5 October 2003
Submitted by eve on Mon, 10/06/2003 - 12:33am. Tragic
"Hrm. No, let's go to McDonald's. It's more family-oriented."
--A woman with two children, eyeing the menu at Crepes-a-Go-Go

----------------------------------------------------------

In three and a half years of active evesdropping, this is the single most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I didn't know whether to put it under bizarre or tragic. What kind of person actually talks like a target demographic drone?
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Costs of eating out
Posted by Monk on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 12:45pm.
hypo - i'm with you. On a date I can easily spend $100 on just dinner. Hell, the last time I went out was for lunch and we spent $25.

The only time i felt screwed was in ordering a bottle of wine. Once, a date ordered - turned out she had rather expensive tastes. The second time the manager came up and said "oh, i see you ordered X, Y is very similar and i think you may enjoy it more". Bastard sold me a bottle double the price!
 
Re:....
Posted by Mike on Thu, 10/09/2003 - 10:56am.
Given the title and the user, I was expecting an entirely different type of post.
 
Well said...
Posted by ParU on Thu, 10/09/2003 - 7:19pm.
And a cool pt. to Mike! -- Good one.
Ann Arbor...
Posted by hypoxic on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 11:59am.
I'm guessing that Mrs. Unit went there. Or you were born there, but raised in SoCal??!!?
Sorry Igirly
Posted by hypoxic on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 10:33am.
For me it was a good price. And you're right I don't live in Ann Arbor, but was visiting people my SO knows in Detroit and she likes Ann Arbor so we went to visit. But $130 for the amount and quality of food was well worth it to me. Coming from the Bay Area gives you a very warped sense of money and what is affordable.

I apologize for the confusion.
 
Heh
Posted by Intelligirly on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 10:41am.
Heck, man, confuse away. Don't apologize for it. If you can afford to pay prices like that, I can only aspire to envy you. 'Taint your fault. I'm just flabbergasted, is all. Is it just me or is food a big rip off industry? Me? All right then.

Michigan is awesome, and Ann Arbor's quite cool. College town, which I've discovered I love above all else. Towns, no matter how small, if they support a major college, tend to be quite a bit cooler than others of the same size or even larger. I like that. And Ann Arbor hosts "Over the Rhine" pretty much every year, so I heartily approve of it.

To share, food wise, steff and I are meeting for lunch today, and she's decided we're going to McD's. For a big nnn tasty. Thanks, Kris--thanks a lot.

Over the Rhine is in a Jon Favreau film!
 
*big grin*
Posted by Kris the Girl on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 4:28pm.
Let me know what you think -- I think I like it because the meat doesn't taste like rubberized cardboard.
 
Ann Arbor
Posted by ParU on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 11:53am.
Well Ann Arbor has a special place in In Passing history - can any of you guess? (No Eve's never been there).
And Wafflegirly (steff) I'm with you on the McD fries. I think they put something addictive in them. But mayo on anything is very, very bad.
 
If I had to guess...
Posted by paul on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 1:23pm.
...I would say that Eve was conceived there. Am I right?
 
Ann Arbor
Posted by ParU on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 3:09pm.
Ummm Paul no... Hypo got it right. I was born there but my parents moved when I was 2 yrs old to LA.

Fortunately I found them.
 
Julia Child.
Posted by tim on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 12:02pm.
once said she used to love McDonalds french fries but " then they stopped frying them in lard...and I don't think they're as good any more".
Gotta love Julia.
Bon Appetit
Oy
Posted by Intelligirly on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 9:44am.
Oh. My. Word.

In what world is 130 dollars for steak and a drink for two a good price? See, this is proof of how sheltered I am. There is no. freakin'. way, I'd pay that price for food for two people. I envy you your ability to do so. But my brother in law cooks perfect steak and all it costs is the price of the steak. Boggles my mind, it really does. I mean, I live in a very poor part of the country and have only a small job but I make as much as many people who live here and that's my paycheck sometimes!!

Oh, but, "Go Michigan restaurants!!" How did I miss that you live in Ann Arbor? Or don't you?

Over the Rhine is in a Jon Favreau film!
 
Lush
Posted by steff on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 1:56pm.
actually, i'm guessing the wine is what really put it over the top. even with a cheapo mexican restaurant, say, you can easily run $60 once you add the margaritas (insert krusty the clown "hey hey!" here). and, yeah, matt's a maestro with the grill, but sometimes you just wanna go somewhere you don't have to clean up yourself, and where the dog won't drool on your knee as you eat your filet.

he'll do it later, while you're taking too long to open the goddie bag. heh.
Michigan Restaurants
Posted by hypoxic on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 9:24am.
Hey since Grand Rapid restaurants came up I thought that I'd share a Ann Arbor restaurant. Chop House! Absolutely incredible steaks. Hands down the best steak I've ever had. Also for a fancy restaurant they didn't need reservations and the prices were good. I think $130 with tip and two glasses of wine for two.
*holding back*
Posted by Dragonfly on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 5:23am.
Im cringing, cuz I won't totally go into the details of why and how...Buuut if you absolutely love McDonalds and want to go and can't decide what to get so you're trying to go for the uhh..more "healthy" choice..DONT GET THE CHICKEN. Contrary to pupular belief, it is NOT (by far) the healthier choice. Im feeling a wave of ppl that want to contradict me, but I stand ground on this, and push ppl to choose beef over chicken at McDonald's. I don't know if its the same reasoning for other fast food restaurants. Now if you can just avoid going altogether. I respect McGoers, but i don't share their love for the M.
 
Hmm.
Posted by Kris the Girl on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 7:36am.
I'd agree with you, if you gave me proof :P
Are you referring to the breaded chicken or the grilled chicken, and does this include cheese and mayo on the sammich?
My fav thing to get at McD's is the Big N' Tasty, no mayo (what's with the mayo? Are we in Canada? (hee--name that movie and I'll give you a cool point) And they put on SO MUCH! It's like a mayo burger, with beef on top.) no onions, add cheese. If I'm getting fast food, I don't think I'm too concernd at that moment with "healthy choices." Although the fruit and yogurt parfait? Yum.
 
All 9 of 'em
Posted by pilferkitty on Mon, 10/13/2003 - 12:57am.
the whole 9 yards




------------------------------------
"Si vous ne voulez pas du terrorisme,
n'y participez pas." -Noam Chomsky
------------------------------------
 
It's a lost cause, kris
Posted by steff on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 9:19am.
i alluded to this movie a few months ago (that very scene, in fact) and it was DAYS and many hints before anyone could get it. let's just sit back and watch, shall we?

and, i'll take my nine cool points, now. *grin*

but, i'm worried that we're starting to share food cravings, a'la girly and apple. i've been wanting one of those horrendous things today, and i NEVER do (i mean, big "n" tasty? wtf?! do they really expect that you'll order one of THOSE with a straight face?? hehehehe). nope, i'm all about the fry craving. i know, i know... i think they put lsd in them, though. i can't help it.
 
Hee.
Posted by Kris the Girl on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 10:14am.
I love that movie. It's right up there with Ten Things I Hate About You: I have no idea WHY I love it, I just do. I love the scene where he runs into the lamp. I'm giggling just thinking about it. Ahh, good times. I don't actually order a "big n' tasty." I get it as a meal deal. I love steakhouse french fries, and the waffly fries from Chik Fil A. I love chick fil A anyway, but those waffle fries are the bomb dot com. OK. Time for lunch.
 
My life is hard.
Posted by ChristyMC on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 8:31am.
McDonalds has been the site of many extremely unpleasant dinners for The Christy, the reason being that I don't eat meat and I have much younger siblings (7 and 11) who are fast food addicts. If the kids are unhappy, take them to McD's! What? Christy requires nourishment? Well, she isn't crying, so she doesn't count.

Oh no, I'm not bitter. Not at all. :)
McDonald's
Posted by Taragirl on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 6:02pm.
Okay, has anyone heard about the snake story and the fast food restaurant ball pit??
Tango for plenty
Posted by Intelligirly on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 3:05pm.
I know it's not Friday, but let's just pretend. Lyrics! Faboo song.


The Waffle House Tango
David Wilcox
..............................................

(Spoken)
In the deep of the darkest night
There's a beacon of yellow light

(singing)
At the Waffle House
At the edge of the dark abyss
The confusion decends like this
Just deeper and denser

At the Waffle House
After the midnight hour
Scraping the eggs and flour
From the napkin dispenser

(Refrain)
And we who run from our homes
When the silence of sorrow
Won't leave us alone
And we who are out there this late
Be it heartbreak or highway
Or some altered state
When it's time that we slow up
And wrap both our hands around our cup
And stay until the feeling goes
As long as there are broken hearts and dreams
And all of that highway in between
The waffle house will never close

At the Waffle House
Under the cobalt sky
The drivers with bloodshot eyes

At the Waffle House
If you're facing some bitter truth
We'll save you a window booth
And we will be waiting

When you run from your home
When the silence of sorrow won't leave you alone
When you are out there this late
Be it heart break or highway or some altered state
When it's time that you slow up
And wrap both your hands around your cup
And stay until the feeling goes
As long at there are broken hearts and dreams
And all of that highway in between
The Waffle House will never close




Over the Rhine is in a Jon Favreau film!
 
Awww, now I gotta go looking
Posted by Sewicked on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 7:08am.
Now I have to go look for the lyrics to 'Waffle House Fire' by Rev. Billy C. Wirtz (the same man who brought you that great love song 'Teeny Weeny Meanie').
 
*sniff*
Posted by steff on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 7:30pm.
that's a beautiful thing, sis. truly. open 24 hours is the only way to be.



what??
 
So........
Posted by tim on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 4:35am.
we can start calling you wafflegirly , steff??
Waffle house
Posted by Intelligirly on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 3:01pm.
Waffle House?! *cue trumpet flourish* *sings* Aaaat the Waffle House...

Thank you, David Wilcox!!




Over the Rhine is in a Jon Favreau film!
Confession being good for the soul, and all that,
Posted by Shade on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 1:49pm.
I need to admit that, at first, I read the name of the eatery as something like "Crepes a la Go-go, bringing to mind visions of a place where monk would be a regular.

Consequently, I was pretty confused by Eve's vitrolic commentary.

I'm better now.
Brit
Posted by Cebu on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 10:09am.
I miss the Brittany! That is one good sammich. The one I always order, I mean. Not as fancy as Girly's fave, but it suits me.
Food stuffs
Posted by Intelligirly on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 7:36am.
Hey, I'm going to recommend food things for anyone visiting the bustling metropolis of Grand Rapids, Michigan anytime soon. Or later. I'm sure these restaurants will still be here. And they're not too expensive either, which is lovely. To prove I don't JUST go to chains. Heh. And cebu can concur about the choices.

First off, for the best sandwiches and tea in town, hot or cold, visit The Brittany Cafe. Inexpensive, delicious, a find. Also they have a large selection of teapots. If you want tea, just go grab the pot that appeals to you, and the box of tea out of the two hundred or so they have on display and they'll brew you a nice strong pot. Lovely. I recommend the St. Basil's Delight sammich--grilled to perfection chicken, provolone, tomato and walnut basil pesto on tomato basil bagel. mmmm. Cebu has her fav too. I've never taken anyone there who hasn't found something almost immediately that they love.

Next, if you like Lebanese food, try Osta's down in Gaslight Village. Great, abundant food, and plenty of chilled mint tea. Yummy.

For fairly high class, and delicious food, go down the street and around the corner to Rose's on Reed's Lake. The tenderest, juiciest chicken you've had in all its incarnations. Also, creme brulee with fresh fruit on it. Pardon my drool.

And for greasy, perfect hot dogs, visit Yesterdog in EastTown. Piled with all sorts of crap to your taste, one's a full meal, two is better.

There. A very long post about a town none of you will ever visit. :) You're welcome.


"Over the Rhine is in a Jon Favreau film!"
 
I second the brittany recomme
Posted by steff on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 8:17am.
i second the brittany recommendation. of course, i'm a tea snob, and the inclusion of loose tea in the choices won me over immediately. abundant reading material didn't hurt either.

and, hey, the food was great too. *grin*
 
Wow. Igirly
Posted by tim on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 8:07am.
"Piled with all sorts of crap to your taste, one's a full meal, two is better.." Have you ever thought of being a food critic? After reading that description I'd have to run right out and get me a dog with all kinds of crap on it Hell...I'd get 2 : D
I c
Posted by Dragonfly on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 6:09am.
whats a target demographic drone? And ok, do you scroll UP or DOWN when looking at comments? Im still lost..damn university frying my brain cells...
 
Posted by marinerd on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 8:12am.
Dragonfly, if you go to the top of the page and pick "flat list expanded" and "Date - newest first", it will be set up like the old In Passing. One thing I love about this is that it has "new" at each new comment so I don't have to try to remember if I've read something before. To go back to the home page, click on the In Passing logo at the top of the page.

I'll admit it, I love the new site!
Ntc and my very OWN pizza
Posted by steff on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 5:52am.
you just wanna hear me say it, tim. =P

one of the nicest things about my vacation was being able to order a pizza with pepperoni, pineapple, and mushrooms. wunnerful. i'd rant about the finer points of the blandness of ham not being able to stand on its own in the face of the pineapple, making pepperoni a far better choice, but nobody wants to hear that.

yeah, and, whoever said "since when does THAT stop her?", i heard that. hmph. the jalepeno idea sounds like a good one, though. hmmmm...
 
OOOOOOOoooooooooooooh
Posted by tim on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 6:37am.
Now I see what it means....
and yes I Do want to hear you say it.
hehe

No pineapple on pizza
It's wrong...it's like lime in beer.
Or lime in Rum and coke...
Gahhhhhhhh

Now pepperoni, jalapeño and garlic??
That's a good pizza
bacon, hamburger, and cheddar cheese ain't to shabby either...
Of course with that one you can actually hear your arteries clog.....
I adore diners, personally.
Posted by Obsidiana on Mon, 10/06/2003 - 3:58pm.
I adore diners, personally. And not theme-faux-50s diners or oldest-diner-in-town, has-had-the-same-menu-since-1920 diners. I love diners with brown naugahide seats and mirrors all over the place and a random mural of the Parthenon on the back wall. They serve breakfast all day (and all night), have better french fries than any fast food chain, often have cute Greek-American waiters, and cheesecake. What more could you possibly want from a restaurant?

Also...my dad is a complete food snob. So I grew up in a house where most junk food was not allowed and almost everything was made from scratch. On the one hand, my dad is a fantastic cook, so that's not always a bad thing. On the other, I've been conditioned that things like macaroni and cheese are a special treat (I used to only ever have it when I went over to people's houses) and now that I'm in college, I eat way too much of them.
 
Starting to sound like everyo
Posted by brian65401 on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 2:16pm.
Starting to sound like everyones' favorite 3 am hangout...Waffle House!
 
Waffle House?
Posted by Pizza Delivery Guy on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 10:44pm.
Though I've been, I don't think we have one in the Twin Cities (Mpls/St.Paul). For us, it's all about Perkins. Breakfast, all day. Plus lots of other food too.
 
Perkins
Posted by Matt on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 1:11am.
I've been to Perkins in Idaho. It's like the bastard child of coffee shops. Maybe it has something to do with my freshman year of college in Idaho being perhaps the worst 9 months of my life, but I have absolutely nothing positive to say about Perkins. Right down to that frickin' pastry... what the hell did they call it... nutty bun? Am I close? Whatever.
  • On a related note, Igirly, I saw about 20 minutes of The Restaurant tonight. It brought back such painful memories of being a host at a coffee shop/family restaurant, I'll probably never watch another minute of that show again.
  •  
    A diner to try
    Posted by Jon on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 6:34am.
    Obs, have you visited the Acropolis diner in Poughkeepsie? I think it would fit the description you gave. I have many good memories of that place, from college. My friends and I used to visit there at all hours (and I mean all), and nicknamed it the "Apocalypse", or "Apoc" for short.
    Good times.
     
    Jon, I'm pretty sure I've dri
    Posted by Obsidiana on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 10:09am.
    Jon, I'm pretty sure I've driven by it, but I've never been inside. The nest time I'm down in that neck of the woods to visit my New Paltz buddies, I'll have to make an effort to go there.
     
    Quit hogging the cute waiters!
    Posted by Rachel on Mon, 10/06/2003 - 6:18pm.
    I'm back! and slightly scared by this whole new "thing" going on.

    But. My Mum is the complete opposite, she can navigate around any town using the fast-food places as landmarks and she prefers potato gems to just about anything.

    My brother [the apprentice chef] used to keep us her under control, but since we moved away I'm becoming the parent. ['No you *can't* have Macca's for breakfast, lunch, *and* dinner! Have a carrot!']

    Of course, I don't win all the time, since she's the one with the car.
    Ahem
    Posted by Intelligirly on Mon, 10/06/2003 - 2:05pm.
    Okay, back up, food snobs. I try new foods as much as the next average person and yes, sometimes I like it. That being said, I'm getting sick of foodies knocking chain restaurants. Some of them are better than others, some of them have more familiar food than others, but you know what? Some of it's really good food. If you really know food, you can get good food almost anywhere. I'm not talking fast food, I'm talking places like the aforementioned Ruby Tuesday, Fridays, etc. This is mostly a backlash from reading boards associated with "The Restaurant", boards packed with foodies. But I'm not going to hell because I eat food that happens to be served at more than one restaurant across the country. I don't have a less distinguished palate because I can stand to eat food there, much less enjoy it. And I'll tell you what else, sometimes it's a stretch to be able to afford a meal there, never mind the more expensive restaurants where I don't get enough food to take home for lunch and dinner the next day for less than half the price. So please, laud the places you like as much as you want, share that delicious little place in the village that serves the best osso bucco you've ever had. But please don't imply that those of us who eat at mass produced franchises don't know what good food is or must have no taste buds to be able to eat there. I love calamari, and I love fried mozzarella cheese. They're not mutually exclusive.

    That being said, I printed out Paul's recipe and can't wait for more. :)



    "Over the Rhine is in a Jon Favreau film!"
     
    Chain restaurants
    Posted by ParU on Mon, 10/06/2003 - 5:41pm.
    Yeah - I'm famous for eating at chain restaurants if I'm in a strange town. Which is why they're there. Here's a historical trivia - what was the first (US) 'chain' restaurant and where were they located?

    1 Foodie Pt.
     
    Sooooo sorry
    Posted by marinerd on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 8:08am.
    Deepest sympathy for your bay-area team woes this weekend! (/end sarcasm) And I've never been to a White Castle yet, but maybe someday, for historical purposes, of course.

    What would you say to Red Sox vs. Cubs?
     
    Food restaurants & BASEBALL!
    Posted by ParU on Tue, 10/07/2003 - 9:06am.
    Well I think you're all wrong. I believe the first 'chain' restaurant was Howard Johnson's. Which have pretty much gone away, but my parents told me how they were all over and a huge thing in the 50's, as they were a 'known' quantity when travelling cross country (which they did twice in the 50's and it evidentially was a huge undertaking, as I still hear about it.)

    And marinerd and tim - there definitely is NO joy in baseball Bay Area today, but I'm definitely going to root for the Sox against the Devil's Spawn (Yankees). And the Cubs too. Hey, maybe the curse of the Bambino had a time limit? Who knew?
     
    Yankees
    Posted by Tam on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 6:53am.
    Okay, I must start this post by stating that I'm originally from "Da Bronx" - so the Bombers are my home team. That said, ahem ...

    THE CURSE LIVES ON!!!

    GO YANKEES!!

    On a more even note, did anyone see that special profiling Sox fans and The Curse?, I think it was on PBS or a cable channel -- it was quite entertaining and I developed some sympathy for Boston. Only some, I still hope we wipe the floor with them.
     
    It was on...
    Posted by tim on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 7:10am.
    HBO and it was called " The Curse of the Bambino"
    and you and your Yanks are going down in flames.
    Death to the Evil Empire
    Go Sox
    Cowboy Up!!!

    ;-)
     
    We are just toying with you
    Posted by Tam on Thu, 10/09/2003 - 2:53pm.

    Well I guess the BoSox are trying to make it interesting. But I'll love the Yankees until the day I turn blue. Unlike the evil Knicks who I will hate until the world freezes over and hurtles into the empty black void of eternity.

    Well I don't actually hate the Knicks, but they hurt my little fan feelings year after year after year after year. I miss Oakley (Oak, Oak, Oak)

    okay, I'm done.



    "The true New Yorker secretly believes that anyone living anywhere else must somehow, in a sense, be kidding." (John Updike)
     
    The Sox
    Posted by ParU on Wed, 10/08/2003 - 11:55am.
    I'm with you tim - Death to the Damn Yankees! (well not actually death, but you know what I mean).
    And go Cubs!
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