Tag: Opinion (Page 1 of 2)

I Have Some Thoughts On The Bachelorette.

There’s a few things I want to say about this season of The Bachelorette. 

(This may sound familiar if you follow me on Twitter).

If I was the Bachelorette. . . 

  • Everyone named Luke has to go home immediately.
  • Peter never makes it past the first episode.
  • If one of the contestants made an entrance having the producers deliver him in a big box during the intro episode, I would simply not open the box.
  • Anyone who introduces themself with “I’m king of the jungle and I’m hoping we can change your title to My Queen” has to leave immediately because Cersei takes no kings.
  • But if he introduces himself with his mouth full of a hotdog that he’s eating, he gets to stay because I’d probably do that too.
  • I would turn the first group date into a Chopped competition where Alex Guarnaschelli and I are the only judges. The theme would be nachos. 
  • All of the solo dates would take place in a spa and begin with 90-minute massages. Any attempt at romantically switching places with the professional massage therapist will be considered voluntary terminations.
  • At least one group date would be a Quickfire Challenge where everyone has to make a different type of bruschetta. There will be no Last Chance Kitchen.
  • Some of the group dates will be technical challenges that I’d kick off by screeching, “ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, BAKE!”

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12 Things At Restaurants That I Love & Hate

The inspiration for this post is a recent dining experience where I could smell the bathroom air freshener from our table in the dining room. The scent was so strong that I could taste it in my mouth when we walked outside after the meal. This post is also inspired by our favorite restaurants who make us feel at ease and serve great meals time and again.

In no particular order, here are 12 things restaurants do that I love and hate:

I wrote a similar post about grocery stores in 2015. 

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Everything I’ve Always Wanted To Say About French Fries

I have a lot of opinions about French Fries.

  1. Bad french fries are better than no french fries.
  2. Even bad fries are still good fries.
  3. Steak fries are trash.
  4. Crinkle cuts are one step above steak fries. Only exception: Saint Dinette (more below)
  5. Matchstick fries are mostly trash. If I wanted a tin of shoestring potatoes, I’d buy a tin of shoestring potatoes.
  6. Waffle fries are fun, but typically not good enough to deserve an up-charge. They should be served with sour cream dip that tastes like Top the Tater.
  7. Seasoned wedge fries are two steps above steak fries.
  8. Arby’s curly fries are their own thing. I like Arby’s curly fries.
  9. The best thing to dip your fries in is whatever you like to dip your fries in.
  10. Generic pre-frozen french fries can be elevated with a good deep fry job + proper seasoning.
  11. Burgers should always come with fries. If they don’t, the burgers should be cheap, or, the fries, really really good.
  12. Restaurants that charge an extra fee to swap potato chips for fries are the worst.
  13. Housemade fries prepared with care are the best.

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Everything I’ve Ever Wanted To Say About Burgers

Disclaimer: Sorry Mom and Dad.

If you really want to bother me, overcook my burger.

The prelude to disappointment is when a restaurant asks you how you want your burger cooked and then it arrives well done, anyway. I always ask for medium rare and just hope it arrives a little south of hockey puck.

Growing-up, we ate burgers weekly and I avoided burgers into my mid-20’s because I assumed I hated them. I remember helping my mom divide one pound of beef into four balls and packing them into disks. We seasoned them with salt and pepper and placed them on the grill until they were charred on the outside and well done on the inside. It’s not that they tasted horrible; I just didn’t understand why anyone would go out of their way to eat a hamburger.

My perfect burger is simply a burger that isn’t messed up. There are burgers for every mood and occasion, but when I’m really craving a burger, I want a classic one. O’Connell’s Pub delivered our perfect burger this weekend. It was like my mom grilled us a burger on our deck and didn’t mess it up. Now, I’m left with intense burger feelings.

Use delicious beef! But not too lean.

Don’t overcook it.

Keep it loosely packed.

Season the beef, but cook it however you like.

Grill it or griddle it, I really don’t care as long as it’s medium rare and you do all of the things I just mentioned.

Take the time to toast the bun because, let’s be real, it only takes a second and makes a huge difference.

Hold the foccacia or ramen noodle or Texas toast bun and keep your wacky sauces for another time. 

Simple garnishes like raw onion and tomato are just fine and there’s no shame in the ketchup game. Crisp iceberg lettuce is OK, too. A good burger’s like good pizza. Too many toppings can be overkill. More guacamole, peanut butter, and chicken fried bacon burgers for everyone else!

Good burgers don’t have to be expensive. If your burger costs at least $12 and then I have to pay extra to upgrade the potato chips to french fries, I’m gonna get cranky. Especially if it’s overcooked. And double especially if it has canned mushrooms.

Much of a burger’s goodness is about the person who cooks it. Last month, I enjoyed a good burger at the Hilton Garden Inn by the Lambert airport. The chef cooked it to a perfect medium rare and served it with crispy, house-cut french fries. I’ve received far less burgers for a higher price and at fancier restaurants.

A simple burger cooked well is a beautiful thing.

The Eight Things Grocery Stores Do That Win My Love

As someone who enjoys cooking and trying new foods, I like grocery shopping. Living in four states around the Midwest has given us the opportunity to visit many different grocery stores. Something that is a normal part of the grocery shopping experience in one state or a certain chain might not be at the next. A recent visit to a deli counter brought all of my thoughts on grocery shopping to fruition and helped me identify eight things that grocery stores do that win my love:

1. Freshly Slicing Deli Meat To Order
Seinfeld’s Cosmo Kramer understands deli meat. In the episode The Slicer, he purchases a slicer for home use and highlights the glories of freshly sliced meat. “Look how thin that is, see, that’s all surface area. The taste has nowhere to hide!” he exclaims as he holds up a paper-thin slice of meat.

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There’s always episodes of Seinfeld on our DVR.

The delis that perplex me are the ones that showcase whole deli meats and cheeses, yet reach down and pull out a wad of pre-sliced meat or saran-wrapped cheese after I place my order. Sometimes I literally have no idea from which depths they pulled the meat or cheese and it’s like a terrible deli SURPRISE. Others surround their lunch meat logs with such vast, rippling oceans of pre-sliced meat that no one would have to actually operate the meat slicer during business hours for days.

Usually the pre-sliced meat is thickly cut and shaped into strange curls that are supposed to look attractive but actually make me really not want to eat them.

I like thick slices of Thanksgiving turkey and Easter ham, but thin slice of sandwich meat. Plus, it’s easier to stretch thin slices into more sandwiches. I know the deli meat, pre or freshly sliced, is just going to sit in my fridge for the week, but I can’t help but wonder when that meat was actually sliced and like to pretend the slices have had less time to grow bacteria when sliced on the spot. And, gosh darn, freshly sliced meat just makes me feel better.

2. Keeping Produce Dry
Dry produce lasts longer while damp produce decomposes faster. Anyone who’s ever thrust their arms into a pile of waterlogged kale and fished for the least slimy bunch knows what I’m talking about. Inevitably, I always end up shaking the wet vegetation in a frustrated attempt to rid it of excess water, sending a wide shower of muddy water all over myself and the floor. Dry produce is happy produce and happy produce is for me.

3. Not Making Me Jump Through Hoops For Paper Bags. Grocery stores that offer paper bags without a hassle end their guests’ shopping experiences on positive notes. I admit that I need to remember to shop with my reusable bags more often, but sometimes I forget them or want a paper bag to collect recycling in my kitchen.

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I’ve encountered stores that have trained their Sales Associates to begin conversations with, “Is plastic ok?” or automatically pack groceries into plastic bags at lightning speed. I hated finding myself starting conversations with “May I have paper?” but knew that if I didn’t, paper just wasn’t going to happen. Obviously, grocery stores honor customers’ requests for paper bags, but customers might have to be speedy or straightforward to get them.

At one particular store, no matter how quickly I tried to ask for paper, associates always managed to fill at least one plastic bag that needed to be repacked into paper. On some occasions, I really did need that paper bag for recycling day, but on others I simply sighed and said, “Never-mind, that’s OK.” My requests for  paper bags are always met with a chipper “sure!” or “of course,” I can sense fear behind those smiles.

What exactly happens to those who freely dispense paper bags at these stores, I may never know, but, to those who do, I offer my thanks.

4. Selling Clearanced Items. I’m fond of grocery stores that offer clearance items, because clearance items are fun! Sometimes it’s a gamble and I end up wasting money on a product that was clearanced because nobody liked it. And other times I find a deal.

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At one store in Mason City, I got a kick out of waiting for the super expensive baking mixes to sell for half off, like the Crumbs Bake Shoppe Colossal Cupcake kit. I’ve also found many sensible items on clearance like canned tuna and hot sauces that aren’t anywhere near their expiration date.

5. Treating Customers To Samples. Because who doesn’t love snacks?

6. Providing Small Grocery Carts. Since I grocery shop for two, I don’t often need a big cart, anyway. Small carts make it easier to complete a small grocery shopping trip quickly.

grocery cart

I push a grocery cart like I drive. Nothing drives me nuts like navigating a full-sized grocery cart between aisles and around displays. Not to mention, trying not to crash into the displays while I also struggle not to bump into all of the other people pushing giant carts and strollers. This is why I will literally do everything possible never to push a full-sized grocery cart. I will also do everything possible to never make more than one trip carrying groceries from my car to my house which is why I love that small carts limit how much I buy.

7. Setting Out A Mailbox For Customers. In Iowa, many of the grocery stores’ customer service desks are outfitted with USPS services where you can purchase stamps and mail packages. I loved that I could take care of my mail and grocery shopping in one trip. Although we had a mailbox at home, I often found myself carrying around letters I forgot to mail or stamp. I always appreciate it when stores provide something as simple as mail basket at their customer service desks.

8. Offering Express Lanes Managed By Real People.
I often run to the grocery store to buy a few items or grab that one ingredient that I forgot and appreciate express lanes. Not the self-service check-out lanes, but the express lanes for customers buying 12 items or less actually managed by a human.

Self-service lanes are supposed to be faster, but actually take me longer because I have no idea what I’m doing. One reason why I bumble around trying to find the right produce buttons and codes is that I don’t actually work there. Inevitably, I’ll hit the wrong button or place an object in an area that triggers an alarm and will have to wait for assistance, anyway. If stores offered even a small discount to customers who scanned, weighed, bagged, and processed payments for their own groceries, customers might use them with less hesitation.

How does a grocery store earn your loyalty or push you into the loving aisles of another?

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