decade or so, when they are less productive. Since the wood is sold for smoking as chips and chunks, it all gets used--small branches to whole trees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cizuka Seki Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 Actually, in all seriousness, oven-roasted bacon is a good thing. At least if it is done in the way ATK recommends, it is my understanding there is less fat absorbed, but that could just be my memory justifying it. And it is quite tasty and crispy. Also easier to clean up as you don't have to deal with fat splatter all around the stove. We've used the ATK oven roast method for years, though we don't really make bacon at home any more. Can't really see the benefit on a menu unless my memory IS correct and the fat grams are fewer... I think it's a subset of trite food. The bacon is cooked before served, as I assume it is in the vast majority of applications and describing the manner in which you cooked it? So what? Who cares? Can anyone tell oven roasted bacon from pan fried bacon from bacon cooked in cow fart fumes? my point wasn't so much that there is a problem with cooking bacon in an oven. it's big time saver and very practical. the problem is with the manner in which someone decided a dish would sound more appealing if they included the words "oven roasted" to "bacon" in the description. it's a superfluous gesture and it doesn't provide any helpful information for the diner because true to Monavano's point, bacon is basically going to taste like bacon regardless of how it's cooked. cow fart fumes, however, are a very serious source of methane gas (a potent greenhouse gas that is thea source of climate change). so if bacon were cooked using methane sourced from a cow, i'd be totally down with this. *that* would be a useful dish description. i suppose this is more appropriate for the Spare me thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monavano Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 "I'm having the pasta dish with bacon" "OK" "The bacon is oven roasted, so..." "Holy Hell! Why didn't you say so in the first place? I'll have what he's having!". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 "I'm having the pasta dish with bacon" "OK" "The bacon is oven roasted, so..." "Holy Hell! Why didn't you say so in the first place? I'll have what he's having!". Basically all that description does is tell the diner the means by which the bacon fat is rendered, which doesn't seem like the most highly useful information. This description in a restaurant makes me think they're just taking advantage of how they may cook bacon anyway, since it's probably most efficient for them. So they figure they've got a win-win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sthitch Posted June 12, 2013 Share Posted June 12, 2013 Real Sri Racha sauce (from Thailand, where the town of Sri Racha is located and where the sauce was invented) is much better than the rooster version, which is made by Vietnamese in California. Shark brand and Sriraja Panich are both really good brands. Ingredients are fresh chilli, water, sugar, fresh garlic (not garlic powder like the rooster), salt and vinegar. No preservatives or anything else and the type of chilli is different from the red jalapenos used in the American version. It is sweeter, but also hotter if you get the bottles labeled "strong". The flavor is much more balanced. I believe it's aged briefly as well. Serious Eats just published the results of their Sriracha taste test. They agreed with you about Shark (came in second to another Thai brand named Polar), but disagreed concerning Sriraja Panich. I am sure that if the rankings were done by someone who is Thai or steeped in Thai food the results might be different. http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/06/taste-test-the-best-sriracha.html?ref=title Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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