CFB51 College Football Fan Community
The Power Four => Big Ten => Topic started by: utee94 on March 25, 2026, 01:20:23 PM
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A common game we've all probably played in one fashion or another, now codified in a thread on this here message board full of knowledgeable and well-opinionated folks.
We ask an either/or question, then look at the responses. When that question gets stale, someone asks the next one.
I'll start:
For the rest of your life, you can either have gumbo, or chili. You gotta pick just one.
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geez, tough
am I able to get GOOD gumbo in Iowa? It's hard to find.
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What kind of chili? If it's Cincinnati chili, I'd go with that, anything else, gumbo for me.
JK.
I do really like both. And they both vary a LOT from style to style, kinda like BBQ. Gumbo MIGHT be healthier?
I'd have to think about how both have done in "The League" ....
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Man y'all are sure complicating an either/or question... ;)
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Your fault ...
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Texas Chili for the win.
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Maybe a surprise to you all, but as much as I love a delicious bowl of Texas red, I'd actually pick gumbo.
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Weird.
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I think it's really close, which is interesting, to me. I was musing about another such pair.
How about white OR red Burgundy?
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Red for me for sure. There are several whites and rose's that I really like, but if I had to choose, it's gonna be red.
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I'm currently eating soup that is kind of akin to gumbo, just no chicken or shrimp or okra, I forgot to add okra.
How about fried chicken or pulled pork (both done properly)?
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Red
Fried Chicken
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Fried chicken for me as well.
Pulled pork is nice but it's not elite-level, like brisket.
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Maybe a surprise to you all, but as much as I love a delicious bowl of Texas red, I'd actually pick gumbo.
Blasphemer.I'd take the Yuengling Chili
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I don't think I've ever had gumbo.
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A thing about fried chicken, for me, is the really good kind is fairly rare, most is mediocre, Crackerbarrel stuff, which is edible, but not elite. I find pulled pork to be pretty consistent, there isn't much range from mediocre to superb, IMHO.
Now, elite chili vs elite Gumbo? Huh. Both can be mediocre, both can be superb.
Why is it not spelled mediocer?
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I don't think I've ever had gumbo.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:smiley_confused1:
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Gumbo
Red (easy choice)
Pulled Pork
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I forgot to add okra.
resembles an impotent jalapeno w/o a notable taste unless fried but then ass from road kill taste all right fried
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A thing about fried chicken, for me, is the really good kind is fairly rare, most is mediocre, Crackerbarrel stuff, which is edible, but not elite. I find pulled pork to be pretty consistent, there isn't much range from mediocre to superb, IMHO.
Now, elite chili vs elite Gumbo? Huh. Both can be mediocre, both can be superb.
Why is it not spelled mediocer?
Do you have Publix up there?
Their fried chicken is really good.
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We have Publix here, there is one next to the Kroger we favor. Maybe their fried chicken is really good but what I have seen is pieces sitting around under a heat lamp.
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Randall's (part of the Safeway chain) is a terrible grocery store for almost everything, but they do make really good fried chicken.
Even better than H-E-B which does pretty much everything else, much better than every other grocery store in the state.
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Gumbo
Red (easy choice)
Pulled Pork
Interesting. If FORCED to choose, and I know this is really important today, I'm going:
Gumbo
White burgundy
Fried chicken
I THINK a $200 White is more sublime, for me, than the red, but man it's close. If it's a $20 bottle, I might switch. The cheaper whites are often a bit ... prosaic. Palatable but not transcendent.
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- Tough Call but Gumbo.
- Red or White I don't care. I've never been a wine drinker probably because I drank WAY TOO MUCH Boone's Farm and MadDog in my younger years and that killed any taste for wine that I might have developed.
- Pulled Pork, not a close one for me.
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Gumbo
Red
Fried Chicken
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The cheaper whites are often a bit ... prosaic. Palatable but not transcendent.
I knew it - ya went from being a chemist flying a puddle jumper to one of those hoity - toity vino appraisers. What in the Wide,Wide World of Sports would Vince Dooley or Phil Niekro for that matter say if they heard y'all talkin' yer sommelier way? Ya need to go to more dive bars and run that the hell out of you
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Chili
Red
Pulled Pork
Current answers for lower carb consumption. I can live with it. Pretty freaking well.
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Maybe a surprise to you all, but as much as I love a delicious bowl of Texas red, I'd actually pick gumbo.
me too
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I think it's really close, which is interesting, to me. I was musing about another such pair.
How about white OR red Burgundy?
red Burgundy
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I'm currently eating soup that is kind of akin to gumbo, just no chicken or shrimp or okra, I forgot to add okra.
How about fried chicken or pulled pork (both done properly)?
that was easy - fried chicken
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I knew it - ya went from being a chemist flying a puddle jumper to one of those hoity - toity vino appraisers. What in the Wide,Wide World of Sports would Vince Dooley or Phil Niekro for that matter say if they heard y'all talkin' yer sommelier way? Ya need to go to more dive bars and run that the hell out of you
have you met his wife??? ahhh, the 2nd wife
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I am surprised at the popularity of gumbo here. I’d guess for most it’s close.
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have you met his wife??? ahhh, the 2nd wife
Take my wife …..
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if ya had to choose one for the rest of your life, 1st wife or 2nd wife????
I haven't met the 2nd wife but, I'm willing to chance what's behind door #2
don't want the 1st one back
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Behind the Green Door? Monte Hall has a surprise for you
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We have Publix here, there is one next to the Kroger we favor. Maybe their fried chicken is really good but what I have seen is pieces sitting around under a heat lamp.
That's at almost every fried chicken joint. When I go in, I ask for a fresh batch. They never say no.
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broasted chicken to order
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The good fried chicken around here is always made to order. A heat lamp would be a travesty.
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yup, fast food - not for me
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Korean fried chicken and Nashville hot are the two biggest trends around here. I like them both, quite tasty.
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The good fried chicken around here is always made to order. A heat lamp would be a travesty.
At a sit-down, for sure.
Publix is a huge step up from KFC or any of those chains (except Brown's in/around Chicago as I'm sure @betarhoalphadelta (https://www.cfb51.com/index.php?action=profile;u=19) would attest).
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if ya had to choose one for the rest of your life, 1st wife or 2nd wife????
I haven't met the 2nd wife but, I'm willing to chance what's behind door #2
don't want the 1st one back
You haven't met your future second ex-wife yet?
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not to my knowledge
she would need to live on a golf course and have Husker season football tickets
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Yeah I'm gonna go ahead and stick with first wife. For now...
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nice disclaimer ;)
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No wine preference, and pulled pork over fried chicken pretty comfortably. Though there are a myriad of ways that chicken of the non-fried variety makes my mouth happy.
As for gumbo or chili.....I now have to speak to my doctor about a depression medication, because the very thought of having to choose one over the other gave my prefrontal cortex a hernia.
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2nd wife and it's not close.
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As for gumbo or chili.....I now have to speak to my doctor about a depression medication, because the very thought of having to choose one over the other gave my prefrontal cortex a hernia.
Yeah I wasn't trying to make it easy. :)
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gumbo, or chili.
Chili
but NOT Cincinnati Chili 🤮
(https://i.imgur.com/0CFaiBd.png)
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Yeah I wasn't trying to make it easy. :)
*sigh*
Gumbo....I guess....
you bastard
Chili.....we could've had so many more years together :91:
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that was easy - fried chicken
Rotisserie chicken and it's not even close.Might just be my menu choice if the executioner had me as his next client. That or an old school dagwood that the deli down the road made. They closed because a bunch of fancy Dan's built their McMansions there in '84 the saving grace is and old buddy use to work there in HS and remembers the contents :dance: - so time to try that after the Chili
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My mom who was from the south( Tennessee) used to make home made fried chicken a couple times a month when I was a kid. And truly homemade mashed potatoes and gravy.
What I wouldn’t give for just one more of her chicken dinners.
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Rotisserie was not a choice, sir.
Now, if you want to do an either/or with fried chicken and rotisserie chicken, well... that's exactly what this thread is designed for!
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Let's try a change of pace from food.
How about-- billiards, or bowling?
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Let's try a change of pace from food.
How about-- billiards, or bowling?
Billiards. ( full disclosure: i suck at both)
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Rotisserie was not a choice, sir.
Now, if you want to do an either/or with fried chicken and rotisserie chicken, well... that's exactly what this thread is designed for!
Well no one was following directions from the start - herding cats sir. And beans are a chili option,glad that was straightened out
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How about-- billiards, or bowling?
Shooting "stick" use be decent at, remember watching Willie Moscone vs Minnesota Fats on the afore mentioned Wide,Wide World of Sports
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My mom who was from the south( Tennessee) used to make home made fried chicken a couple times a month when I was a kid. And truly homemade mashed potatoes and gravy.
What I wouldn’t give for just one more of her chicken dinners.
My mother and grandmother's fried chicken in the cast iron skillet on the stove top
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Let's try a change of pace from food.
How about-- billiards, or bowling?
Billiards easily
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Well no one was following directions from the start - herding cats sir. And beans are a chili option,glad that was straightened out
Well you have never followed directions from the start decades ago
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What kind of chili? If it's Cincinnati chili, I'd go with that....
Skyline or Goldstar?
(Blue Ash not an option)
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I guess pool isn't all that controversial, I'd go billiards as well.
Doesn't hurt that I have a pool table in our upstairs game/entertainment room. I'd be cutting myself off from using the second largest room in the house if I swore off the billiards.
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Just put a bowling alley in the largest room
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I definitely dreamed of just such a thing when I was a kid. Maybe I saw it in a Richie Rich comic or something.
(https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/63ec6c4fcaa31a6322ad34b0/63ec746a1d04f0ef213b2998_63d0121c50fd3d6d8c45f9d8_imagereader%2520(1).jpeg)
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Billiards.
Chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream?
Chocolate chip cookies or chocolate covered donuts?
Donuts or croissants?
[ok, gotta reset my brain...]
Sports car or truck?
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Ice cream and cookies very easily
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croissants
And obviously cars
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Now, if you want to do an either/or with fried chicken and rotisserie chicken, well... that's exactly what this thread is designed for!
Rotisserie
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How about-- billiards, or bowling?
Billiards
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Haven't eaten enough gumbo to call that one.
Red.
Fried chicken.
Billiards.
No on all the sweets except chocolate ice cream and croissants.
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Paper or plastic?
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Paper
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Well you have never followed directions from the start decades ago
So I beat you to it what's new? :)
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Well you might have a few months on me
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Billiards. ( full disclosure: i suck at both)
I only bowl in the winter, that way my score exceeds the outside temperature.
Billiards:
I played enough when I was younger that I can occasionally hit two or three tough shots in a row but I've played so infrequently since that I sm terribly inconsistent so I go from making a couple tough shots to missing an easy one.
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So? Billiards?
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Bowling does seem to be a northerners winter activity
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Let's try a change of pace from food.
How about-- billiards, or bowling?
Man, I used to be really good at both. Won a lot of league awards.
Given my back issues, I'd go with billiards.
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New England Lobster or Alaskan King Crab Legs?
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Lobster for sure.
I was lucky enough to spend a couple months in Portland, Maine, back when I traveled constantly for work. I might not have eaten lobster every day, but it was darn close.
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King Crab Legs for me. Lobster is close.
It would honestly suck to have to pick, but King Crab Legs gets the nod.
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Lobster 🦞
It's easy to eat
Like mudbugs
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Lobster for sure.
I was lucky enough to spend a couple months in Portland, Maine, back when I traveled constantly for work. I might not have eaten lobster every day, but it was darn close.
I didn't know there was a Portland in Maine.
So, Portland, OR or Portland, ME?
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Billiards.
Chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream?
Chocolate chip cookies or chocolate covered donuts?
Donuts or croissants?
[ok, gotta reset my brain...]
Sports car or truck?
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I'm not big on sweets at all, but I'll say:
Chocolate ice cream
Chocolcate chip cookies
I don't really ever eat donuts or croissant, but I guess croissant.
Plastic, because I re-use the bags for many other purposes. But really, I have about 10 re-usable fabric bags that I can wash and they each last a couple years.
Sportscar, as long as it's a '65 Mustang convertible
Portland Maine, definitely-- it's awesome. Portland, Oregon, is too close to being Portlandia.
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Chocolate ice cream
Pass
Donuts
(https://i.imgur.com/3YpXhyP.png)
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My mom who was from the south( Tennessee) used to make home made fried chicken a couple times a month when I was a kid. And truly homemade mashed potatoes and gravy.
What I wouldn’t give for just one more of her chicken dinners.
My Grandmother who lived in the south, would pressure fry fried chicken and also did the mashed potatoes and gravy. Probably my favorite meal of my life. And like you, I would love to have that one more time.
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Alaskan King Crab. I'm not a huge lobster fan, though I've had it several times in New England.
Both Portlands are great. If I had to choose, I'd take Oregon, because it is one of my favorite cities in Oregon to go, whereas I would rather go a bunch of other places in Maine (without ever being sad to go to Portland, ME).
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I like crab legs a lot, lobster I'll eat but it's not special to me at all, used to be a poor man's food.
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I like crab legs a lot, lobster I'll eat but it's not special to me at all, used to be a poor man's food.
I live about a 2 hr drive from the geographic center of the continental US. As such, you cannot get farther away from the ocean.
For most of my life, I've lived in counties where cattle outnumber people by magnitudes. So these sea bugs are kind of a rarity, thusly, I have insufficient data to form an opinion.
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Portland, OR
it gets cold as hell in Maine
I've driven thru OR, would love to visit Maine (in the summer/fall)
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Let's try a change of pace from food.
How about-- billiards, or bowling?
Bowling. Generally a team/league event (although you can do that in billiards as well), but not the same.
Down here you'd more likely be picking between billiards and darts.
To which -- darts is the proper answer.
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I would lean gumbo. Although I don’t eat as much of it these days.
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Bowling. Generally a team/league event (although you can do that in billiards as well), but not the same.
Down here you'd more likely be picking between billiards and darts.
To which -- darts is the proper answer.
Used to enjoy bowling, even though I was only okay at it. Now, between my feet, ankles, and back, I'm definitely choosing between shooting pool and darts.
That probably depends on how sauced I am. Pool is more fun sober, darts is more fun drunk. Or at least funnier. So....basically it's gonna be pool for me.
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Used to enjoy bowling, even though I was only okay at it. Now, between my feet, ankles, and back, I'm definitely choosing between shooting pool and darts.
That probably depends on how sauced I am. Pool is more fun sober, darts is more fun drunk. Or at least funnier. So....basically it's gonna be pool for me.
I hear you. I've only bowled a few times in the last 15 years due to lower leg pain.
Shattered my leg at 34 and am toting around 2 plates, and 21 screws, and very little lateral movement in the ankle joint.
I'd pick cornhole and horseshoes over all of them.
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I once bowled 9 straight strikes to start a game. I came up in ten not really thinking about it and the entire 32 lane bowling alley had stopped. Needless to say …. I think I ended with 268, well above my average around 190.
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f526296a-c4af-4f03-8526-51567a1c87a7/gif
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My Grandmother who lived in the south, would pressure fry fried chicken and also did the mashed potatoes and gravy.
Pretty sure that is what Colonel Sanders did when he started out
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I hear you. I've only bowled a few times in the last 15 years due to lower leg pain.
Shattered my leg at 34 and am toting around 2 plates, and 21 screws, and very little lateral movement in the ankle joint.
I'd pick cornhole and horseshoes over all of them.
OK fair enough, question to the masses-- cornhole or washers?
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bags
I dislike the term, "cornhole"
not sure why
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OK fair enough, question to the masses-- cornhole or washers?
Cornhole. Much easier to find a wayward shot.
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bags
I dislike the term, "cornhole"
not sure why
That is the proper terminology.
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Never heard it called bags but as far as I'm concerned it's a yankee sport that y'all invented anyway, so whatever you call it is good with me.
Down here in Texico we played horseshoes and washers until the great cornhole invasion of say, 2005 maybe, arrived here.
And then there's also that weird ladder toss game, not sure who invented it but I don't like it one bit!
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In and around Chicago it's called "bags" and the bags used are rectangular.
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That is the proper terminology.
use it if you must - cornholer
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bags or washers
for guys that don't have horseshoe pits
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Never heard it called bags but as far as I'm concerned it's a yankee sport that y'all invented anyway, so whatever you call it is good with me.
Down here in Texico we played horseshoes and washers until the great cornhole invasion of say, 2005 maybe, arrived here.
And then there's also that weird ladder toss game, not sure who invented it but I don't like it one bit!
Horseshoes is my first love.
The cleanliness, low maintenance, and portability of Cornhole ensuring it's fading into the history books, however. Inevitable due to convenience.
That ladder game does suck. And somehow, I'm not good at it. Weird.
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Horseshoes is my first love.
The cleanliness, low maintenance, and portability of Cornhole ensuring it's fading into the history books, however. Inevitable due to convenience.
That ladder game does suck. And somehow, I'm not good at it. Weird.
Yeah it's not easy to transport and set up horseshoes in a parking lot, so cornhole is the game of preference at tailgate parties and such.
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This is why I snicker at the common name:
(https://i.imgur.com/MhTvmy3.png)
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This is why I snicker at the common name:
(https://i.imgur.com/MhTvmy3.png)
Somebody needs to put a Nebraska shirt on Beavis.
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OK, you can live either in Paris or Rome the rest of your life .......
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Rome
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Rome
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Somebody needs to put a Nebraska shirt on Beavis.
looks like jayhawk blue to me
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I don't know Paris very well, but it's much more centrally located for travel throughout Europe...
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Rome.
Not even close.
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I don't know Paris very well, but it's much more centrally located for travel throughout Europe...
That's a pretty good point.
It's a tough call for me. Probably Paris, but in reality I might have to flip a coin.
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I don't know Paris very well, but it's much more centrally located for travel throughout Europe...
Not really.
(https://i.imgur.com/isZqzCo.png)
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Not really.
Well, Paris is closer to pretty much all of the historically most important regions of Europe including UK, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and even Madrid. It's also closer to Czechia, Slovakia, and Poland. It's about equidistant to Hungary.
Rome is closer to Austria, the places along the Adriatic, and Greece, though I'm not sure it's all that much easier to get there from Rome, compared to Paris.
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Not really.
Evidently from a UK/USA point
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Rome is not only closer to some great places, but it also has better weather.
Italy has a lot of historically significant parts to it. It also has Sicily.
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Rome is not only closer to some great places, but it also has better weather.
Italy has a lot of historically significant parts to it. It also has Sicily.
Sure, but so does France.
So outside their own countries' borders, there aren't that many "great places" that it's closer to compared to Paris. It's technically closer to most of the Balkans and there are definitely some cool areas there, but I don't think they stack up to England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and even Madrid. And then throw in the Nordic countries as well.
I'll agree on the weather though, for sure.
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All that said, getting around Europe, whether it's from Rome or Paris, isn't really all that difficult. Most of us are pretty accustomed to navigating our way around the USA which is comparable in size if a little smaller, but Europe also has superior rail accessibility throughout most of it.
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I've heard not so great things about Paris' airport.
Rome is a breeze.
Italians like "us".
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I'm just picking Italy for the food.
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The proximity of Rome/Paris to other European cities/countries is irrelevant. You're picking one to choose for the rest of your life. If you choose Paris for the rest of your life, you aren't going to Madrid.
Paris has too many Parisians.*
Rome.
*though a lot less than they used to
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The proximity of Rome/Paris to other European cities/countries is irrelevant. You're picking one to choose for the rest of your life. If you choose Paris for the rest of your life, you aren't going to Madrid.
I don't think the idea was that you can't take a vacation?
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My wife is Parisian…..:96:
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My wife is Parisian…..:96:
Yeah, but she hates it.
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Yeah, it’s just where you live, you’d still travel. I would lean to Paris I think though it’s likely more expensive overall.
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I think you leave a place and have memories that don’t match when you return …..
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I'm just picking Italy for the food.
especially for the cheese
and of course the wine
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especially for the cheese
and of course the wine
French wine is better than Italian. French cheese is better than Italian.
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But of course you can get other ethnicities of food in both Paris and Rome.
So then the question for me becomes, am I more likely to be able to find good Italian food in Paris, or good French food in Rome? And am I more likely to be able to get French wine in Rome, or Italian wine in Paris?
Those are interesting questions.
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French wine is better than Italian. French cheese is better than Italian.
might want to keep that under your Stetson while in Rome
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might want to keep that under your Stetson while in Rome
Not saying Italian cheese and wine are bad, they're not. They're delicious.
They're just not as food as French, which is no slight, because nobody else's cheese and wine are as good as the French either. Theirs is the best in the world.
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The swiss do their cheeses just aren't soft and creamy like lots of french types that spread on fancy crackers and such
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The swiss do their cheeses just aren't soft and creamy like lots of french types that spread on fancy crackers and such
The Swiss have a couple of excellent cheeses. Gruyere is one of my favorites on the planet. The Spanish have manchego which is fantastic. The Italians have Parmagiano Reggiano which is certainly one of the best cheeses on earth as well. Shoot, I put aged Wisconsin cheddar way up at the top of the heap as well.
The French have dozens at that level. They have hard cheeses, they have soft cheeses, they have everything.
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was just going to say Gruyère i had read that the swiss heat up their milk before using in the cheese making. I'd be willing to judge any contests however
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Weather is subjective, too. The winters in Paris are worse, but the heat in Rome in the summer is worse.
And distance is different than accessibility. Taking the train from Paris gets me to more places I want to go than the train from Rome. And the train will be more pleasant than flying most of the time regardless of whether I'm going to Charles De Galle or whatever Rome's airport is called (I do recall it was pretty easy to navigate). I loved seeing the history in Rome while just walking around on the street, but I suspect I would feel the same way about Paris. Paris to England? Much easier than Rome to England. Paris to Madrid? Probably about the same as Rome to Madrid, but if I were guessing (and I am) the train from Paris might be quicker than the train from Rome. Germany? Paris wins. My brother in Austria? Rome wins. Northern Europe? Paris. Greece? Rome, but I'm not actually sure it's by much because I think I'm flying either way.
Food? Either way, what bliss.
Wine? France / Paris.
Dessert? Paris.
Parisians? Rome.
But just because I picked gumbo doesn't mean I don't love chili. And Rome is pretty great, too.
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Weather is subjective, too. The winters in Paris are worse, but the heat in Rome in the summer is worse.
And distance is different than accessibility. Taking the train from Paris gets me to more places I want to go than the train from Rome. And the train will be more pleasant than flying most of the time regardless of whether I'm going to Charles De Galle or whatever Rome's airport is called (I do recall it was pretty easy to navigate). I loved seeing the history in Rome while just walking around on the street, but I suspect I would feel the same way about Paris. Paris to England? Much easier than Rome to England. Paris to Madrid? Probably about the same as Rome to Madrid, but if I were guessing (and I am) the train from Paris might be quicker than the train from Rome. Germany? Paris wins. My brother in Austria? Rome wins. Northern Europe? Paris. Greece? Rome, but I'm not actually sure it's by much because I think I'm flying either way.
Food? Either way, what bliss.
Wine? France / Paris.
Dessert? Paris.
Parisians? Rome.
But just because I picked gumbo doesn't mean I don't love chili. And Rome is pretty great, too.
Yeah pretty much all of my thoughts, exactly.
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was just going to say Gruyère i had read that the swiss heat up their milk before using in the cheese making. I'd be willing to judge any contests however
I recall CincyDawg sayin there was a nice cheese shop near a spaghetti joint in Cincinnati
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I recall CincyDawg sayin there was a nice cheese shop near a spaghetti joint in Cincinnati
It’s actually near Sweetwater Brewery, which works for me.
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Rome or Paris … pretty cool options.
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Best cheeses I've ever had were in Amsterdam.
And Wisconsin.
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I can’t really recall best cheeses, I’ve had great cheese about anywhere, including here. I’m still amazed at the variety of mustards in France.
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(https://i.imgur.com/KKNDqVR.png)
This stuff was pretty derned good - got it in Healdsburg last january
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I love goat milk cheeses.
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But of course you can get other ethnicities of food in both Paris and Rome.
So then the question for me becomes, am I more likely to be able to find good Italian food in Paris, or good French food in Rome? And am I more likely to be able to get French wine in Rome, or Italian wine in Paris?
Those are interesting questions.
Isn't it more likely to find good French food in Rome, as most chefs train in French cuisine, then go out into the world?
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I love goat milk cheeses.
I like fromage de chevre myself …
I didn’t see French cuisine in Rome but didn’t look, I’ve had Japanese food in Paris and Mexican in Lyon. Both were … different.
Most places in Rome seemed to cater to tourists, but we were mostly in tourist areas …
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We had great French in Rome on one visit. It was the restaurant atop the 5* hotel I mentioned.
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Isn't it more likely to find good French food in Rome, as most chefs train in French cuisine, then go out into the world?
That's a good point and very possibly right on.
I've never really sought out French food in Italy nor Italian food in France, which is why I was wondering about it.
I've tried Mexican food in both and it was hilariously awful in all cases.
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I've tried Mexican food in both and it was hilariously awful in all cases.
WTF???
figured you'd know better
ya know, "When in Rome"
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WTF???
figured you'd know better
ya know, "When in Rome"
It's a thing I do. I've tried Mexican food in pretty much every place I've ever been, just for fun.
When you're spending 3 or 4 months in a place, giving up just one meal isn't a big deal.
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But of course you can get other ethnicities of food in both Paris and Rome.
So then the question for me becomes, am I more likely to be able to find good Italian food in Paris, or good French food in Rome? And am I more likely to be able to get French wine in Rome, or Italian wine in Paris?
Those are interesting questions.
When I tried to get an Italian wine in Paris, the waiter looked at me like I was an idiot
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It is fun to try ethnic foods outside their countries. The French food here usually is not all that French.
And cuisine is the French word for kitchen, and the entree is the appetizer.
French food or Italian food?
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I've been led to believe that all waiters in Paris look at all Americans like that ALL the time
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Italian food
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French food or Italian food?
Italian
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If it's French food in France versus Italian food in Italy, I'll take French.
If it's French food in the USA vs. Italian food in the USA, then I'll go Italian.
As CD has suggested, I think it's tougher to find good French food here in the States, and the places that are "French" aren't necessarily all that French. But I can find good Italian food all over.
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If it's French food in France versus Italian food in Italy, I'll take French.
If it's French food in the USA vs. Italian food in the USA, then I'll go Italian.
As CD has suggested, I think it's tougher to find good French food here in the States, and the places that are "French" aren't necessarily all that French. But I can find good Italian food all over.
That's one thing I miss Chicago for - we had some excellent French food choices. Excellent food options overall, really.
Things I miss about Chicago is a very short list.
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That's one thing I miss Chicago for - we had some excellent French food choices. Excellent food options overall, really.
Things I miss about Chicago is a very short list.
Yeah we even have several really good French places here in Austin.
But there are far more really good Italian places.
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Hamburgers, or pizza?
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Yeah we even have several really good French places here in Austin.
But there are far more really good Italian places.
That's everywhere. So many more Italian immigrants than French is why.
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Hamburgers, or pizza?
Burgers, hands down.
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That's everywhere. So many more Italian immigrants than French is why.
Sure.
So like I said, if it's in the USA I'm choosing Italian over French.
If it's in the country of origin, then I'm choosing French over Italian.
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it's overall
therefore, since I rarely go to France or Italy.... I'm taking italian
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Hamburgers, or pizza?
would be a very tough decision but, since the red sauce can cause me heartburn, I'll take burgers
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I found enormous differences in Paris between the tourist areas and residential areas in terms of restaurants and how I’m treated in them. I rarely had an issues with service in France. And they don’t price up their wine 2x and more over retail.
Learning a few phrases of French probably helps.
Having a French wife probably helps too.
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I agree the Italian food here is pervasive and usually quite good. I’m told the ingredients for many French dishes are just different here. Beef is better, most everything else …
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Tuscany has great beef.
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The Piedmontese (Italian: Piemontese or razza bovina Piemontese) is a breed of domestic cattle that originated in the region of Piedmont, in north-west Italy.
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Tuscany has great beef.
I was pretty disappointed in the quality of beef in Tuscany. I found that it was not really any different than the rest of Europe, which is far inferior to the USA.
Preparation was great though. Made me wish they had better beef.
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French food or Italian food?
Italian. I've been to both.
Pretty much everything I ate in Italy, in three different regions, was amazing. On two visits to France, the food was just okay. The last time in Paris, the best meal I ate was at our hotel bar and it was tapas, nothing French.
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Had some really good food in Rome and Florence. The four best meals I’ve ever had were in France.
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(https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbnAQ4XDze4u_tC8i07jmJc_2VX3Msaih6lS9gE3nygoHf6Utfanypcb2wSCejdF3HcN1y80nZ2JT2PpTYbpqTr-NGsuq2dCukcGX8ykIJkEtw6kAXow6MDRHBemr6IVp7ZyBDZ9sh5FJN/s1600/1L8A6697.jpg)
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those can't be french fries
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I was pretty disappointed in the quality of beef in Tuscany. I found that it was not really any different than the rest of Europe, which is far inferior to the USA.
Preparation was great though. Made me wish they had better beef.
The times we had steaks were on a working farm and/or winery, in the countryside setting, as part of tours.
We did not order steaks at restaurants.
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I avoid beef in Europe in general. They usually have other great options. Smaller restaurants usually get their food early from local markets instead of Sysco etc.
I think first time visitors to Europe usually go to Paris for a week. For some, that’s all they can afford in a life.
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There is a "visit Paris" site on FB I dabble with at times, it's interesting, somewhat. A lot of convo about rude waiters, which I have not found to be at all universal. I have seen Americans "behaving very badly" though.
Once once apologized to a restaurant after a family from NJ left, they were incredible.
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There is a "visit Paris" site on FB I dabble with at times, it's interesting, somewhat. A lot of convo about rude waiters, which I have not found to be at all universal. I have seen Americans "behaving very badly" though.
Once once apologized to a restaurant after a family from NJ left, they were incredible.
Yeah I don't find the people in Paris to be any more rude than people in other large cities. Even though most of them speak English, attempting to speak a little French goes a long way.
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My wife is Parisian…..:96:
Nobody's perfect.
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Man my pizza vs. burgers question is tougher for me than I thought.
I originally thought it'd easily be burgers. But then I thought about my absolute favorite pizza restaurant here in Austin, and the thought of never eating it again in my lifetime, made me sad.
So I'm still pondering.
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take your time
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One thing I like in a food is ease of eating. Burgers and pizza of course fulfill that desire nicely. A really good burger of course is ... really good, and the same is true for pizza. One might consider mediocre to not good items of each, fast food of course is burger centric. I think I'd rather have a poor pizza than a poor burger. I used to get Papa John's for the kids fairly often, they were tolerable, Chucky Cheese pizzas were about the worst I ever tried. Grocery store pizzas are usually OK.
Just thinking about a so so pizza vs so so burger ... maybe I'd go pizza.
We did a tasting tour in Rome across the river in Trasteverde, if I can spell it right, the foods there were super good. We also had pizza at some sidewalk place that clearly caters to tourists and it was quite good as well, fed four of us for about $50.
The 2-3 burgers I've tried in Europe were ... weird, to me.
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My wife is eating only yogurt for a week because of her dental surgery/treatment, so I made "Mexican spaghetti" two nights ago (chili, to me), I really like it. I rarely make gumbo. I should more often, but chili is easier, fewer ingredients, and I like it a lot. While the base is not Cincinnati style at all, I do have it with raw chopped onions and grated cheddar on top.
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foods ease of eating is one thing
how about ease of preparing yourself at home
ease of eating is why I chose Lobster over crab legs
Burgers are easier for me to prepare than pizza
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Putting a store pizza in the oven is about as easy as it gets. Sometimes it causes the oven to get messy.
For some reason, I'm indifferent to lobster but like crab legs a lot.
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I rarely eat frozen grocery store pizzas - they are not good - imo
I suppose I could buy ready to use crust. Throwing on the sauce, ingredients, and cheese is easy
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I rarely eat frozen grocery store pizzas - they are not good - imo
I suppose I could buy ready to use crust. Throwing on the sauce, ingredients, and cheese is easy
Delivery pizza mostly sucks now too.
For that reason, on occasion we'll toss a "not good" Red Baron in the oven for 1/10th of the cost.
If both suck, choose the cheap one is what I say.
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Try Screamin' Sicilian.
They are actually very good.
(https://i.imgur.com/giyhFRz.png)
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I've bought Artisan(all natural) Frozen Cheese pizza's,we usually add the toppings,Pretty damn good. But I'd have to go with Burgers - so many ways to make them with different bun/roll/bread types. Always liked Patty Melts with toasted rye, swiss/cheddar cheese,sautéed onions,Cindy likes Thousand Island on hers
Another one is Cajun Blackened Burger - 80/20 beef patty coated in Creole/Cajun blackened seasoning, Lawry’s Seasoned Salt and seared in a hot cast-iron skillet, topped with blue cheese, a served on a onion bun(or whatever ya like). Damn that bold, char-crusted patty and a creamy topping, such as blue cheese dressing - slobbering just thinking about it
The one I have yet to make is the George Motz’s Oklahoma Fried Onion Burger
https://youtu.be/z6yzN-rpTX8
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Try Screamin' Sicilian.
They are actually very good.
I've had them
very good in comparison to other frozen pies
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Try Screamin' Sicilian.
They are actually very good.
Saw those YouTube top 2 frozen Pies amongst the 2/3 chefs polled
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I love burgers, but it's gonna be pizza for me, and not particularly close.
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Yeah I think I have to go with pizza as well. I love burgers but I suppose I'd get my beef fix with BBQ, steaks, and the occasional boeuf bourguignon.
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I rarely eat frozen grocery store pizzas - they are not good - imo
The Kroger "fresh" pizzas are "OK", we have them on occasion. My wife always has Trader Joe's thin pizzas frozen when we just want a light quick dinner. They are tolerable, to me.
In grad school I'd make those Chef Boy RD box pizzas. They were never very good but what did I know? They were cheap.
Our local pizza place went under a few months back, we didn't go there often, which is why they went under I guess. We do have Killer Burgers for lunch on occasion, literally.
Grindhouse Killer Burgers (https://www.grindhouseburgers.com/)
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yes, frozen pizzas are tolerable, easy to make and to eat
Lottza Motza is a brand that is pretty good here
I also always add extra toppings and cheese from my fridge or cupboard to zest 'em up a little
the take & bake (not frozen) are even better
not enuff for me to pick pizza over burgers
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yes, frozen pizzas are tolerable, easy to make and to eat
Lottza Motza is a brand that is pretty good here
I also always add extra toppings and cheese from my fridge or cupboard to zest 'em up a little
the take & bake (not frozen) are even better
not enuff for me to pick pizza over burgers
Well I mean, I'm certainly not choosing premade or frozen storebought pizza over burgers for the rest of my life...
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Yeah, I think we should compare duos of equivalent quality. Would you prefer a pretty bad burger over a pretty bad pizza? Or a great burger over a great pizza?
I might split that and go burger-pizza.
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Yeah, I think we should compare duos of equivalent quality. Would you prefer a pretty bad burger over a pretty bad pizza? Or a great burger over a great pizza?
I might split that and go burger-pizza.
Bad pizza over bad burger.
Good burger over good pizza.
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Ed Zachery
Cincy brought up ease of eating
I brought up ease of cookin
and of course things just went off the rails from there
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Pizza.
I'm with Utee, I feel like I could use other beef to replace burgers more easily than replacing pizza.
French vs. Italian is harder. I'd like to say French because high end French food is--to me--better than high end Italian, but...
not ever having Italian food again would hurt in a way that not ever having French food again would not. So Italian.
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Burger.
I just can't imagine a life without burgers. I love pizza, but pizza is a sometimes food. I can ALWAYS go for a burger.
Also agree I'd take bad pizza over bad burgers, as long as I can also have good burgers over good pizza.
Kinda like fries vs tots. Good fries are better than tots IMHO, but bad fries are worse. And tots are so consistent that at the very least you always know what you're going to get.
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Ribs or brisket?
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(https://i.imgur.com/WP4shBf.png)
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Ribs or brisket?
brisket
well, unless beef ribs are included
then ribs every damn day and twice on Sunday
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I think I'm gonna have to go with ribs on that one, based on where I live, and the equipment I have (or don't) to make a quality brisket myself.
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Brisket all day every day.
I'm sure nobody is surprised by my preference. :)
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Bad pizza over bad burger, that one is the easy one. Bad burgers make me sick. Bad pizza is just bad pizza.
Good pizza over good burger, though that one is the much harder choice.
Ribs over brisket. Though the thought of no more brisket makes me tear up a little bit.
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(https://i.imgur.com/M6fjnaH.png)
ease of cookin, ease of eating, ease of finding good or great
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Brisket all day every day.
I'm sure nobody is surprised by my preference. :)
Trick question! The answer is "cow tongue"
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Lengua is tasty. Cheek meat is tastier.
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If I lived in CenTex, my answer would be brisket, hands down, without question.
Oh, and
Fries > Tots
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Never had cheek meat. Then again, other than your tailgate, I never had lengua.
I guess that makes me think of "Squirrel, or rabbit?"
You can get some funny looks from Austin folks if you indicate you come from a place where that's an applicable question.
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In my experience, the good - bad spectrum on brisket is pretty large, but then so is it for ribs. I think I'd take poor ribs over poor brisket. I think I'd still take superb ribs over superb brisket, but that's closer.
Pulled pork seems to be narrower in spectrum, I've rarely had it worse than mediocre, if ever. I've had pretty bad dried out brisket to the point I quit ordering it until my wife got it at Fox Bros and I tried it. Dang. Lewis is comparably good. I have not had Lewis' ribs. Yet.
We have another place near us called Fat Matt's which gets good ratings but the three times I tried it I was not so impressed. The do have blues at night and it's crowded all the time. It's also not very walkable.
Home - Fat Matt's Rib Shack - Restaurant in Atlanta GA (https://www.fatmattsribshack.net/)
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BTW for me, it's ribs.
I do LOVE some good brisket, but it's rare to find. And making it myself is such a major undertaking that I don't do it often.
Whereas ribs are so much more accessible and I do them fairly frequently. And it's *much* easier to do ribs for 2 people than brisket for 2 people, so when the kids move out, we'll probably still be making ribs on at least a monthly basis whereas brisket would only be something we'd do if we were having a gathering--and we don't have many.
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Oh, and
Fries > Tots
Oh, definitely fries. Good fries are so good that I'd take the risk of getting bad french fries once in a while to get the upper bound of good fries, over tots.
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I also agree about fries, the spectrum is huge. Mediocre fries are pervasive, and terrible fries are not hard to strumble across. The best I ever had was in Belgium.
Tots I agree are consistent, and I do like the "Totchos" they serve next door.
The Nook on Piedmont Park – Midtown’s true neighborhood tavern (https://thenookatlanta.com/)
They claim their totchos are "world famous" ....
The Nook’s World Famous Totchos™
What are Totchos you ask? They are our The Nook’s tater tots smothered in goodness!
(https://i.imgur.com/mRprLbX.jpeg)
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Oh, definitely fries. Good fries are so good that I'd take the risk of getting bad french fries once in a while to get the upper bound of good fries, over tots.
Great fries >>> great tots.
Mediocre tots >>> mediocre fries
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Lengua is tasty. Cheek meat is tastier.
agreed
I have cheek meat in my freezer
barbacoa de cachete
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Cheek meat or mountain oysters ...
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cheek meat for me - easily
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Cheek meat. Best meat on the animal.
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I've never had mountain oysters, I probably never will try them. I recall having "sweetbreads" once, at that time I wasn't sure what they were. They actually were pretty tasty, like chicken.
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I've never had mountain oysters, I probably never will try them.
I've tried them. They were unobjectionable. But also not really memorable. It was just a deep fried piece of meat.
Once the novelty of trying them once is gone, no point in eating them again.
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I've eaten a lot of odd stuff, but have never had the opportunity to have mountain oysters.
So I guess I'll say cheek meat by default, but I'd probably pick it anyway.
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lamb fries???
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I've tried them. They were unobjectionable. But also not really memorable. It was just a deep fried piece of meat.
Once the novelty of trying them once is gone, no point in eating them again.
that's how I feel - I've had them more than a dozen times - because I've been with people that seek them out and enjoy them
kinda like liver & onions - I don't seek them out and usually order something else if there's an option
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I've tried them. They were unobjectionable. But also not really memorable. It was just a deep fried piece of meat.
Once the novelty of trying them once is gone, no point in eating them again.
My novelty days are done. Too old for that...."Aww c'mon, just try it" trick.
Had a guy I work with cook up some "chitlins", and offered to bring some for me to try --- I emphatically declined, which he thought was funny, and just kept badgering me. Once upon a time I would have caved -- no more.
As long as restaurants and grocery stores remain solvent --- no point in eating nasty shit.
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chitlins are one of the few things I won't eat
but, if there are a few of them in some oriental soup - I won't pick em out
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Ribs, for a similar (but not the same) reason as my choice for Italian food. I don't have enough brisket in my life that I would miss it all that much. I would miss the ribs. I've had good brisket that was amazing, but it's just not ever present (or even sometimes present) in my life. It's something to get in Austin, or Athens, or...(lots of other places I don't go very often, and which also have other great foods).